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Jun 12, 2011

Sparrow rated it:

Anyone who can tell a pretty hilarious Shakespeare joke is okay in my book. And this book is full of really hilarious Shakespeare jokes. Poor Desdemona. Oh, man. L, as they say, OL. And the slapstick. Oh, the slapstick! She gets it just right in that dry, British way, where you feel like she’s describing something really elegant, but actually it’s almost grotesque. This book was wonderful. I totally love it. I would give it five stars, except my undying devotion for Gaudy Night is maki More...

5 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

Helen rated it:

This is the first of four mysteries written by Sarah Caudwell, who passed away several years ago. The protagonists are young barristers in London, and the Oxford don (gender never disclosed) who assists them when they are faced with difficulties.

The books are very funny!! I mean, Jenny didn't like them, but whatev!

Excerpt:

"The procedure for taking advantage of Italian waiters--equally applicable, so far as I am aware, in other areas of the Mediterrane More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 12, 2008

Ali rated it:

Such an old favorite. I love this series so much I keep giving away the first book to people to encourage them to read it. At some point I lost track of who had it so I bought myself a new one on amazon and it arrived today. I can't wait to slip back into it.

The "mystery" is not really the draw of the book, it's the wonderful, wonderful characters. I enjoy reading about them so much and they make me laugh out loud sometimes. British humor at its best!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 09, 2011

Ann rated it:

Caudwell's four mysteries are so distinctive in voice and mood, the best word I can think of to describe them is "stylized." It's the sort of thing some readers adore and others probably hate (although it's hard for me to wrap my mind around that). Some readers may be put off by what one (admiring) critic called Caudwell's "distancing" techniques. Much of the action is told through letters, cables, narrations within letters within cables, etc.

"Adonis" is t More...

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Dec 01, 2010

Lightreads rated it:

I always feel very clever when I find something brilliant and obscure, even when all I did was take a recommendation (thanks, Kate Nepveu!). A series of British mysteries, starring a brilliant but sometimes hapless collection of young barristers and an Oxford tutor who is either remarkably clever or remarkably nosy, depending on whom you ask.

What a delight. Rollickingly funny in places, with a particularly deft touch for letter writing. That distinctively British slant of straight-fa More...

1 comment like (7 people liked it)

Jan 14, 2012

Roger rated it:

This is one of those books I read because of a recommendation somewhere online -- only thing time I remember where the recommendation came from: Jo Walton over on the Tor blog. I don't always keep up with the Tor blog like I'd like to, but there are plenty of interesting things going on there.

I feel odd leading with this in another review, but I can certainly understand why people have problems with these books. The tone is very arch, or twee, or just plain British, or most probably so More...

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Oct 16, 2011

Lauren rated it:

god bless the british and their dry, erudite sense of humor. they can seriously say some of the crassest things in the nicest sounding ways.

in all fairness, this novel is a bit slow starting. it took me about 100 pages to really get into the cadence of the text, which, in a pulp-mystery, isn't necessarily ideal. however, once things really got moving, i was completely sucked in to hilary's "investigation" and couldn't wait for the next installment of letters to contin More...

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Aug 07, 2011

Radha rated it:

I love this book to bits. I read most of it while traveling to work in the crowded local trains of Bombay and this book still managed to make the setting feel delightfully cozy. The characters, all of them, are so charming that it quite makes you want to hunt down the universe they live in and be a part of it. When Julia Larwood slips and falls, you know she is being absolutely adorable about it. Surely, her broken nose is no real case for anguish but only a tradition put forth to all tourists i More...

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Aug 19, 2011

Christina K rated it:

I'd actually classify this one as more of a 4.5 -- being the first book of the series-- but as a whole, I love Sarah Caudwell's Hilary Tamar books, and am sad that there will be no more. The voice is very distinctive, the plot clever, and Julia, our beleaguered heroine (protagonist? victim? anyway) is lovable and goofy. Part of the strength of these books is in their evocation of place, and this one is no exception. It introduces us to Julia and her circle of friends and colleagues and their o More...

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Dec 15, 2009

Kate rated it:

One of my favorite series ever. Someone loaned this to my sweetheart and I can't help but re-read it. There is nothing like these gems from Sarah Caudwell. Witty, urbane, tangled little mysteries, but mostly because the action takes place in the local watering hole and coffee shop where these young barristers and an Oxford Law professor of unspecified gender gather to read letters, cables, and faxes and banter and drink claret while they stumble through solving crimes. If you ever find something More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

Although I've enjoyed the whole series, this was my favorite. It's absolutely hilarious. The narrator, from whose POV all the books are told, is a pompous windbag of undetermined gender/age. However, I couldn't help but feel an amused affection for her/his cluelessness, much like the other characters seem to. The group of young barristers are amusing characters, each with their own unique voice. However, Julia, the one caught up in this mystery, is my favorite. I love her combination of bra More...

