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212th out of 738 books
—
1,610 voters
Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog (Sister Pelagia Mysteries #1)
“Pelagia’s family likeness to Father Brown and Miss Marple is marked, and reading about her supplies a similarly decorous pleasure.”
–The Literary Review
In a remote Russian province in the late nineteenth century, Bishop Mitrofanii must deal with a family crisis. After learning that one of his great aunt’s beloved and rare white bulldogs has been poisoned, the Orthodox bish...more
–The Literary Review
In a remote Russian province in the late nineteenth century, Bishop Mitrofanii must deal with a family crisis. After learning that one of his great aunt’s beloved and rare white bulldogs has been poisoned, the Orthodox bish...more
Paperback, 273 pages
Published
January 30th 2007
by Random House
(first published 2000)
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Mar 24, 2009
Tim
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mystery,
historical-fiction
What a treat! This was the second book by Boris Akunin I have read; a year or two ago I read The Winter Queen and enjoyed that as well.
What made this book so fun for me was the voice and setting. We're in Czarist Russia, in the provinces. The plot revolves around an attempted power-grab by a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church. We're rooting for the local bishop and the smart, capable Sister Pelagia (pronounce it pyellaGAYa), to thwart him. Some people (and some white bulldogs) are mur...more
What made this book so fun for me was the voice and setting. We're in Czarist Russia, in the provinces. The plot revolves around an attempted power-grab by a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church. We're rooting for the local bishop and the smart, capable Sister Pelagia (pronounce it pyellaGAYa), to thwart him. Some people (and some white bulldogs) are mur...more
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I first picked up one of Akunin's novels because I needed a book to read, and one of the cover blurbs referred to his character Fandorin as a Russian James Bond. This didn't prove correct, he was very much a character all his own, and in many ways much deeper than Fleming's super spy. Akunin's Fandorin novels are excellent historical fiction, with carefully put together depictions of 19th century Russia, and very well formed characters.
Sister Pelagia is even better. An unambitious and slightly a...more
Sister Pelagia is even better. An unambitious and slightly a...more
3 likes · like · see review
I *love* this book! It's not your typical mystery because Akunin goes off on these tangents about the history of the town it's set in, and who the people are, and things like that. I loved that, though. It never felt confusing or made the story bog down, because Akunin is really good at telling stories within stories.
And the main character, Pelagia, is a hoot. She's a clumsy and awkward nun who's brilliant at solving mysteries, but the credit for it goes to Bishop Mitrofanii because, you know, h...more
And the main character, Pelagia, is a hoot. She's a clumsy and awkward nun who's brilliant at solving mysteries, but the credit for it goes to Bishop Mitrofanii because, you know, h...more
One of Sonia's friends gave the Book Leaf Library this book. It a mystery written by a Russian, and as we are into trying to collect mystery writers from a spatial temporal continuum, we welcomed it with open arms. Murder mysetries are interesting if they also add a bit of the geography or culture to the story. Through Agatha Christie's Marple mysteries one had a glance into what the English village looked like, the inhabitants and the way they lived, tho now much has changed. However, through o...more
I read Akunin's Death of Achilles last summer and just loved it, so when I saw this book sitting on the mysteries shelf I had to grab it. The plot is fairly interesting: a bishop's great-aunt raises specially-bred white bulldogs for whom she essentially lives her life. Two of the three dogs are poisoned, sending this woman into a fit, and the bishop is contacted to find out who the dog-poisoning scoundrel is. Meanwhile, the bishop finds himself under attack by an inspector from St. Petersburg, w...more
I admit that the exotic appeals to me. So when I saw a blurb for the release of the American edition of SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG I was, to put it mildly, curious. After all, a mystery set in Tsarist Russia of the 1870s whose heroine was a nun who acted as her bishop's special emissary to the secular world to solve crimes is not your everyday kind of plot.
Pelagia reminded me of the Thurlo's Sister Agatha, Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael and Chesterton's Father Brown. I knew I enjoyed...more
Pelagia reminded me of the Thurlo's Sister Agatha, Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael and Chesterton's Father Brown. I knew I enjoyed...more
Do you remember this show "Father Dowling Mysteries" or "Father Dowling Investigates" in UK (or "Detektyw w sutannie" for all my Polish comrades)?
This book is like this show, only in 19th century Russia. There is a fatherly, protective provincial bishop Reverend Mitrofanii and there is witty, a little-to-pretty-to-be-a-nun Sister Pelagia. And there are some dead people, dead dogs, sex scandals and what not.
Boris Akunin stays true to the tradition of the Russian novel and starts the book off with...more
This book is like this show, only in 19th century Russia. There is a fatherly, protective provincial bishop Reverend Mitrofanii and there is witty, a little-to-pretty-to-be-a-nun Sister Pelagia. And there are some dead people, dead dogs, sex scandals and what not.
