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hippos's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
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
4.0
leighryks's review against another edition
4.0
Delaying [b:A Game of Thrones|13496|A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)|George R.R. Martin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1239039164s/13496.jpg|1466917] briefly to go with some old friends until my sleep deprivation lessens and I'm able to sort out some new character.
sadie_slater's review against another edition
5.0
The Sibyl in Her Grave is the fourth and, sadly, last of Sarah Caudwell's Hilary Tamar mysteries. Unlike the first three, it's not available as a Kindle edition, but cheap secondhand paperbacks seem to be in plentiful supply.
Like the other Tamar novels, The Sibyl in Her Grave is largely epistolary, with Tamar's detecting (such as it is) mainly taking place from the comfort of a Lincoln's Inn wine bar on the basis of their correspondents' descriptions of the events where they are. In this case, the main correspondent is Julia Larwood's Aunt Regina, whose village investment syndicate seems to be mixed up in a potential insider dealing case which is concerning one of Selena's clients. Tamar and the junior barristers of 62 New Square set out to try to work out what the connection is, and therefore which of Selena's client's suspects is the guilty party, a task complicated by a series of unexpected events in the Sussex village where Aunt Regina lives, beginning with the sudden death of Isabella del Comino, 'psychic counsellor' and one of the more difficult residents of the village.
Although I tend to think that, with the Tamar books, the detection is only an excuse for 300-odd pages of witty banter and arch observation, this one kept me guessing until the end, with plenty of red herrings and dead ends, and just enough clues dropped about some things for the reader to get there a few pages ahead of Tamar. Mostly, though, I simply enjoyed it for the wittty banter and arch observation, and the relationships between both the recurring set of characters and Aunt Regina's friends in her village. It's a delightful read; having read all four, the books are definitely going on my list of comfort re-reads, and to facilitate this I have secondhand paperbacks of the first three coming to join this one.
Like the other Tamar novels, The Sibyl in Her Grave is largely epistolary, with Tamar's detecting (such as it is) mainly taking place from the comfort of a Lincoln's Inn wine bar on the basis of their correspondents' descriptions of the events where they are. In this case, the main correspondent is Julia Larwood's Aunt Regina, whose village investment syndicate seems to be mixed up in a potential insider dealing case which is concerning one of Selena's clients. Tamar and the junior barristers of 62 New Square set out to try to work out what the connection is, and therefore which of Selena's client's suspects is the guilty party, a task complicated by a series of unexpected events in the Sussex village where Aunt Regina lives, beginning with the sudden death of Isabella del Comino, 'psychic counsellor' and one of the more difficult residents of the village.
Although I tend to think that, with the Tamar books, the detection is only an excuse for 300-odd pages of witty banter and arch observation, this one kept me guessing until the end, with plenty of red herrings and dead ends, and just enough clues dropped about some things for the reader to get there a few pages ahead of Tamar. Mostly, though, I simply enjoyed it for the wittty banter and arch observation, and the relationships between both the recurring set of characters and Aunt Regina's friends in her village. It's a delightful read; having read all four, the books are definitely going on my list of comfort re-reads, and to facilitate this I have secondhand paperbacks of the first three coming to join this one.
pantea's review against another edition
3.0
[3.5] bought this one randomly bc i liked the cover, was not disappointed:)
kristi_asleep_dreaming's review against another edition
3.0
When I was reading this I thought it was a perfect cozy mystery, ironic subgenre: lots of pleasant, mildly eccentric characters, amusing banter and byplay, most of the deaths not real tragedies for the viewpoint characters.
But the ending shocked me, and gave me uneasy dreams that night. What Daphne was doing to that poor man was just utterly horrible, making his life isolated misery, all under her guise of stupid niceness. What a horrible girl.
But then, murder mysteries do have murders in them, which should perhaps imply to the discerning reader that some of the characters maybe aren't so nice after all.
But the ending shocked me, and gave me uneasy dreams that night. What Daphne was doing to that poor man was just utterly horrible, making his life isolated misery, all under her guise of stupid niceness. What a horrible girl.
