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A review by stitchknurd
The Sibyl in Her Grave by Sarah Caudwell
5.0
I picked this up on a whim in the bookstore, and I was more than pleasantly surprised.
The prose and dialogue are exactly how I wish everyone talked all the time. Verbose and precise, much like something from Jane Austen or some other 19th-century British author (so of course it's quite shocking that I liked it so much).
The large cast of characters are unique and interesting, the plot/mystery are intriguing* without being over the top, and the humor is absolutely spot on. It's the epitome of the kind of British humor that I love: dry, absurd, and generally light hearted. I laughed out loud probably more than a dozen times, which is pretty good for a book of average length.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this novel is the narrator, Hilary Tamar. The author very skillfully does not reveal the gender of the narrator, but she does so in a way that does not make you aware of it. In fact, I would probably have not even noticed it had I not read on the back cover that Hilary's sex is ambiguous. I didn't automatically assign a gender in my mind either. This is something I haven't seen done before, and Caudwell did a great job of it, so I was impressed.
I would definitely say that this book isn't for everyone, but if it's the kind of thing you like, you will probably like it very much.
Now I'm off to try to stop myself from buying the rest of them all at once, as it's too close to Christmas.
*I am probably easier to please than most when it comes to a mystery plot. I don't put extra effort into trying to figure things out, as I just like to enjoy the read. That being said, I thought that this particular mystery was complicated enough to be interesting and not easily guessable, but it wasn't so convoluted that it seemed far fetched. Basically, what a good mystery should be.
12/22/2020: Having reread this in series order this year and ending with this one, I can say that the mystery of this one is my favorite. I love them all but this one has the most twists in it and they are done well. It was bittersweet to finish this read through of the series. These books are as close as I get to feeling something is perfect (not for everyone perhaps but for me). I love them wholly and am saddened that the author passed before being able to share more of her great talent. I will always cherish what we do have and plan on revisiting them often in the future.
The prose and dialogue are exactly how I wish everyone talked all the time. Verbose and precise, much like something from Jane Austen or some other 19th-century British author (so of course it's quite shocking that I liked it so much).
The large cast of characters are unique and interesting, the plot/mystery are intriguing* without being over the top, and the humor is absolutely spot on. It's the epitome of the kind of British humor that I love: dry, absurd, and generally light hearted. I laughed out loud probably more than a dozen times, which is pretty good for a book of average length.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of this novel is the narrator, Hilary Tamar. The author very skillfully does not reveal the gender of the narrator, but she does so in a way that does not make you aware of it. In fact, I would probably have not even noticed it had I not read on the back cover that Hilary's sex is ambiguous. I didn't automatically assign a gender in my mind either. This is something I haven't seen done before, and Caudwell did a great job of it, so I was impressed.
I would definitely say that this book isn't for everyone, but if it's the kind of thing you like, you will probably like it very much.
Now I'm off to try to stop myself from buying the rest of them all at once, as it's too close to Christmas.
*I am probably easier to please than most when it comes to a mystery plot. I don't put extra effort into trying to figure things out, as I just like to enjoy the read. That being said, I thought that this particular mystery was complicated enough to be interesting and not easily guessable, but it wasn't so convoluted that it seemed far fetched. Basically, what a good mystery should be.
12/22/2020: Having reread this in series order this year and ending with this one, I can say that the mystery of this one is my favorite. I love them all but this one has the most twists in it and they are done well. It was bittersweet to finish this read through of the series. These books are as close as I get to feeling something is perfect (not for everyone perhaps but for me). I love them wholly and am saddened that the author passed before being able to share more of her great talent. I will always cherish what we do have and plan on revisiting them often in the future.