It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-s...
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Feb 05, 2012
Josie
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Having read all four Flavia de Luce novels in the last couple of weeks, I'm all Flavia'd out for the time being. She certainly is unique -- who else would try to capture Father Christmas by coating the roof and chimneys in birdlime? -- but perhaps is best taken in small doses. I don't think I can take much more of her tampering with crime scenes. (Does this bother anybody else? I could understand her looking around, but she disturbs the body, moves things around, and steals evidence for her
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Jan 22, 2012
Tonya
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Can't wait to dive into book #4! 3-1/2 months until its release. :)
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Dec 29, 2011
Ginger
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Every year at Christmas my friend and I listen to a "Christmas Mystery Novel" in the car while driving across the country to visit our families. She was pretty excited about this choice; the detective in question is an 11 year old girl chemist who lives in her family's ancient manor home and solves murders. The "Christmas" element of this novel is that it's set over the holidays and the child becomes obsessed with the idea of capturing Father Christmas through Chemistry as a
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Jan 02, 2012
Danielle
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Probability and reality are not reasons to read a Flavia de Luce book, and that is as true for I Am Half-Sick of Shadows as any of them. I am not looking for a well crafted mystery when I read these books, I am looking to romp around with the characters (especially Flavia) that populate the strange little world of Bishops Lacey. A romp (with a good dash of firework chemistry) is what this book delivers. This book takes place solely in Buckshaw (where pretty much the entire town of BL happens to
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Jan 24, 2012
Seattle Mystery Bookshop
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Christmas in the de Luce household has never been as action-packed as it is in the next Alan Bradley novel, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (November). Finances are tight at Buckshaw Manor, and Flavia’s father reluctantly allows a cine’ crew access to the stately old house for their filming. The whole village is excited by the idea that legendary film star, Phyllis Wyvern,will be in attendance, and Flavia’s older sister, Ophelia, is hoping for a part.
Miss Wyvern, however, is not as nice as ever More...
Miss Wyvern, however, is not as nice as ever More...
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Nov 12, 2011
Lori
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It's nearing Christmas, and in order to keep the family in house and home, the Colonel has agreed to allow a movie crew to shoot on location at Buckshaw. The star of the show is one of the most famed actresses of the time. It's about 40% of the way into the book before we get to the corpse. Needless to say, 11-year-old Flavia will get involved in the investigation. This is the first in the series where Flavia has spent the majority of the time at Buckshaw. I enjoyed this change. Flavia is always
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Feb 19, 2012
Shawn
rated it:
I quite love 11 year old Flavia de Luce, here are some reasons why:
"It had been easy enough to flood the portrait gallery: An India-rubber garden hosed snaked in through an open window... Since nobody every came to the unheated east wing of Buckshaw anyway, no one would notice my improvised skating rink... No one, perhaps, but my oil-painted ancestors, row upon row of the, who were at this moment glaring sourly down at me from their heavy frames in icy disapproval of what I had More...
"It had been easy enough to flood the portrait gallery: An India-rubber garden hosed snaked in through an open window... Since nobody every came to the unheated east wing of Buckshaw anyway, no one would notice my improvised skating rink... No one, perhaps, but my oil-painted ancestors, row upon row of the, who were at this moment glaring sourly down at me from their heavy frames in icy disapproval of what I had More...
Feb 13, 2012
Kathleen
rated it:
This, the fourth in a series about Flavia de Luce, continues to enchant me.
While Flavia is clearly her own person, she will also remind the reader of every bright, pre-adolescent female struggling to pursue her intellectual interests amidst the perceptions of being different and therefore, misunderstood by family and shunned by peers.
A raging blizzard a few days before Christmas isolates Flavia and her family from their small town in the English countryside and serves to suppor More...
While Flavia is clearly her own person, she will also remind the reader of every bright, pre-adolescent female struggling to pursue her intellectual interests amidst the perceptions of being different and therefore, misunderstood by family and shunned by peers.
A raging blizzard a few days before Christmas isolates Flavia and her family from their small town in the English countryside and serves to suppor More...
