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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
I used to read a few cosies, although I was never totally addicted. But I've always been a huge fan of the quirky, odd and the just ever so slightly bats. Colin Watson, Charlotte MacLeod have been favourites for years. I'm adding Pierre Magnan to the list now.
Originally published in French in the late 70's, DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD was translated into English around 2005. There are a number of books in this series featuring Commissaire Laviolette, although I don't think Roseline makes an appearance in any of the others. Roseline is a truffle hunting pig, and a creature that has made me pine for a pet pig in a way that you simply would not think is possible. Mind you, I never thought I'd want a dachshund either, but this book made me rethink that as well.
On the outskirts of the small village of Banon, a group of outsiders have established a small hippie community. As they start to disappear Commissaire Laviolette is sent to investigate, but nobody is prepared for the discovery in the freezer of a local hotel, when a wedding party is trapped by snow and extra food is called for. (Obviously the freezer would just have to be replaced!)
Soon Roseline is leading the police to a cache of more bodies, and forensic assistance is reluctantly called upon.
It's going to seem an odd thing to say, what with bodies littering hotel freezers and family vaults, but there was something really joyous about reading DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD. Refreshingly down to earth, quirky, almost tongue in cheek in some places, and just plain funny, DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD draws a vivid picture of small village life and the wonderfully individualistic people that all so frequently inhabit those places. Perhaps it is partially because of that setting, but there's no feeling of the story and the environment being dated - it's easy for the reader to assume that village life continues in that manner now, and as far back into the past as you want to imagine. Along with the murders, there's a fabulous outline of the clash of cultures - the villagers and their quiet existence, the outsiders and the effect that they have. Definitely a book for readers who are looking for something light, fun and just that little bit slightly bats!
Originally published in French in the late 70's, DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD was translated into English around 2005. There are a number of books in this series featuring Commissaire Laviolette, although I don't think Roseline makes an appearance in any of the others. Roseline is a truffle hunting pig, and a creature that has made me pine for a pet pig in a way that you simply would not think is possible. Mind you, I never thought I'd want a dachshund either, but this book made me rethink that as well.
On the outskirts of the small village of Banon, a group of outsiders have established a small hippie community. As they start to disappear Commissaire Laviolette is sent to investigate, but nobody is prepared for the discovery in the freezer of a local hotel, when a wedding party is trapped by snow and extra food is called for. (Obviously the freezer would just have to be replaced!)
Soon Roseline is leading the police to a cache of more bodies, and forensic assistance is reluctantly called upon.
It's going to seem an odd thing to say, what with bodies littering hotel freezers and family vaults, but there was something really joyous about reading DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD. Refreshingly down to earth, quirky, almost tongue in cheek in some places, and just plain funny, DEATH IN THE TRUFFLE WOOD draws a vivid picture of small village life and the wonderfully individualistic people that all so frequently inhabit those places. Perhaps it is partially because of that setting, but there's no feeling of the story and the environment being dated - it's easy for the reader to assume that village life continues in that manner now, and as far back into the past as you want to imagine. Along with the murders, there's a fabulous outline of the clash of cultures - the villagers and their quiet existence, the outsiders and the effect that they have. Definitely a book for readers who are looking for something light, fun and just that little bit slightly bats!
Quirky and unexpected, this one is for all truffle lovers, with Rosaline probably being a close cousin to the Empress of Blandings. The humour sprinkled into this mystery doesn't get lost in translation, as the readers are introduced to some hearty rural characters from Provence.
I simply couldn’t force myself to be interested in this book. Every woman in this novel is described by the size of her breasts and how much the men around her would like to have sex with her. There is a frankly unnecessary amount of sex and sexual descriptions in this book. The plot was difficult to follow as well, with too many intersecting plot lines that didn’t make sense to me. This just isn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Murder
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Very enjoyable read and moments where you want to yell out "look behind you!" . And a great pig. All good.
'The weather was too cold and too hostile for two people not to be irresistibly drawn together, given the opportunity.'
'It's difficult to remember a rambling conversation on a relaxed afternoon, with nothing more pressing to do than gently warm a balloon of good brandy in your palms.'
'Viaud was the one who found it - a slim brown volume, but a miserable, dirty brown - sitting in a bulbous chest of drawers beneath hundreds of love letters tied with pink and blue ribbon, more redolent of death than an old cemetery.'
'The air smelled of truffles, the sheets of lavender, and he the scent of Rosemonde.'
'It's difficult to remember a rambling conversation on a relaxed afternoon, with nothing more pressing to do than gently warm a balloon of good brandy in your palms.'
'Viaud was the one who found it - a slim brown volume, but a miserable, dirty brown - sitting in a bulbous chest of drawers beneath hundreds of love letters tied with pink and blue ribbon, more redolent of death than an old cemetery.'
'The air smelled of truffles, the sheets of lavender, and he the scent of Rosemonde.'
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
(Fiction, Mystery, Translated)
This is the first book in the Commissaire Laviolette series, first published in French in 1973 but only recently translated into English.
This first adventure brings the Commissaire to 1960s rural Provence to investigate the disappearance of five people, within a climate of centuries-old superstition and secret and animosity, and gets him involved in the local politics and disputes.
3½ stars
This is the first book in the Commissaire Laviolette series, first published in French in 1973 but only recently translated into English.
This first adventure brings the Commissaire to 1960s rural Provence to investigate the disappearance of five people, within a climate of centuries-old superstition and secret and animosity, and gets him involved in the local politics and disputes.
3½ stars
This was a drag. Confusingly told, jumping from place to place-- it was hard to keep all the characters straight and for at least the first 80 pages I had no idea what was happening. Maybe it's just the fault of a less-than-stellar translation? Some of this book is distinctly French, so as an American reader I'm clearly missing something. Also, it may just be cultural difference/book was written in 1978, but it gives off strong written-by-a-man vibes. It just doesn't feel necessary to describe the breast size of every woman in the story. The ending was mediocre and couldn't really have been figured out by a reader based on what we'd been given.