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Jun 21, 2009

K.D. rated it:

This was my first mystery/thriller book based on 501 Must Read Books listing. I did not like it. I think the reason is that the convoluted plot is too confusing to be entertaining. Also, the Scottish style of writing and terms are too foreign for me to appreciate. I just did not find the humor funny and the book especially in the middle was just too dragging and boring. I had to encourage myself by thinking that I might get some surprise in the end part when the killer is revealed. In a way, it More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 06, 2012

Jessica rated it:

Sarah Caudwell's four Hilary Tamar books are the most delightful things I have read in quite some time. It's Rumpole for young people, but funnier, sassier and with truly clever plot twists. The fact that there are only four of these books has plunged me into the depths of sorrows. Also I don't know why but I immediately got a picture in my head of Hilary as a tiny brunette with grandma style and a pixie haircut. The whole genderless thing went right over my head and that image just refused to u More...

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Dec 16, 2008

Emu rated it:

Unbelievably charming writing; I could read this sort of thing all day and night. I imagine the quality of writing on display here would appeal only to a person of a certain level of erudition, which is a real shame; I'd prefer it get around rather more than it currently does.

I emphatically and desperately recommend this book for anyone whose heart is warmed by a bit of dry British humo(u)r.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Leta rated it:

One of the few books where someone handed it to me and said "You *have* to read this book. You'll love it." and they were so right that I bought a copy for myself and a second copy to lend, just so that I could hand it to people and "you've got to read this."

Another of the books I re-read every couple of years.

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Aug 17, 2009

Rebecca rated it:

This murder mystery is possibly the funniest book I’ve ever read. My mother and I read it aloud to each other, and sometimes had trouble continuing because we were laughing so hard that tears were pouring down our cheeks. My father came out of his study to find out what was going on!

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Mar 29, 2011

Leslie rated it:

Oh, this is my favorite one! If you've read my review for ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life (and if you have, God help you), you'll know what I'm saying when I confess to a certain fellow-feeling with the narrating Julia. Her blithe travelogue, faxed from Italy to her sensible, tut-tutting colleagues, is both giggle- and gasp-inducing, as she entangles herself with an astonishingly attractive young man who gets himself murdered.

I should clarify -- the fellow-feeling mentioned More...

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Jun 15, 2010

Bettie rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Dec 29, 2010

jen8998 rated it:

Witty English mystery. Julia ventures to Italy and unfortunately becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. She narrates her plight to her colleagues via letters. The first of the Hilary Tamar mysteries.

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Jun 05, 2011

Michelle added it

It was funny. It was a decent mystery. But the characterizations threw me. The POV character introduced herself with bragging and a high opinion of herself, but she rarely said a word or added to the discussions. She sat back and observed and listened, and we, though her, did the same, but it seemed odd that such a self-satisfied person should be content to merely be the eyes and ears of the situation and not give a more active voice to the narration of it. She solved the puzzle, but I'm st More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Theo rated it:

The perfect English murder mystery with wonderful British wit. The prose is so dense I luxuriated in reading and re-reading passages throughout the book. I never wanted it to end.

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May 24, 2010

Rose added it

It was alright, but I enjoyed it less than I expected to from the reviews I had read.

Also, in the audiobook version I had, the narrator had real trouble with American accents. Mary-Lou veers wildly between Yankee and Aussie.

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Apr 21, 2010

Barbara rated it:

And yet again I can't remember when I read it. Somewheres around there. I remember liking it a lot and giving it to Lisa and Steph. Lisa read it and liked.

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Jun 05, 2010

Susan rated it:

The first of four mysteries by Sarah Caudwell is so much fun for readers who like a really very, very dry British humour.

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Jun 15, 2010

Rebecca rated it:

Entertaining, witty, quick-paced. The main characters weren't exactly likable, yet I liked them anyway! Will definitely pick up the second book in the series

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Mar 01, 2009

Angel rated it:

I read this first of the series last (it was hard to track down) and was crushed to realise that there really would be no more scintillating Hilary Tamar mysteries, given Sarah Caudwell's untimely demise (well, untimely for me. i suppose those who believe in such things as Divine Order, etc, might argue that She Went When She Was Supposed To. but i digress). All 4 books of this series are brilliant and devastatingly funny in the way that only restrained British tax lawyers can be. They got me th More...

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Nov 26, 2010

Tasula rated it:

sly humor and fascinating characters - a group of young solicitors and their adventures

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Dec 21, 2011

Polly rated it:

So funny in an intelligent and academic way! All of these books make me laugh until I cry!

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Dec 26, 2010

Emily rated it:

A very complicated plot, but great fun and very funny. I just loved it.

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Jun 23, 2011

Christy rated it:

Started out seeming a little to impressed with itself and self-consciously clever, but became more enjoyable as it went along. Beach/vacation read.

1 comment like