Feb 05, 2012
Carolyn
rated it:
As with all the Flavia de Luce books, this was a fun romp. Flavia's father has rented Buckshaw, the family manor house, to a film crew to bring in badly needed funds. Having recently seen My Week with Marilyn, I could easily imagine the film crew taking over Buckshaw. Why they were filming over the Christmas holiday, however, remains one of those questions without a satisfactory answer, except that it suited the plot devices of the author. A snowstorm leaves the entire film crew as well as loca
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Jan 18, 2012
Carl
rated it: 
I am half-sick of Flavia de Luce. Yes, in this series she's been a precocious narrator of her own brilliant, amateur sleuthing as well as infatuation with chemistry, especially concerning poisons. There's been a good amount of good humor, as well as violent denouements which don't fit the overall setting.
The setting, a large, old estate in a small town, must have been begging for the full blown "cozy" treatment, because this one delivers that, in your face, to the point that in t More...
The setting, a large, old estate in a small town, must have been begging for the full blown "cozy" treatment, because this one delivers that, in your face, to the point that in t More...
Jan 17, 2012
DH
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Even if you haven’t read them, you’ve probably heard about the Flavia de Luce mysteries. Set in the rural English town of Bishop’s Lacey in the 1950s, Alan Bradley’s world is a wonderfully charming place to sink into. And his eleven-year-old protagonist, the chemistry-obsessed Flavia, is one of the best amateur detectives in recent literature. When she’s not contemplating the delightful properties of cyanide or lacing her older sister’s lipstick with an extract made from poison ivy, she’s zippin
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Jan 14, 2012
Tina
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I saved up this 4th installment in Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series in much the same way I hoarded Christmas candy as a child. I cherish any book that makes me laugh out loud, and this series always delivers one or two killing moments of hilarity, either through Flavia's colorful phrasing, her childish view of adult affairs or her family machinations. Flavia is an 11 year old chemist and poison aficionado who lives with her father and two older sisters, who both love and torture her, in a fa
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Jan 08, 2012
Babs
rated it:
I have truly enjoyed this series. (I say “enjoyed” since this is the fourth and latest book in the series. I hope there are more.)
Flavia de Luce is an 11 year old, precocious, independent, and intelligent young girl and an amateur detective. I wouldn’t want to have her as a daughter; she’d be too much for me to handle. As a character in book, however; she is a delight.
She is a bane in the side of the local inspector, since she can’t seem to control her impulses and More...
Flavia de Luce is an 11 year old, precocious, independent, and intelligent young girl and an amateur detective. I wouldn’t want to have her as a daughter; she’d be too much for me to handle. As a character in book, however; she is a delight.
She is a bane in the side of the local inspector, since she can’t seem to control her impulses and More...
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Jan 07, 2012
Nancy
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The book has a pretty high rating but, as part of a series, I suspect that most of the readers not caring for the writing or the characters have fallen by the wayside, leaving the Flavia-ites to their general approbation and delight.
As a reader who simply wants to see what will be discovered about Harriet (which I hope will be a little better structured than the mystery denouements thus far), and willing to pick up the book at the library, I actually liked 1) the tiny snippets of chara More...
As a reader who simply wants to see what will be discovered about Harriet (which I hope will be a little better structured than the mystery denouements thus far), and willing to pick up the book at the library, I actually liked 1) the tiny snippets of chara More...
Jan 07, 2012
LJ
rated it:
First Sentence: Tendrils of raw fog floated up from the ice like agonized spirits departing their bodies.
Young Flavia de Luce, in an effort to win the attention and affection of her family, works in her chemistry lab on a plan to capture Santa. Her family, struggling for means to maintain their family home, has rented portions of the house out as a set and housing for a film crew. But a death strangulation by celluloid film has Flavia looking for a killer.
Atmospheric des More...
Young Flavia de Luce, in an effort to win the attention and affection of her family, works in her chemistry lab on a plan to capture Santa. Her family, struggling for means to maintain their family home, has rented portions of the house out as a set and housing for a film crew. But a death strangulation by celluloid film has Flavia looking for a killer.
Atmospheric des More...
Jan 07, 2012
Kendra
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 03, 2012
Jann
rated it:
If "delightful" can be applied to a murder mystery series, then the Flavia de Luce series deserves the word.
