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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
After struggling a bit at the beginning, I thoroughly enjoyed this clever mystery. The best part about the book is the narrator - 11 year old Flavia De Luce. The author has given her such an engaging and unique voice. Because of her, this book becomes "memorable" instead of just plain "good."
What fun! A spirited 11 year-old heroine obsessed with chemistry (particularly poison) running around 1950s English countryside solving mysteries. It was perhaps not the most tightly plotted mystery in the world, though this may have been my fault as mysteries are decidedly not my thing and I did A LOT of skimming. Read in part on audiobook, and the narration was delightful.
Adorable character that Flavia. Good writing. Excellent use of high dollar words! It really pumped up my vocabulary.
Loved the spunky smart scientist protagonist and her passion to get to the bottom of mysterious circumstances.
I always cringe and roll my eyes each time I see this in a review:
I really wanted to like this book.
My response is always, well freaking like it then. It's OKAY.
Right. I'll take a breath...ready.
I really wanted to like this book.
Now I get what this means.
Recently Louise Penny posted to Facebook those authors who she likes to recommend to people. Among them was Alan Bradley. And not just Alan Bradley, but "Alan Bradley - wow".
Well, shit. I'm really disappointed in this because I am hardly wowed, and having come from Louise Penny's recommendation, I was excited and expecting to like it. I didn't.
I find Flavia's precociousness to be way too cutesy and the mystery (where clues are just seeming to fall right into her lap) to be uninteresting.
So I'm out at 25%
I only hope Deborah Crombie and Nicci French (Penny's other recs) aren't met with similar disappointments.
I really wanted to like this book.
My response is always, well freaking like it then. It's OKAY.
Right. I'll take a breath...ready.
I really wanted to like this book.
Now I get what this means.
Recently Louise Penny posted to Facebook those authors who she likes to recommend to people. Among them was Alan Bradley. And not just Alan Bradley, but "Alan Bradley - wow".
Well, shit. I'm really disappointed in this because I am hardly wowed, and having come from Louise Penny's recommendation, I was excited and expecting to like it. I didn't.
I find Flavia's precociousness to be way too cutesy and the mystery (where clues are just seeming to fall right into her lap) to be uninteresting.
So I'm out at 25%
I only hope Deborah Crombie and Nicci French (Penny's other recs) aren't met with similar disappointments.
Very nice detective story.
Reminds me of Pippi and the new Enola Holmes.
Reminds me of Pippi and the new Enola Holmes.
I'll finally admit it. I like mysteries. I never got over my love of Nancy Drew. It never was really about the actual crime or the piecing together of clues, it's about the detective, the setting, and the tone of the narrative. The happier the better when dealing with death. So bring on Nancy, Miss Marple, and now I can add Flavia de Luce to the mix.