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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
If a mystery of 290 pages takes me a week to read, something's wrong. I liked the writing and the basic idea of the plot, but it was just a little... dull.
I had read on some website somewhere that Tey’s Brat Farrar was one of those novels you had to read. Never having heard of Tey I was curious to find out why this novel was so beloved. I cannot say I consider it one of the great classics but there is a certain charm and elegance about the novel that makes it very endearing.
Brat Farrar at 21 years of age has an uncanny resemblance to missing thirteen year old Patrick Ashby. Brat having been coached by a family friend in the mannerisms and Ashby family, he begins his deceit to become Patrick and inherit a good deal of money.
As you read this novel, you have this real feeling that you are in the story, that you are standing next to Brat as he becomes more involved in the family. Tey is wonderful at establishing the scene and then taking you on this wonderful journey. I mean it becomes pretty obvious what has happened to Patrick but that does not matter as you are with Brat as he discovers the truth.
The characters are wonderfully created and they are not perfect, they can be maddeningly annoying at times but that is family. I like how Tey has captured the difficulty of being the prodigal son returning home, the pressures to conform, to resume as nothing has changed.
There is some lovely humour throughout the story, upon describing George Peck it is remarked “I could get more romance out of a cement mixer” or how Mrs Bloom became to be known as Mrs Gloom because of her relish for disaster.
While the novel may seem dated in style as it was written in 1949 (I think) it does deal with a rather difficult subject and that is of a child committing a heinous crime. You tend to forget that it is thought provoking and an issue we are still trying to understand.
Brat Farrar at 21 years of age has an uncanny resemblance to missing thirteen year old Patrick Ashby. Brat having been coached by a family friend in the mannerisms and Ashby family, he begins his deceit to become Patrick and inherit a good deal of money.
As you read this novel, you have this real feeling that you are in the story, that you are standing next to Brat as he becomes more involved in the family. Tey is wonderful at establishing the scene and then taking you on this wonderful journey. I mean it becomes pretty obvious what has happened to Patrick but that does not matter as you are with Brat as he discovers the truth.
The characters are wonderfully created and they are not perfect, they can be maddeningly annoying at times but that is family. I like how Tey has captured the difficulty of being the prodigal son returning home, the pressures to conform, to resume as nothing has changed.
There is some lovely humour throughout the story, upon describing George Peck it is remarked “I could get more romance out of a cement mixer” or how Mrs Bloom became to be known as Mrs Gloom because of her relish for disaster.
While the novel may seem dated in style as it was written in 1949 (I think) it does deal with a rather difficult subject and that is of a child committing a heinous crime. You tend to forget that it is thought provoking and an issue we are still trying to understand.
Simon Ashby is approaching his 21st birthday and the day of his inheritance when his elder twin, Patrick, comes back from the dead.
For me a slightly unbelievable premise but did get my interest. But it would have been a better read without all the horse etc writing, a much tighter and interesting story.
For me a slightly unbelievable premise but did get my interest. But it would have been a better read without all the horse etc writing, a much tighter and interesting story.
I stumbled into this book accidentally because the premise was intriguing, plus Josephine Tey is one of those mystery renowned authors that I always wanted to get into. Only half way through this one right now and I love it. If the pace keeps up until the end I'd gladly give Brat Farrar at least 4 stars.
EDIT: The second half of the book was not as good, however it ended in good note and I appreciate that the story didn't drag too much. Overall I enjoyed the experience and will read other Josephine Tey books in future.
EDIT: The second half of the book was not as good, however it ended in good note and I appreciate that the story didn't drag too much. Overall I enjoyed the experience and will read other Josephine Tey books in future.