This is Flavia's fourth outing, and the mystery takes place entirely at Buckshaw, the family residence.
Flavia's father has allowed a film crew to use Buckshaw as the setting for Phyllis Wyvern's latest movie, because he needs money to keep the huge place going, and money is not something he has much of these days.
It's almost Christmas, and Flavia use More...
This is Flavia's fourth outing, and the mystery takes place entirely at Buckshaw, the family residence.
Flavia's father has allowed a film crew to use Buckshaw as the setting for Phyllis Wyvern's latest movie, because he needs money to keep the huge place going, and money is not something he has much of these days.
It's almost Christmas, and Flavia use More...
Dec 14, 2011
Richard
rated it:
Rating: 4* of five
The Book Report: Flavia de Luce does Christmas. Buckshaw, Bishop's Lacey, is now the scene of Ilium Films's new Phyllis Wyvern extravaganza, The Cry of the Raven. The film company has paid the desperately strapped-for-cash Colonel Haviland de Luce a sizable sum to use Buckshaw as the backdrop for this bound-to-be-mega hit, which means Christmas will be spent with an entire film crew up the family's collective backside. Flavia meets the famous Miss Wyvern as she enters More...
The Book Report: Flavia de Luce does Christmas. Buckshaw, Bishop's Lacey, is now the scene of Ilium Films's new Phyllis Wyvern extravaganza, The Cry of the Raven. The film company has paid the desperately strapped-for-cash Colonel Haviland de Luce a sizable sum to use Buckshaw as the backdrop for this bound-to-be-mega hit, which means Christmas will be spent with an entire film crew up the family's collective backside. Flavia meets the famous Miss Wyvern as she enters More...
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Dec 02, 2011
Jennifer
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Book Description
It is almost Christmas at Buckshaw, and Colonel de Luce (in desperate need of money) has rented out his beloved estate to a film company. Naturally, his daughters (flirtatious Feeley, bookish Daphne and precocious Flavia) are thrilled … after all, film star Phyllis Wyvern will be there! Besides the excitement of the film, Flavia—an 11-year-old aspiring chemist and part-time detective—has another project in the works: creating a glue to capture Father Christmas and figur More...
It is almost Christmas at Buckshaw, and Colonel de Luce (in desperate need of money) has rented out his beloved estate to a film company. Naturally, his daughters (flirtatious Feeley, bookish Daphne and precocious Flavia) are thrilled … after all, film star Phyllis Wyvern will be there! Besides the excitement of the film, Flavia—an 11-year-old aspiring chemist and part-time detective—has another project in the works: creating a glue to capture Father Christmas and figur More...
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Dec 02, 2011
Nicola
rated it:
Reason for Reading: next in the series.
Oh, the sweet pure pleasure of reading a Flavia de Luce mystery, the witty and wise 11yo chemist with a propensity for poisons. Book 4 in the series is as fresh and original as book 1 and, I think at this point, my favourite in the series. Making a great Christmas gift as our action takes place on Christmas Eve this is sure to please fans and newcomers alike. Fans will be pleased to see familiar faces but newcomers won't miss a thing just jumpi More...
Oh, the sweet pure pleasure of reading a Flavia de Luce mystery, the witty and wise 11yo chemist with a propensity for poisons. Book 4 in the series is as fresh and original as book 1 and, I think at this point, my favourite in the series. Making a great Christmas gift as our action takes place on Christmas Eve this is sure to please fans and newcomers alike. Fans will be pleased to see familiar faces but newcomers won't miss a thing just jumpi More...
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Nov 26, 2011
Chandler
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Okay I love Flavia de Luce. Simple. Flavia is a delicious character. Having located her Uncle Tar's old chemistry lab in their rambling British manor, Flavia has found one of her passions--chemistry. Flavia's endless and countless passions keep her busy and in trouble. The holiday season is upon her and Flavia is creating Birdlime (a sticky chemical concoction)to trap Santa with when he descends one of the manor's many chimneys.
Suddenly a group of movie actors, actresses, and crew More...
Suddenly a group of movie actors, actresses, and crew More...
