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trin's review against another edition
4.0
A rec from Wychwood, and a goodie. What seems like an ordinary English country house mystery has dark political motivations and implications, as Walton gradually reveals more and more about this alternate 1949, one in a world where Britain made peace with Hitler in early 1941. Brr.
Walton does a great job of showing how ordinary, and in some cases, perfectly decent people can be affected by prejudice and by the removal of certain freedoms. Lucy, who carries half the POV, is a wonderfully-constructed character, and I really enjoyed watching her develop. The other characters, though none were so clearly-drawn, are also captivating. However, Walton does make one character choice that puzzles me: almost everyone in this book is gay, or at least bisexual, to the point where it began to seem a little ridiculous and bad-fanficcy. Because unlike in real life, in a novel that kind of thing is a choice—on the part of the author, and I'm really not sure what Walton was trying to say with it. Except maybe that when they think nobody's looking, even the crustiest Tories are all indiscriminately schtupping each other, the bloody hypocrites. Okay, but I already got that they were hypocrites, and also racists and very bad people. They don't need to be hypocritical, racist, very bad gay people, do they? Though on second thought, that does sound increasingly like the Republican party in this country. Never mind.
That little tangent aside: this was captivating and scary and much braver and true to itself than, say, [a: Philip Roth|463|Philip Roth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399886959p2/463.jpg]'s [b: The Plot Against America|703|The Plot Against America|Philip Roth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553896240l/703._SY75_.jpg|911456]; Roth kind of wusses out at the end of that one and makes everything okay again. Not so, here. Though there is a sequel coming—in just over a week, in fact. *wants*
Walton does a great job of showing how ordinary, and in some cases, perfectly decent people can be affected by prejudice and by the removal of certain freedoms. Lucy, who carries half the POV, is a wonderfully-constructed character, and I really enjoyed watching her develop. The other characters, though none were so clearly-drawn, are also captivating. However, Walton does make one character choice that puzzles me: almost everyone in this book is gay, or at least bisexual, to the point where it began to seem a little ridiculous and bad-fanficcy. Because unlike in real life, in a novel that kind of thing is a choice—on the part of the author, and I'm really not sure what Walton was trying to say with it. Except maybe that when they think nobody's looking, even the crustiest Tories are all indiscriminately schtupping each other, the bloody hypocrites. Okay, but I already got that they were hypocrites, and also racists and very bad people. They don't need to be hypocritical, racist, very bad gay people, do they? Though on second thought, that does sound increasingly like the Republican party in this country. Never mind.
That little tangent aside: this was captivating and scary and much braver and true to itself than, say, [a: Philip Roth|463|Philip Roth|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399886959p2/463.jpg]'s [b: The Plot Against America|703|The Plot Against America|Philip Roth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553896240l/703._SY75_.jpg|911456]; Roth kind of wusses out at the end of that one and makes everything okay again. Not so, here. Though there is a sequel coming—in just over a week, in fact. *wants*
smelendez's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
It seems that I am not cut out to like books where the author/narrator writes as if he/she doesn't really care about the outcomes of the characters. This is a murder mystery in the way of Wilkie Collins' [b:The Moonstone|6138|The Moonstone|Wilkie Collins|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320451884s/6138.jpg|1044477]: the characters all act strangely and they're all hiding things and yet no one, not even the narrator, has the power to get them to reveal what they're hiding. It makes for a frustrating and claustrophobic experience. For those of you who really appreciate this unusual type of arm's-length, seemingly apathetic storytelling, FARTHING and the rest of this series will most likely be right up your sleeve. But it just wasn't for me.
billymac1962's review against another edition
2.0
I gave this one the fifty page rule and then some. DNF'd it at 62 pages.
An alternate history where Britain comes to peace terms with Hitler seems to be nothing more than a lightly referenced backdrop to a Downton Abbey-ish Josephine Tey mystery.
Far too many character associations that I did not care about (or the characters, really). This really wasn't what I was looking for, so not for me at this time.
An alternate history where Britain comes to peace terms with Hitler seems to be nothing more than a lightly referenced backdrop to a Downton Abbey-ish Josephine Tey mystery.