Boris Akunin stays true to the tradition of the Russian novel and starts the book off with...more
6 likes · like · see review
I admit that the exotic appeals to me. So when I saw a blurb for the release of the American edition of SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG I was, to put it mildly, curious. After all, a mystery set in Tsarist Russia of the 1870s whose heroine was a nun who acted as her bishop's special emissary to the secular world to solve crimes is not your everyday kind of plot.
Pelagia reminded me of the Thurlo's Sister Agatha, Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael and Chesterton's Father Brown. I knew I enjoyed...more
Pelagia reminded me of the Thurlo's Sister Agatha, Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael and Chesterton's Father Brown. I knew I enjoyed...more
Wonderful language, very reminiscent of Bulgakhov at his satiric best ("He used to be a German, but he recovered" is one sentence that made me laugh). Wonderful characters, including the bulldogs, who are bred so that they slobber excessively (like that is a most desirable trait!). Really enchanting book that made me smile on almost every page. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is that it is a tad too digressive for my plot-driven tastes. Though one digression is set off in different ty...more
This is the first in the Sister Pelagia trilogy, where, as the special envoy of His Grace Bishop Mishenka Mitrofanii, Sister Pelagia, a most unorthodox Russian Orthodox nun, uses her instinct, logic and knitting needles to solve crime and escape scrapes.
If you haven't read Akunin's mysteries before, this would be a delightful introduction. His other series features a different main character, Erast Fandorin, but I prefer Pelagia as she has a better sense of humor and the characters in the Pelag...more
If you haven't read Akunin's mysteries before, this would be a delightful introduction. His other series features a different main character, Erast Fandorin, but I prefer Pelagia as she has a better sense of humor and the characters in the Pelag...more
I read several of Akunin's mysteries starring Erast Fandorin and loved them, so I was eager to see what he would do with such a vastly different main character. I liked Sister Pelagia even better. I can't wait for more to be translated.
Okay, so there are several things going on in this book, but it took me a little combing through the Russian history and long names, to get to them. You've got a mystery set in Tsarist Russia of the 1870s with a nun as heroine. Not your typical mystery series. She's not Brother CAdfael, but she's darn clever, and knits, to boot.
Sister Pelagia is sent by her Bishop to sort out a problem his great aunt is having. It seems the white bulldogs (with one brown ear) she is trying to establish as a bre...more
Sister Pelagia is sent by her Bishop to sort out a problem his great aunt is having. It seems the white bulldogs (with one brown ear) she is trying to establish as a bre...more
~ЗАЧИТАЙ!!~
Я просто влюбилась в Акунина: какое мастерство простого русского языка, какое умение увлечь, и какая тонкая ирония, местами переходящая в искренний юмор! Одни имена чего стоят, пёсики Закусай, Закидай, Загуляй! А уж про мастерство рассказчика, начитавшего (в лицах!) повесть я и говорить не берусь. Это моя третья книга Акунина, и тоже - пятизвёздочная. Рекомендую!!
Виктория Евангелина
Sister Pelagia is a great character, and the plot and setting are both interesting. Two things nevertheless marred my enjoyment of the book: first, the unnamed narrator regularly makes sexist observations, and because it is unclear who he is, it is also unclear whether these comments reflect the author's views or whether they are meant to convey dominant attitudes at the time (rural Russia about a century ago); I'd find these less irritating if they served a clearer purpose. Secondly, the langua...more
I found the first of Boris Akunin’s novels about a Russian Orthodox nun who is assigned by her bishop to rather unorthodox solving of mysteries even more delightful than the Erast Fandorin series. Pelagia is a less distant figure than Fandorin and I loved that she was capable of surreptitiously feeding dogs at the table and general mischief (and I like the Bishop Mitrofanii who is a wonderful combination of power and humility!) The omniscient narrator provides a great deal of dry wit that’s also...more
I loved this satirical little tale. There was both a well researched account of the vicissitudes of Empirical Russian provincial political life and a little window into the heart of man. I found it both highly amusing and historically interesting. Apparently Akunin has said that the problems that Russia faces now closely resemble or at least can take lessons from 19th century Russia. I am looking forward to reading more of Akunin's work. His less satirical and more historical works; Turkish Gamb...more
I always have trouble with Russian novels, as I can't keep the various names straight. In an English book, the characters will generally be referred to by one name throughout; Russians vary between the last name and the first and middle (patrynomic), and they're all long and look alike. (Maybe that's just a personal problem.) HOWEVER, I enjoy Akunin's novels, having read a few of the Erast Fandorin books, and this series, with a nun (with a few tricks up her sleeve) as the heroine, seems like it...more
A good mystery from the author who brought you Erast Fandorin!
