Reviews

A Very British Murder by Lucy Worsley

trin's review against another edition

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4.0

Eminently readable history of the English obsession with murder from the early 19th century to the mid-20th; I gobbled it up in nearly one sitting. Worsley makes connections between real-life cases and the fictional depictions of crime from the same era that I found fascinating. She's occasionally sidetracked by biographical detail (we delve, for example, into the personal lives of [a:Thomas de Quincey|50325|Thomas de Quincey|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1458665610p2/50325.jpg], [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg], and [a:Dorothy L. Sayers|8734|Dorothy L. Sayers|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1206564934p2/8734.jpg]) but all of that is interesting, too, with Worsley's voice lively throughout. As is often the case with popular nonfiction, I was left wanting more -- more analysis, some grander statement -- but it's possible that I am just yearning for life (and death) to make more sense in general.

temi_m's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

4.0

kstephensreads's review against another edition

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As a fan of many of the authors discussed in this book (Collins, Christie, Sayers, Marsh, Conan Doyle, etc), this was a fun and interesting listen!

leanneymu's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

A well-researched and competently-argued book about the links between real-life murders and the 'business' of crime fiction. A good introduction to the themes. 

emma_reads95's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.0

thefullbronte's review against another edition

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4.0

Review haiku:

Murder most horrid,
Fascination dissected,
With tact and humour.

m_e_ruzak's review against another edition

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informative mysterious medium-paced

3.5

starthelostgirl's review against another edition

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5.0

I found this book to be a really fascinating introduction to how crime stories became popular among English people and how they evolved over time. I liked that there were true crime stories mixed in with the fictional ones, and that Worsley examined how the line between the two was often blurred. She made some really interesting points about how Jekyll and Hyde may have subconsciously influenced how we think about Jack the Ripper.

As a fan of the Golden Age of detective fiction, and specifically Agatha Christie, I felt like she understated the lasting impact of those stories and Christie’s ability to write an amazing story. More focus seemed to be on how Christie’s supporting characters are “flat” than facts like And Then There Were None (which was not even mentioned) is still the best selling crime novel of all time.

I love that she was able to say that human interest in crime dates back to the invention of modern society. I would have been interested in further analysis of how we consume fact and fictional crime stories today - the book only goes through the 1940s thoroughly. I think the way we consume true crime stories has evolved hugely even in the last few decades, but definitely since the early 1800s, when it was apparently common to tour a murder house and look at the dead bodies.

lauratoria's review against another edition

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funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

4.0

alienqueen's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

5.0