This is the second Tey book I have read. It’s a mystery, but not typical of the mystery genre. Tey introduces the characters and the crime that’s to be committed. The story begins with the introduction of the Ashby family. There’s Aunt Bee who has been left in charge of the Ashby family business of raising, breeding and selling of horses. She is also the care giver to the children since their parents’ death many years earlier. There’s Simon the eldest, Eleanor and the twins Ruth and Jane. Simon had a twin, Patrick, who died of an apparent suicide 8 years earlier, supposedly due to depression he suffered after his parents’ deaths. A body was never found and a very obscure note was left, so that no one was absolutely certain what happened to Patrick. Brat Farrar is then introduced. He is 21 and has no family history because he was left as an infant on the doorstep of an orphanage. He was born in England and lived in England until he realized he wanted some adventure and heads to America. There he discovers a love of horses. He has an accident that leaves him lame, so he heads back to England. On his return he is mistaken for Simon Ashby by Alex Loding a neighbor of the Ashby’s. This is where the crime is planned. Brat is to impersonate Patrick Ashby and take the inheritance and give Loding a small allowance of his own. Of course the plan sounded good, but there were some unforeseen thorns and there is quite an interesting twist to the story. I really enjoyed this book. It was a little predictable as far as the crime went, but it was the characters reactions that really made this a terrific story.
mysterious
medium-paced
I think Miss Pym Disposes is still my favorite Tey, but this one is so good. She really was a fantastic writer. There's something about that early-to-mid-century novel style that is so satisfying: prose that's pleasurable but lucid and emotional insights that are subtle but striking.
I'm not sure there's enough mystery here to really qualify it as a mystery, particularly when what little investigation there is happens very close to the end of the book. As a novel of suspense, it's much more of a success. What I can't decide is if, even there, it would've been better if the mystery were more of a mystery.
The best of midcentury British crime novels. And it's so finely drawn and pitch-perfect, taking such a slow and leisurely trip through a hundred moments of terrible suspense. Be warned--this novel is nearly as classist and colonialist as Agatha Christie's work. However, it's quite a bit queerer (you can depend upon Tey for this).
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really gripping book that from the beginning had me hooked. From the beginning, there's mystery and a sense that everything is going to go terribly wrong - and I was desperate to get through to the end to see how and why.
The Ashby's are the centre family of this novel. The parents died in an airplane crash years before, and the eldest son Simon is due to inherit the fortune on his 21st birthday. He's the younger twin of Patrick, who disappeared when he was 13, having committed suicide. Brat Farrar, an orphan with a striking likeness to Simon, is approached and convinced to pretend to be Patrick. He grows really close to the family - apart from Simon - and you can see why this is such a compelling thread to the novel.
However, Josephine Tey also seems to want to disappoint me in the last third of her novels. It happened with The Franchise Affair in which she completely lost me, and whilst I do prefer this book overall to the Franchise Affair the way it went in the last third was so completely disturbing and disappointing that it did bring it down. Not every novel needs a romance. I do not understand what could possibly have made Josephine Tey think having Brat and Eleanor have a romance and GET MARRIED AT THE END was a good idea. Even if he was her second cousin (which is just ridiculous because of striking his likeness to Simon is and I felt it was implied he would be an actual sibling from the beginning which added to my horror as to where it was going to go), she thought he was her brother and he looks exactly like her brother. Is that not disturbing enough?????? Just horrific and took away from the main compelling part of this novel - it also didn't add anything because Brat's sense of family that he was building with the Ashby's was enough. The mystery was resolved in a less satisfying way than I expected and somehow felt anti-climactic.
The Ashby's are the centre family of this novel. The parents died in an airplane crash years before, and the eldest son Simon is due to inherit the fortune on his 21st birthday. He's the younger twin of Patrick, who disappeared when he was 13, having committed suicide. Brat Farrar, an orphan with a striking likeness to Simon, is approached and convinced to pretend to be Patrick. He grows really close to the family - apart from Simon - and you can see why this is such a compelling thread to the novel.
However, Josephine Tey also seems to want to disappoint me in the last third of her novels. It happened with The Franchise Affair in which she completely lost me, and whilst I do prefer this book overall to the Franchise Affair the way it went in the last third was so completely disturbing and disappointing that it did bring it down.