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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Interesting mixture of upper class English and Australian slang but it took me too long to accept the manners of Miss Fisher, so I think I'll leave this series alone.
I hadn't read a Phryne Fisher story in a while and forgot how fun they were. This one in particular was a lively read filled with the usual antics of the posh Phryne and family.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Exquisite attention to the details of language and culture at the time, while still advocating 'modern' morals without it being too out of place. Two engaging mysteries with satisfying answers, even if the author 'cheats' by withholding information so that Phryne can have her dramatic 'Poirot' revelation, but it is so well done it can be quite easily forgiven.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not very memorable. The story was good but it sure seemed to take forever to get to any action. Side note: what happened to Lin Chung's wife? She hasn't been mentioned and he seems to have a lot of time to spend with Phryne. Just curious...
A guy with an antiques shop is killed and Phryne tries to figure out how and why. The crowd of young people around him were a bit over the top, but not as bad as the party in the previous one. Still an enjoyable series.
It was a bit harder to follow this one but everything made sense in the end
I don't think I liked the tidbits at the end of each chapter, they're not actually connected to the mystery or help solving it
I don't think I liked the tidbits at the end of each chapter, they're not actually connected to the mystery or help solving it
Not the strongest of the Phryne books, but still pleasant enough. Some of the new minor characters are great - I particularly liked Rachel Phillips and Mrs Bonetti, and Mrs Manifold was strongly drawn - and Eliza and Alice continue to be delightful. The plots were weaker than usual (I would have preferred to focus more thoroughly on one of them, instead of dividing the time between shallow treatments of both), but again, it's always nice to spend a few hours with Phryne and crew.
Far more literate and poetic than the TV series, with an entertaining and fascinating historical background - the only flaw is in the characters. The dialogue of the final confrontations could have been lifted straight from Scooby Doo.
I read a rather disappointed review of one of Greenwood's Phryne Fisher novels by Hazelblackberry, who thought that Phryne was just a bit too perfect. I think I may have read all the Fisher series (this is the most recently published) and I see her point. Phryne is the woman who has it all - rich, good looking, perceptive, never found a mystery she couldn't solve, etc.
I do tend to finish these books thinking it would be nice to live in the 1920s if you had a butler and a housekeeper and unending piles of money to spend on clothes, and certainly if you read them for plot you'll be disappointed. They're the sort of novels you read for the atmosphere, and the luscious descriptions of Phryne's life of leisure - the mysteries themselves (for these are ostensibly mysteries, Phryne being a private detective) are less than enthralling. However, the whole sensual picture does tend to catch me up and distract me from the mystery at the heart of the story - where can I get a bath scent that smells like Phryne's?
The audio book was good, although the Aussie accents were occasionally a teensy bit too exaggerated, and Phryne's cool, calm, collected tones remained utterly cool and calm even when she is being confronted with horrors. She is perhaps just a little too perfect.
I do tend to finish these books thinking it would be nice to live in the 1920s if you had a butler and a housekeeper and unending piles of money to spend on clothes, and certainly if you read them for plot you'll be disappointed. They're the sort of novels you read for the atmosphere, and the luscious descriptions of Phryne's life of leisure - the mysteries themselves (for these are ostensibly mysteries, Phryne being a private detective) are less than enthralling. However, the whole sensual picture does tend to catch me up and distract me from the mystery at the heart of the story - where can I get a bath scent that smells like Phryne's?
The audio book was good, although the Aussie accents were occasionally a teensy bit too exaggerated, and Phryne's cool, calm, collected tones remained utterly cool and calm even when she is being confronted with horrors. She is perhaps just a little too perfect.