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wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I didn’t expect these mysteries to be so dark, but all have dealt with quite heavy themes.
I’m really enjoying the characters in this series, even though at first I wasn’t sure, but I really hope they became less about the drama in their lives and more about the mysteries, which are good.
EDIT: I just started book 4, and it’s set BEFORE book one? No thanks! And then apparently the ones after are heavily focused on the drama with the group of rich friends. Meh. Pausing this series for now.
EDIT: Upon further reflection, I changed rating of this book from a 4 to a 3.5
I didn’t expect these mysteries to be so dark, but all have dealt with quite heavy themes.
I’m really enjoying the characters in this series, even though at first I wasn’t sure, but I really hope they became less about the drama in their lives and more about the mysteries, which are good.
EDIT: I just started book 4, and it’s set BEFORE book one? No thanks! And then apparently the ones after are heavily focused on the drama with the group of rich friends. Meh. Pausing this series for now.
EDIT: Upon further reflection, I changed rating of this book from a 4 to a 3.5
ny420geek's review against another edition
5.0
As usual, an Inspector Lynley mystery never fails to excite and entertain.
laby's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Primo libro che leggo di questa serie di polizieschi procedurali.
Il ritmo del romanzo è veloce, ma non in modo eccessivo. Si passa continuamente da una scena all'altra e abbiamo la possibilità di immedesimarci con il punto di vista di tanti personaggi diversi. Così facendo, veniamo a scoprire i vari drammi che ognuno di loro sta attraversando. Alcuni di questi aiutano a rendere il caso più intrigante, altri sono degni di una soap opera di bassa lega.
I personaggi sono stereotipati e banali al punto giusto: sono, cioè, facili da identificare e distinguere ma non sono eccessivamente scontati. L'unica eccezione sono gli studenti, che ho trovato indistinguibili e assolutamente sovrapponibili.
Sinceramente non sono rimasta particolarmente colpita dai detective, non li ho trovati degni di nota e non mi interessavano le loro vicende.
I temi trattati sono tantissimi e il caso è molto complesso. Elizabeth George descrive molto bene i meccanismi e le dinamiche che intercorrono all'interno e all'esterno di queste scuole private elitarie.
Questa scuola sembra essere piena dei peggiori individui possibili, tra bulli, pedofili e quant'altro.
Molto gioca sul parallelo con il passato dell'ispettore in una scuola simile. Viene trattato il tema della cultura di fedeltà tra compagni che sembra permeare la vita in queste scuole, e alla fine lo stesso ispettore decide di tenerle fede e di non denunciare il suo ex compagno pedofilo. Questa cosa non mi è piaciuta per niente: l'ispettore, dopo tutto, non si è rivelato essere miglior dell'assassino. Denunciare il pedofilo sarebbe stato un modo per dimostrare la crescita del personaggio e la volontà di mettersi alle spalle il suo passato, invece rimane imprigionato nella stessa mentalità che ha portato alla morte di Matthew. Ma chissà, magari l'autrice non voleva dare un lieto fine.
C'è anche una certa omofobia nel modo in cui si cerca più o meno implicitamente di fare qualche collegamento tra omosessualità e pedofilia. Capisco che questo sia un libro del 1991, ma l'ho trovato comunque fuori luogo e l'autrice se lo poteva risparmiare.
Non ho sopportato tutto il melodramma della St. James. Ogni volta che leggevo il suo nome volevo cavarmi gli occhi. L'ho trovato inutile e sproporzionato, ma non ho letto i libri precedenti e non mi interessano molto questi personaggi.
Il ritmo del romanzo è veloce, ma non in modo eccessivo. Si passa continuamente da una scena all'altra e abbiamo la possibilità di immedesimarci con il punto di vista di tanti personaggi diversi. Così facendo, veniamo a scoprire i vari drammi che ognuno di loro sta attraversando. Alcuni di questi aiutano a rendere il caso più intrigante, altri sono degni di una soap opera di bassa lega.
I personaggi sono stereotipati e banali al punto giusto: sono, cioè, facili da identificare e distinguere ma non sono eccessivamente scontati. L'unica eccezione sono gli studenti, che ho trovato indistinguibili e assolutamente sovrapponibili.
Sinceramente non sono rimasta particolarmente colpita dai detective, non li ho trovati degni di nota e non mi interessavano le loro vicende.
I temi trattati sono tantissimi e il caso è molto complesso. Elizabeth George descrive molto bene i meccanismi e le dinamiche che intercorrono all'interno e all'esterno di queste scuole private elitarie.
Questa scuola sembra essere piena dei peggiori individui possibili, tra bulli, pedofili e quant'altro.
Molto gioca sul parallelo con il passato dell'ispettore in una scuola simile. Viene trattato il tema della cultura di fedeltà tra compagni che sembra permeare la vita in queste scuole, e alla fine lo stesso ispettore decide di tenerle fede e di non denunciare il suo ex compagno pedofilo. Questa cosa non mi è piaciuta per niente: l'ispettore, dopo tutto, non si è rivelato essere miglior dell'assassino. Denunciare il pedofilo sarebbe stato un modo per dimostrare la crescita del personaggio e la volontà di mettersi alle spalle il suo passato, invece rimane imprigionato nella stessa mentalità che ha portato alla morte di Matthew. Ma chissà, magari l'autrice non voleva dare un lieto fine.
