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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Agatha Dawson was an old woman, dying of cancer. So why did her death seem so suspicious to young Dr. Carr? Inspector Parker doesn't understand himself, apart from Dr. Carr's insistence that Miss Dawson should have lived several months more, but Lord Peter Wimsey is convinced that somehow, the woman's death was connived at. What ensues is a dark mystery that hangs on an inheritance.
I don't go looking for Dorothy L. Sayers's novels, but when I find one, I do tend to snatch it up. Such was the case here, when I happened to peruse the shelves of a discount shop and found Unnatural Death amongst the gently-used titles on offer. Not only does Sayers present one with the epitome of Golden Age British detective fiction, but she does it with a fine sense of the sardonic.
One of the greatest pleasures is in the word-play. Lord Peter, educated at the finest institutions (Eton and Balliol College, Oxford), is much given to quoting--not necessarily the classics, either.
Reading one of Sayers's Lord Peter mysteries is a trip back in time, to an era that perhaps never was, except in the minds of the upper classes.
I don't go looking for Dorothy L. Sayers's novels, but when I find one, I do tend to snatch it up. Such was the case here, when I happened to peruse the shelves of a discount shop and found Unnatural Death amongst the gently-used titles on offer. Not only does Sayers present one with the epitome of Golden Age British detective fiction, but she does it with a fine sense of the sardonic.
One of the greatest pleasures is in the word-play. Lord Peter, educated at the finest institutions (Eton and Balliol College, Oxford), is much given to quoting--not necessarily the classics, either.
Reading one of Sayers's Lord Peter mysteries is a trip back in time, to an era that perhaps never was, except in the minds of the upper classes.
‰ЫПI am baffled, Watson (said he, his hawk-like eyes gleaming angrily from under the half-closed lids). Even I am baffled. But not for long! (he cried, with a magnificent burst of self-confidence). My Honour (capital H) is concerned to track this Human Fiend (capitals) to its hidden source, and nail the whited sepulchre to the mast even though it crush me in the attempt! Loud applause. His chin sank broodingly upon his dressing-gown, and he breathed a few guttural notes into the bass saxophone which was the cherished companion of his solitary hours in the bathroom.‰Ыќ
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an excellent mystery--so many layers to the plot and so wonderful to get to know the regular characters better.
The more I read these books (listen to Ian Carmichael read them), the more I love them!
The more I read these books (listen to Ian Carmichael read them), the more I love them!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A volte uno parte con le migliori intenzioni, ma resta deluso lo stesso: è quel che mi è successo con questo libro, che invece sulla carta doveva piacermi molto essendo un giallo classico all'inglese.
Sarà che la Christie mi ha abituato troppo bene, ma mi pare che manchino proprio le basi per un mystery come si deve; innanzitutto l'identità del colpevole è chiara fin da subito, bisogna solo trovare il come e il perché, quindi viene a mancare la curiosità alla base di ogni buon giallo. Poi lo svolgimento è pedante in più di un senso: non solo è infarcito di spiegazioni a beneficio del lettore, ma quasi tutto quello che succede ci viene raccontato e non mostrato (alla faccia dello show, don't tell); se ci aggiungiamo che l'unico colpo di scena è intuibile dall'inizio, il quadretto è completo.
Anche sul lato personaggi le cose non vanno molto meglio: i comprimari sono poco più che strumenti per muovere la trama, mentre il protagonista Lord Peter rappresenta l'epitome dell'aristocratico eccentrico, il cui contributo alla risoluzione della vicenda si limita a qualche motto di spirito e ad una robusta dose di fortuna.
Insomma emergo da questa lettura insoddisfatta sotto tutti i punti di vista e con poca voglia di dare una seconda possibilità alla serie o all'autrice.
Sarà che la Christie mi ha abituato troppo bene, ma mi pare che manchino proprio le basi per un mystery come si deve; innanzitutto l'identità del colpevole è chiara fin da subito, bisogna solo trovare il come e il perché, quindi viene a mancare la curiosità alla base di ogni buon giallo. Poi lo svolgimento è pedante in più di un senso: non solo è infarcito di spiegazioni a beneficio del lettore, ma quasi tutto quello che succede ci viene raccontato e non mostrato (alla faccia dello show, don't tell); se ci aggiungiamo che l'unico colpo di scena è intuibile dall'inizio, il quadretto è completo.
