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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Started out quite slow but got better. Probably is better in polish.
It's Mrs. Mohr's disappearance from the local nun-run nursing home that is the catalyst for Mrs. Zofia Turbotyńska's transformation from bored housewife+social climber+aspiring poet to amateur detective.
Zofia proves unshakeable in her pursuit of Mrs. Mohr, and the truth around deaths at the nursing home. The local magistrate quickly, and incorrectly, decides who the culprits are, and dismisses Zofia's questions and concerns. Taking it upon herself, she turns her prodigious energy (now that she's achieved her goal of getting her husband his present position at the university and she has little else to do but hire and fire housemaids and devote herself to charitable efforts,) to finding out the truth. Which she does handily, corralling the nuns and her cook into helping her, and keeping her husband in the dark about her sleuthing activities.
Zofia is funny, slightly overbearing, sharp-tongued, smart and tenacious. I loved her, and much like the central character of the Wishtide series by Kate Saunders, I enjoyed spending time with her, even while I didn't really care that much about the mystery. (Which was interesting, and involved old grudges and violence, and revenge.) Zofia was a hoot, and I look forward to spending more time with her.
Zofia proves unshakeable in her pursuit of Mrs. Mohr, and the truth around deaths at the nursing home. The local magistrate quickly, and incorrectly, decides who the culprits are, and dismisses Zofia's questions and concerns. Taking it upon herself, she turns her prodigious energy (now that she's achieved her goal of getting her husband his present position at the university and she has little else to do but hire and fire housemaids and devote herself to charitable efforts,) to finding out the truth. Which she does handily, corralling the nuns and her cook into helping her, and keeping her husband in the dark about her sleuthing activities.
Zofia is funny, slightly overbearing, sharp-tongued, smart and tenacious. I loved her, and much like the central character of the Wishtide series by Kate Saunders, I enjoyed spending time with her, even while I didn't really care that much about the mystery. (Which was interesting, and involved old grudges and violence, and revenge.) Zofia was a hoot, and I look forward to spending more time with her.
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism
Minor: Infidelity, Racial slurs
g-slur against Romani people used once
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Classism
Minor: Blood
This one was difficult for me to get into what with the Polish and Hungarian people and place names. That had the result of making it difficult for me to follow the plot well. There sure was a lot of political intrigue and war going on 8n Eastern Europe in the mid 1800s!
slow-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a background audiobook read and for that purpose, I was surprisingly into this book.
I think one thing that made me like it more than I would expect of myself is that it established the setting really well. Crakow had life in this book. It was a real place (more than literally) with intricacies and established culture that came across through the writing. This is such an important element in cosy mysteries and did a lot of the heavy lifting for me.
The other very appealing thing was simply reading a book set in 19th century Poland in this genre. That immediately brought interest for me since a lot of cosies I read tend to be set in England.
When I say I was surprised by how much I liked this, it’s largely because Zofia Turbotynska could have so easily been insufferable enough for me to not finish the book. She’s elitist, self serving, prejudiced. The authors (apparently Maryla Szymiczkowa is a pseudonym for partners Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczyński) show us this unabashedly and I think that helps. Her bad takes are presented in a way -blunt and frankly ridiculous- that never felt like she was being lauded for her harmful snobby society lady ways. (That’s how I read it anyway. I could be wrong.)
And there was a certain softness to her here and there. We could see that a lot of her characteristics were due to her overcompensating and her talents being underutilized in her position. It doesn’t excuse her being such a dick but provides enough context to get you to follow her through this book.
I appreciated the historical context a lot too. That added greatly to my reading experience.
The mystery itself was fully meh. I loved the drama of the reveal but the journey there in terms of mystery was lukewarm, convoluted and I fully zoned out a couple times.
I think the killer solely having been a poor, as Zofia calls them 🙄, would have left me with a bad taste but they didn’t do that thankfully.
The cast of characters were vivid enough. I liked her maid, Francesca (I think).
All in all, it was fun to follow this very blunt, obviously flawed lady around as her obsession with solving crimes grew and her own harsh views towards the world softened now and again.
Would I go out and grab the physical book? No. Would I recommend it to listen to while working or cleaning? Yes, I would.
I think one thing that made me like it more than I would expect of myself is that it established the setting really well. Crakow had life in this book. It was a real place (more than literally) with intricacies and established culture that came across through the writing. This is such an important element in cosy mysteries and did a lot of the heavy lifting for me.
The other very appealing thing was simply reading a book set in 19th century Poland in this genre. That immediately brought interest for me since a lot of cosies I read tend to be set in England.
When I say I was surprised by how much I liked this, it’s largely because Zofia Turbotynska could have so easily been insufferable enough for me to not finish the book. She’s elitist, self serving, prejudiced. The authors (apparently Maryla Szymiczkowa is a pseudonym for partners Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarczyński) show us this unabashedly and I think that helps. Her bad takes are presented in a way -blunt and frankly ridiculous- that never felt like she was being lauded for her harmful snobby society lady ways. (That’s how I read it anyway. I could be wrong.)
And there was a certain softness to her here and there. We could see that a lot of her characteristics were due to her overcompensating and her talents being underutilized in her position. It doesn’t excuse her being such a dick but provides enough context to get you to follow her through this book.
I appreciated the historical context a lot too. That added greatly to my reading experience.
The mystery itself was fully meh. I loved the drama of the reveal but the journey there in terms of mystery was lukewarm, convoluted and I fully zoned out a couple times.
The cast of characters were vivid enough. I liked her maid, Francesca (I think).
All in all, it was fun to follow this very blunt, obviously flawed lady around as her obsession with solving crimes grew and her own harsh views towards the world softened now and again.
Would I go out and grab the physical book? No. Would I recommend it to listen to while working or cleaning? Yes, I would.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the historical setting and the characters. Written in a sort of Agatha Christie style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder
There is a pretty graphic description of a peasant revolt and how the count/countess were killed. Otherwise not very graphic for a murder mystery.
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just not the mystery for me. I found the main character Zofia a bit annoying and snobbish, which was maybe the point, but it didn't work for me. Part of the fun of a murder mystery is trying to figure out who did it, and this just got confusing and I found that I didn't really care. While I see the appeal if this type of mystery is your thing, it's not mine. Overall, the book was just okay.