C'è anche una certa omofobia nel modo in cui si cerca più o meno implicitamente di fare qualche collegamento tra omosessualità e pedofilia. Capisco che questo sia un libro del 1991, ma l'ho trovato comunque fuori luogo e l'autrice se lo poteva risparmiare.
Non ho sopportato tutto il melodramma della St. James. Ogni volta che leggevo il suo nome volevo cavarmi gli occhi. L'ho trovato inutile e sproporzionato, ma non ho letto i libri precedenti e non mi interessano molto questi personaggi.
auntieg0412's review against another edition
5.0
What a complex and thought-provoking plot! I’m thoroughly enjoying this series.
ncrabb's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the somewhat earlier books in the Inspector Tommy Lynley
series, and it's excellent on a variety of levels. Not only will the main
plot keep you reading and wondering, but the subplots are interesting,
too. In fact, I often complain a little about the length of these
Elizabeth George books, but not so this one.
Lynley has been called to a boarding school rich in tradition. A
13-year-old boy has been murdered, and his tortured body has been
unceremoniously dumped in a churchyard. It's up to Lynley to figure out
what happened, and he does; but there is a multiplicity of secrets kept by
the students and staff. Lynley has to peel back the dark and murky
secrets of the school-a place far more interested in protecting its
reputation and image than in helping Lynley and his partner get at the
truth.
There's a heart-rending subplot here, too, that involves Lynley's
long-time forensics specialist friend Simon ST. James and his photographer
wife, Deborah. She has miscarried, and her past is in play as she erects
barriers that drive the couple dangerously apart. There is a two-sentence
description of an abortion in this book. That shouldn't be a deal breaker
even for those of you who strongly oppose abortion for any reason. I
wouldn't call it graphic so much as vivid, and it's really quite brief but
memorable.
There's a new twist very nearly on every page, and I found the book a
great way to escape the stresses of life in early February.
series, and it's excellent on a variety of levels. Not only will the main
plot keep you reading and wondering, but the subplots are interesting,
too. In fact, I often complain a little about the length of these
Elizabeth George books, but not so this one.
Lynley has been called to a boarding school rich in tradition. A
13-year-old boy has been murdered, and his tortured body has been
unceremoniously dumped in a churchyard. It's up to Lynley to figure out
what happened, and he does; but there is a multiplicity of secrets kept by
the students and staff. Lynley has to peel back the dark and murky
secrets of the school-a place far more interested in protecting its
reputation and image than in helping Lynley and his partner get at the
truth.
There's a heart-rending subplot here, too, that involves Lynley's
long-time forensics specialist friend Simon ST. James and his photographer
wife, Deborah. She has miscarried, and her past is in play as she erects
barriers that drive the couple dangerously apart. There is a two-sentence
description of an abortion in this book. That shouldn't be a deal breaker
even for those of you who strongly oppose abortion for any reason. I
wouldn't call it graphic so much as vivid, and it's really quite brief but
memorable.
There's a new twist very nearly on every page, and I found the book a
great way to escape the stresses of life in early February.
lilias's review against another edition
4.0
Last year I read my first Elizabeth George book, A Great Deliverance. It’s the first in her Lynley series, and I loved it so much I bought used mass market paperback copies of 2 through 10 (Shh.). Then I read the second book and did not like it much. Eek. I stayed away from my Elizabeth George books for a while because I was so worried I wouldn’t like another one. All that to say, I am especially happy that I very much liked this book.
This is an incredibly sad book. I knew it would be while reading the first chapter, which was just ... heartmauling. George has this ability to convey characters and settings to such vivid ends that I get quite attached. I’m so glad my first impression of her is proving to be true.
This is an incredibly sad book. I knew it would be while reading the first chapter, which was just ... heartmauling. George has this ability to convey characters and settings to such vivid ends that I get quite attached. I’m so glad my first impression of her is proving to be true.
whitneyborup's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one. This series has been very comforting to me while I'm in the middle of what feels like a million transitions.
nonna7's review against another edition
5.0
This is only the third book in the Inspector Lynley series. I've read the later ones which are heart wrenching because of the personal issues that both Lynley and partner, Havers, have. This one, however, is one of the saddest and most complex books I've read in a while. When a young scholarship student at a well known "Public" school in England, Bredgar Chambers, is murdered, Lynley's services are requested because of his "old school ties" with one of the teachers. Matthew was a handsome 13 year old who believed in following the rules. There is some question as to why he was chosen for the scholarship, but he has a powerful benefactor, a man who also has "old school ties" with the institution. Matthew is the son of a former barmaid and an artisan who designs tomb stones. The boy's body shows signs of horrible torture before his death. The theories ricochet back and forth. There are so many surprises in this book. Lynley has terrible memories of his own time at Eton, although one of his closest friends, a forensic scientist, was a fellow student and his close friend growing up in Eton. The visit to Bredgar Chambers brings back a lot of those bad memories. Old school ties run deep and wide as we soon discover both in the past and present. Outstanding.
aeithos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
ashak's review against another edition
3.0
A complex murder mystery with great characters.
For a detailed review click on:
http://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/well-schooled-in-murder-elizabeth-george.html
For a detailed review click on:
http://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/well-schooled-in-murder-elizabeth-george.html