Far too many character associations that I did not care about (or the characters, really). This really wasn't what I was looking for, so not for me at this time.
heroineinabook's review against another edition
3.0
I know, it's interesting that I gave this book three stars but didn't finish it myself. Let me explain. The premise, it's after WWII; Hitler and England have brokered peace; a murder occurs on a country estate. From the summary alone this seemed up my alley but I just couldn't get in to the book. I felt the lead protagonist was bit of a drip and the pacing was too slow. I gave it a good go of nearly 100 pages but if you haven't captured the reader's interest this point, why finish?
All of this and with the resolution given on the last few pages, I concluded this book wasn't worth finishing.
I can see, however, why people would like this book. The premise is interesting and the writing was technically good, Sadly, it's just for me.
All of this and with the resolution given on the last few pages, I concluded this book wasn't worth finishing.
I can see, however, why people would like this book. The premise is interesting and the writing was technically good, Sadly, it's just for me.
zaphod46's review against another edition
3.0
This was an alternate-reality whodunnit. In 1941, Britain worked out a peace
agreement with Hitler and Lindenburgh became president of the US, so the
whole world is rather anti-Semitic. The Jewish husband of one of the narrators
(the other is the Inspector) is framed for a murder.
It is an OK book, but it doesn’t have the firm resolution that (in my opinion)
a whodunnit should always have: who did it and how? Instead, the Inspector
knows the general set of people who did it and sort of what they did, but he
doesn’t have all the pieces before the end of the book.
agreement with Hitler and Lindenburgh became president of the US, so the
whole world is rather anti-Semitic. The Jewish husband of one of the narrators
(the other is the Inspector) is framed for a murder.
It is an OK book, but it doesn’t have the firm resolution that (in my opinion)
a whodunnit should always have: who did it and how? Instead, the Inspector
knows the general set of people who did it and sort of what they did, but he
doesn’t have all the pieces before the end of the book.
jwoodsum's review against another edition
5.0
so an interesting premise - loved the characters and the set up is truly chilling (England makes peace with Hitler in 1940 and slowly moves to become a facsist state as well)
liketheday's review against another edition
5.0
OMG I LOVE IT
I've read many other books by Jo Walton and loved them in a generally quiet way. They're good books, Walton has an amazing way with language and worldbuilding, and I love the slow burn of her stories.
A friend recommended this book to me five years ago and I somehow completely ignored it, but when she recommended it again recently and I actually took some time to look at the description, I was hooked. It took me forever to get it from the library due to the pandemic, but I finally picked it up on the first day of a long weekend and prepared to settle in for a good time.
And then I finished the book at midnight, because I couldn't bear to go to bed without finishing it.
This is completely unlike anything I've read by Walton before, except for the amazing language and worldbuilding. It's a murder mystery rather than the more literary titles of hers I've read, so the pacing is fast and the plot is thick. At first it's all mystery, and I was a little disappointed I wasn't seeing more of this alternate history world it was taking place in, where the British don't work to defeat Hitler but cut a deal with him instead to leave them alone on their happy little island. But that world intrudes more and more on the story until it's really what the book is about, and hoo boy does a lot of the political stuff cut really close to home seventy years after this book is set and fifteen after it was published. I am excited and a little terrified to see what else happens in this world in the sequels.
I've read many other books by Jo Walton and loved them in a generally quiet way. They're good books, Walton has an amazing way with language and worldbuilding, and I love the slow burn of her stories.
A friend recommended this book to me five years ago and I somehow completely ignored it, but when she recommended it again recently and I actually took some time to look at the description, I was hooked. It took me forever to get it from the library due to the pandemic, but I finally picked it up on the first day of a long weekend and prepared to settle in for a good time.
And then I finished the book at midnight, because I couldn't bear to go to bed without finishing it.
This is completely unlike anything I've read by Walton before, except for the amazing language and worldbuilding. It's a murder mystery rather than the more literary titles of hers I've read, so the pacing is fast and the plot is thick. At first it's all mystery, and I was a little disappointed I wasn't seeing more of this alternate history world it was taking place in, where the British don't work to defeat Hitler but cut a deal with him instead to leave them alone on their happy little island. But that world intrudes more and more on the story until it's really what the book is about, and hoo boy does a lot of the political stuff cut really close to home seventy years after this book is set and fifteen after it was published. I am excited and a little terrified to see what else happens in this world in the sequels.
alkora's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.5
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Very good, but very depressing. A para-historical mystery set in an England that made a truce with Hitler in 1941.