But then, murder mysteries do have murders in them, which should perhaps imply to the discerning reader that some of the characters maybe aren't so nice after all.
stitchknurd's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this up on a whim in the bookstore, and I was more than pleasantly surprised.
The prose and dialogue are exactly how I wish everyone talked all the time. Verbose and precise, much like something from Jane Austen or some other 19th-century British author (so of course it's quite shocking that I liked it so much).
The large cast of characters are unique and interesting, the plot/mystery are intriguing* without being over the top, and the humor is absolutely spot on. It's the epitome of the kind of British humor that I love: dry, absurd, and generally light hearted. I laughed out loud probably more than a dozen times, which is pretty good for a book of average length.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this novel is the narrator, Hilary Tamar. The author very skillfully does not reveal the gender of the narrator, but she does so in a way that does not make you aware of it. In fact, I would probably have not even noticed it had I not read on the back cover that Hilary's sex is ambiguous. I didn't automatically assign a gender in my mind either. This is something I haven't seen done before, and Caudwell did a great job of it, so I was impressed.
I would definitely say that this book isn't for everyone, but if it's the kind of thing you like, you will probably like it very much.
Now I'm off to try to stop myself from buying the rest of them all at once, as it's too close to Christmas.
*I am probably easier to please than most when it comes to a mystery plot. I don't put extra effort into trying to figure things out, as I just like to enjoy the read. That being said, I thought that this particular mystery was complicated enough to be interesting and not easily guessable, but it wasn't so convoluted that it seemed far fetched. Basically, what a good mystery should be.
12/22/2020: Having reread this in series order this year and ending with this one, I can say that the mystery of this one is my favorite. I love them all but this one has the most twists in it and they are done well. It was bittersweet to finish this read through of the series. These books are as close as I get to feeling something is perfect (not for everyone perhaps but for me). I love them wholly and am saddened that the author passed before being able to share more of her great talent. I will always cherish what we do have and plan on revisiting them often in the future.
The prose and dialogue are exactly how I wish everyone talked all the time. Verbose and precise, much like something from Jane Austen or some other 19th-century British author (so of course it's quite shocking that I liked it so much).
The large cast of characters are unique and interesting, the plot/mystery are intriguing* without being over the top, and the humor is absolutely spot on. It's the epitome of the kind of British humor that I love: dry, absurd, and generally light hearted. I laughed out loud probably more than a dozen times, which is pretty good for a book of average length.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this novel is the narrator, Hilary Tamar. The author very skillfully does not reveal the gender of the narrator, but she does so in a way that does not make you aware of it. In fact, I would probably have not even noticed it had I not read on the back cover that Hilary's sex is ambiguous. I didn't automatically assign a gender in my mind either. This is something I haven't seen done before, and Caudwell did a great job of it, so I was impressed.
I would definitely say that this book isn't for everyone, but if it's the kind of thing you like, you will probably like it very much.
Now I'm off to try to stop myself from buying the rest of them all at once, as it's too close to Christmas.
*I am probably easier to please than most when it comes to a mystery plot. I don't put extra effort into trying to figure things out, as I just like to enjoy the read. That being said, I thought that this particular mystery was complicated enough to be interesting and not easily guessable, but it wasn't so convoluted that it seemed far fetched. Basically, what a good mystery should be.
12/22/2020: Having reread this in series order this year and ending with this one, I can say that the mystery of this one is my favorite. I love them all but this one has the most twists in it and they are done well. It was bittersweet to finish this read through of the series. These books are as close as I get to feeling something is perfect (not for everyone perhaps but for me). I love them wholly and am saddened that the author passed before being able to share more of her great talent. I will always cherish what we do have and plan on revisiting them often in the future.
mhendrie's review against another edition
5.0
In the hands of a less deft writer, this could have drifted into a flat parody of the cozy, small town English mystery. Instead, Sarah Caudwell weaves a masterful novel that rivals the pleasure and style of any Golden Age mystery, while infusing it with a distinctly modern sensibility. Full of wit, humor, and quite a bit of queerness, this is a delight to read from start to finish. It’s such a loss that Caudwell died so young, making this is the last of the 62 New Square set.
eloise's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes