Reviews

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

bethsmout's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-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

2.0

mbdemaine's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

Different from previous books in the series, focus not on inspector Grant

abbierose_m's review against another edition

2.5

I love Tey, but this book was not nearly up to her usual standard, and her troubling politics are evident. A weirdly straightforward book, although it was entertaining as it went. 

leiliadore's review against another edition

mysterious slow-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

2.0

Book club book - no way id have finished it otherwise. So boring and slow and in many ways very sexist for a book written by a woman.

kraley's review against another edition

5.0

Although this didn’t feature Inspector Grant very much, I loved Robert and his stodgy manners. I loved his Digestivo biscuits and butter tarts. I loved his aunt and even his nephew. Another Tey gem.

emilyjia5080's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

showell's review against another edition

5.0

"'the trouble with you, dear, is that you think of an angel of the Lord as a creature with wings, whereas he is probably a scruffy little man in a bowler hat.'" this book is full of writing like that. And the story's good too.

rwolff16's review against another edition

challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

greybeard49's review against another edition

4.0

Exemplary detective novel written during a period when different societal values were the norm. Tey's book is highly regarded by her writer peers and she writes prose exquisitely. Reading her immerses you in a different time period. You will have to put up with her ideas about how society should be ordered and the way that people should behave, most of which is laudable but certainly not PC today.
Her crime writing is 'gentle' if that makes sense. She ushers you along the road to her denouement and her heroes are certainly not in the swashbuckling mode. A strength of the book, however, is how it recognises and highlights the pernicious power of the press and the disastrous consequences that can result from the wielding of that power. The novel was published in 1949.

Take an enjoyable trip, with some very good company, down the country lanes of post war Britain.

charmainslibrary's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I have kept thinking about this book since I read it and the more time has passed the angrier I get at it. It has good writing and an interesting plot, but the thing that stayed with me was the misogyny that is present throughout the book, important to the plot and basically proven to be correct in the end and practiced by all the "reasonable" characters(as well as some questionable ones). I absolutely loved the Daugther of Time and now this book has made me never want to read another Josephine Tey book again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Physical abuse