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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
A delightful series of short stories with recurring themes such as playful old gentlemen who turn their estate planning into puzzles. These books have many signs of age including antiquated cultural references and casual sexism, classism, anti-Semitism etc, but the charm persists nonetheless.
3.5
Lord Peter tales are always good. I had a deep emotional affaire de cœur when first I encountered his exploits, such that my loyalty leads me to enjoy this collection of stories, despite the fact that I don't find the short story to be the best medium for his particular brand of sleuthing (sleuthery?). (I don't knownwhy this should be, as Sherlock Holmes shines beautifully in the short story.)
As with any story collection, some are better than others. "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head" was particularly strong, I thought, and it was fun to meet his nephew the viscount as a child, having experienced him as a college man of similar maturity level later in the series. "The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach" was quite clever in its absurdity.
All told, I would recommend this collection to the Lord Peter fan, for the sake of getting as much of the man as one can, but not for the casual Wimsey reader, nor for the newcomer to the series.
Lord Peter tales are always good. I had a deep emotional affaire de cœur when first I encountered his exploits, such that my loyalty leads me to enjoy this collection of stories, despite the fact that I don't find the short story to be the best medium for his particular brand of sleuthing (sleuthery?). (I don't knownwhy this should be, as Sherlock Holmes shines beautifully in the short story.)
As with any story collection, some are better than others. "The Learned Adventure of the Dragon's Head" was particularly strong, I thought, and it was fun to meet his nephew the viscount as a child, having experienced him as a college man of similar maturity level later in the series. "The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach" was quite clever in its absurdity.
All told, I would recommend this collection to the Lord Peter fan, for the sake of getting as much of the man as one can, but not for the casual Wimsey reader, nor for the newcomer to the series.
I did love most of these stories but some of them are just about alright. Lord Peter shines so much better in the novels, though.
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I was a bit nervous about this book at first. I'm usually not a fan of short stories and the first couple in this collection left me wanting more from them. I was drawn in by the third story however - one in which she creates a crossword puzzle for the story.
There was only one story that I did not like at all as I found it too gruesome. It very much reminded me of the first book in this series - Whose Body?. This collection made for great bedtime reading and I do plan to pick up more of these short story collections.
There was only one story that I did not like at all as I found it too gruesome. It very much reminded me of the first book in this series - Whose Body?. This collection made for great bedtime reading and I do plan to pick up more of these short story collections.
mysterious
Unlike most of the Wimsey books, this is a collection of short stories a la Sherlock Holmes. It's a pretty entertaining collection, although some of the mysteries are more compelling than others. It was fun to read such a variety of stories, but I missed the more thought-out mysteries of the novels. There are a bunch of mysteries about mysterious and odd wills, and a finale where Wimsey goes undercover in a Holmes vs. Moriarty type story.
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't realize this was a short story collection. It's also been, apparently, such a long time since I last read a Lord Peter story that I had kind of forgotten what his character is like. he is flippant, uncommonly observant, with a tendency to meander in speech, bold, and very wealthy. these short stories have some silly elements, although the tone varies. the gothic atmosphere of the story with the headless horses pulling a ghostly carriage was fun.