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Nov 26, 2011
Judy
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Flavia de Luce is absolutely my favorite literary 11 year old. But, then, who wouldn't be enchanted by an 11 year old who has her own chemistry lab, which she uses for both good and evil, and who is able to figure out the most complex puzzles. It's Christmastime and Flavia is grappling with the age-old question--is there a Santa, and, if not, who brought her the new equipment for her chemistry lab last Christmas? So to solve this mystery scientifically, Flavia has developed a substance so sti
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Nov 25, 2011
Amy
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Flavia de Luce is back at it again! The heroine’s fourth murder mystery is a Christmas in the Country delight. The Christmas season has come to Buckshaw, the family’s aging English estate, along with some interesting guests. Eleven year old Flavia, passionate chemist with a knack for solving crimes, has come up with the perfect plan definitively prove the existence, or lack thereof, of Father Christmas. Her plans are a bit off schedule however due to the unexpected. In an attempt to stave of
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Nov 26, 2011
Heather
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Oh, Flavia. Flavia de Luce, heroine of this book and of three others by Bradley, is the best eleven-year-old sleuth/narrator ever. When the book opens, she's dreaming about ice-skating in an indoor rink at Buckshaw of her own making. (In the dream, she's flooded the portrait gallery, which is in the unheated wing of the family manse anyhow: as she skates, she looks down and sees the parquet floor through the ice, and the room is lit by the "twelve dozen candles [she] had pinched from the bu
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Nov 19, 2011
Jackie
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I never tire of Flavia. Even though this book seems to be more "slight" than the others, it was still a fun read that I devoured in a couple evenings. I love Mr. Bradley's use of words.
I do wish, though, that Flavia could come to terms with her treatment at the hands of her sisters. This is one of the more interesting parts of the books and if I had my druthers, I'd like to see a bit more of it.
The scene of Flavia in the cupboard with the magazines was pricel More...
I do wish, though, that Flavia could come to terms with her treatment at the hands of her sisters. This is one of the more interesting parts of the books and if I had my druthers, I'd like to see a bit more of it.
The scene of Flavia in the cupboard with the magazines was pricel More...
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Nov 13, 2011
Kat -
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“…that left only Father Christmas. He would be coming again in less than a week and, in order to settle the question for once and for all, I had long ago laid plans to trap him. Scientifically.“
Flavia de Luce, the 11-year-old mastermind chemist detective, is determined to find out if the slippery St. Nick is real. He always seems to come and go without a trace and she is determined for this year to be different. Christmas is only a few days away and Flavia, being the clever minx she is More...
Flavia de Luce, the 11-year-old mastermind chemist detective, is determined to find out if the slippery St. Nick is real. He always seems to come and go without a trace and she is determined for this year to be different. Christmas is only a few days away and Flavia, being the clever minx she is More...
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Nov 09, 2011
Luanne
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I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley arrived in my mailbox early last week. I looked at it and put it down, determined to save it for reading closer to Christmas. Looked at it again the next day and hid it under a couch cushion. But to no avail as I knew it was there and I just couldn't wait until December to devour the latest in the Flavia De Luce series.
For those of you unfamiliar with this utterly delightful series, I'll give you some background. It is 1950. Flavia is eleven ye More...
For those of you unfamiliar with this utterly delightful series, I'll give you some background. It is 1950. Flavia is eleven ye More...
Nov 08, 2011
Nick
rated it:
The fourth in the series, this novel finds Flavia debating, incredibly, whether Father Christmas exists or not at the same time as she investigates a murder right in her own manse. I'm half-believing Flavia's contradictions at this point, but I'm completely won over by the world Bradley has created. He just needs to let her grow up a little -- only a little -- so it won't seem quite so incredible that the same girl who wants to believe in Santa Claus is capable of creating and setting off an e
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Dec 21, 2011
Arlene
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Charming, Flavia just gets more charming as the series progresses, as does Buckshaw and Bishop's Lacey. I loved seeing "old friends" like Dieter and Nialla from previous books. My only quibble was the actual mystery - the motive just didn't seem clear or strong enough. In this volume the mystery seems secondary to character development and setting, which for this volume - a Christmas novel - but hopefully future volumes will hold more meat.
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