Anche sul lato personaggi le cose non vanno molto meglio: i comprimari sono poco più che strumenti per muovere la trama, mentre il protagonista Lord Peter rappresenta l'epitome dell'aristocratico eccentrico, il cui contributo alla risoluzione della vicenda si limita a qualche motto di spirito e ad una robusta dose di fortuna.
Insomma emergo da questa lettura insoddisfatta sotto tutti i punti di vista e con poca voglia di dare una seconda possibilità alla serie o all'autrice.
The series is very much a Batman and Alfred type of story. Lord Peter is the crime fighting, spoiled guy, and Bunter is the obvious valet/butler. But that’s what makes this so great!!
Bunter is amazing, he can do so much and you don’t expect it. Lord Peter gets in trouble and has no idea how to spend all his money and it’s glorious.They truly care about each other, and solve every crime. They use fingerprints [something new in that time] and think outside the box. They keep you wanting to read more and more!
I love it when a detective is done right and keeps you wondering throughout who did it, and this one definitely did that for me. I hadn’t guessed the ending at all!
The books aren’t greatly written, by all means, but the Lord Peter series are definitely just as good as the Poirot series. And if I recommend you to start any detective series, Lord Peter would be on top of my list.
Bunter is amazing, he can do so much and you don’t expect it. Lord Peter gets in trouble and has no idea how to spend all his money and it’s glorious.They truly care about each other, and solve every crime. They use fingerprints [something new in that time] and think outside the box. They keep you wanting to read more and more!
I love it when a detective is done right and keeps you wondering throughout who did it, and this one definitely did that for me. I hadn’t guessed the ending at all!
The books aren’t greatly written, by all means, but the Lord Peter series are definitely just as good as the Poirot series. And if I recommend you to start any detective series, Lord Peter would be on top of my list.
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listening to this book cemented my love for Ian Carmichael's narration. I've since watched bits of the BBC series, where he plays Wimsey, and you get the feeling he's doing loving caricatures of his fellow actors. I couldn't help thinking, "he out-Bunters Bunter!" Just delightful.
Unfortunately the mystery in Unnatural Death is my least favorite so far. We have a good idea who the murderer is but Wimsey and his crew have a hard time getting motive, means, and opportunity to align. Genealogy and the vagaries of inheritance law play key parts, and neither sketching family trees nor debating the legal meaning of the word "issue" work well on audio.
Even with a less than enthralling story line I enjoyed hanging out with the regular cast of characters, and I'll be saving the next book in the series for a literary "rainy day".
Unfortunately the mystery in Unnatural Death is my least favorite so far. We have a good idea who the murderer is but Wimsey and his crew have a hard time getting motive, means, and opportunity to align. Genealogy and the vagaries of inheritance law play key parts, and neither sketching family trees nor debating the legal meaning of the word "issue" work well on audio.
Even with a less than enthralling story line I enjoyed hanging out with the regular cast of characters, and I'll be saving the next book in the series for a literary "rainy day".
This chugged along nicely for the most part, until the final 10% when the pace kicked up and unleashed a dramatic sequence of events that had me glued to the page. Or, well, Kindle. Also I'd been thinking in my head that this was really a very simple mystery which just took a long time to unravel, but then the marvellous plot twist shut me up.
I don't know if it's because my sense of humour is based on jokes in 19th century novels, but I genuinely find these books very funny. It's a wry, narratorly sort of humour, stuff like:
I don't know if it's because my sense of humour is based on jokes in 19th century novels, but I genuinely find these books very funny. It's a wry, narratorly sort of humour, stuff like:
"... Murder's so easy, Charles, so damned easy — even without training."And my crush on Lord Peter lives on, of course, because he says dramatic things like:
Parker [Charles, that is] looked troubled.
"Why this interest all sudden? You snub me in my bed, but, but you woo me in my bath. It sounds like a music-hall song of the less resigned sort. Why, oh why?"There are literary allusion in every other line and it's always a satisfaction when I, with my lowly A level knowledge, manage to spot one. And there's a particularly good mention of Satan, which I shall reference as a tantaliser for someone to pick up this book.