A nun solving mysteries - what's not to like. :)
When books are translated, there is a two-step vetting process. First the book needs to be deemed worthy in its original language and then again in the second. One expects a good novel, but this went well beyond. Russian literature is often more than what is seen on the surface. Akunin’s historical mysteries are by purpose slightly arcane and a passing knowledge of Russian society in the 1800s is helpful much like it would be to know something about the American West when reading an historical w...more
A tale of murder and mystery in pre-Revolutionary Russia. Bishop Mitrofanii has managed to establish an enviable level of peace and prosperity in his region by exerting measurable influence on many of the local nobility and officials. In matters of faith, he tends to his flock and tolerates those who may not follow the beliefs of the Church strictly, but are otherwise harmless. But this equilibrium is endangered by a letter from his extremely wealthy aunt and a visit from the Synodical Inspector...more
When the library doesn't have Book 6 from the Fandorin series (The State Counselor), what do you do? You take a peek into Akunin's other series - hoping to be pleasantly surprised, fearing if it would be a letdown. Honestly, how difficult could it be for an author to have two series of books from the same/similar genres and yet ensure that they stand out as distinctive characters? Very, very.
Calling Akunin's books "detective fiction" is akin to calling the Atlantic "a big puddle between the US...more
Calling Akunin's books "detective fiction" is akin to calling the Atlantic "a big puddle between the US...more
A mystery for people who like classic Russian lit, or who just like the novelty of having an Orthodox nun and bishop solve crimes. Sister Pelagia is a great character - people don't give her a second glance in her habit, but she's got sharp wits and a good sense of self-preservation, wielding off would-be attackers with her knitting needles. But she's no Miss Marple in a habit - she's also young and impulsive. The plot starts slowly, with plenty of time spent setting the scene of the country pro...more
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By his own admission, Bishop Mitrofanii has a passion for helping the police solve a mystery, and he has been credited with a number of successes. Mitrofanii is secretly proud of his reputation among the police, not just in his home town of Zavolzhak, but in other provinces and larger cities, too. He also has a second idle vanity known only to another person. I'm quite convinced that the other person is Sister Pelagia, a novice in the Bishop's Zavolzhak flock, his secret weapon in crime fightin...more
#1 in the Sister Pelagia series, featuring this red-headed nun who is an assistant to Bishop Mitrofanii in a remote Russian province in the 19th century. The Bishop sends Pelagia to investigate who is poisoning his aunt's rare white bulldogs, which are near and dear to her heart--even moreso than her human family, really. While investigating who is harming the dogs, a murder mystery with a human victim takes place and Pelagia goes under cover as a noblewoman (Pelagia's supposed sister) to be the...more
I think some of my favorite things about Boris Akunin's book are some of his characters. I especially liked Sister Pelagia's character and wish that we would see more of her in the book, as it switches around to different characters views or the narrator. I also really enjoyed Bishop Mirtrofannii's character as well. I do have to read the book with a dictionary on hand for words such as "oleaginous" and "perspicacity" (maybe you know what they mean, but I sure didn't), I also found it difficult...more
How frustrating! but more on that in a min...
I was given this book by a friend and I am so glad they did. Its an interesting read, not only is a great mystery with what seems totally unconnected events some how linking in to a larger plot (and very cleverly so I might add) but also an interesting window in to Russian life, society and politics of the time - very reminiscent of Ellis Peters Cadfael stories.
However why so frustrating? Well it appears the last few lines of the book read straight i...more
I was given this book by a friend and I am so glad they did. Its an interesting read, not only is a great mystery with what seems totally unconnected events some how linking in to a larger plot (and very cleverly so I might add) but also an interesting window in to Russian life, society and politics of the time - very reminiscent of Ellis Peters Cadfael stories.
However why so frustrating? Well it appears the last few lines of the book read straight i...more
I loved Akunin's Leviathan so was delighted with this new detective series featuring a nun Sister Pelagia. I enjoyed the book, especially the two central characters Pelagia and Mitrofanii (must check spelling). The narrator was a little tiresome at times, especially his/her penchant for long descriptions of the life and politics of a far flung Russian province. Someone mentioned that this is typical of Russian authors... is it? Oh and their seemed to be a cast of thousands - actually there isn't...more
Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk is the best but White Bulldog is a decent quick read. Akunin is a pseudonym meaning "wrongdoer" in Japanese; the author likes to explore the darker side of human nature in intricate plots and through, sometimes literally, crazy characters.
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Real name - Grigory Shalvovich Chkhartishvili, born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1956. Since 1958 he lives in Moscow. Writer and translator from Japanease. Author of crime stories set in tsarist Russia. In 1998 he made his debut with novel Azazel (to English readers known as The Winter Queen), where he created Erast Pietrovich Fandorin.
B. Akunin refers to Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin and Akuna, home...more
More about Boris Akunin...
B. Akunin refers to Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin and Akuna, home...more
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