This was so slow compared to the previous books in the series. It took me a long time to read it, compared to how long it usually takes me to read a b...moreThis was so slow compared to the previous books in the series. It took me a long time to read it, compared to how long it usually takes me to read a book. At some point, I realized I was only reading it to get through to the next book and for the references to The Big Over Easy.(less)
07/15: Finished it today. So damn funny, if you like puns and referential literary humor and British mysteries. Simultaneously a romp (yes, a romp!) t...more07/15: Finished it today. So damn funny, if you like puns and referential literary humor and British mysteries. Simultaneously a romp (yes, a romp!) through nursery rhymes and fairy tales, while sending up the ridiculousness of both old-school murder mysteries and modern-day police procedurals. Recommended to anyone who likes mysteries and fairy tales. Will definitely be checking out the next one from the library in short order.
07/14: Halfway through. Can't wait to finish. If Wales were not so very far away, I'd be leaving offerings at Mr. Fforde's door, I think. I have laughed out loud several times and giggled many times more.
07/12: I have only read the first chapter of this, and I am already in love, purely because of the pun involving the history of Reading.(less)
Update, 10/30: I am in love with this book. It was entertaining, through and through, from M. Braxton Hicks to the references to "Charge of the Light...moreUpdate, 10/30: I am in love with this book. It was entertaining, through and through, from M. Braxton Hicks to the references to "Charge of the Light Brigade." If you love British literature, then you will like this book, if only for being able to pick up on all the allusions and references to the genre. It's like H.G. Wells, Tennyson, Bronte, Dickens, and Shakespeare had a head-on collision with Inspector Jane Tennyson. And Bram Stoker was off to the side, tossing in the occult where required.
The result? Absolutely wonderful.
Pre-reading, 10/26: I'm really looking forward to this series. I've heard great things about it from a lot of people, and it seems like it will be something I'll enjoy.(less)
Amazing. Makes 12th-century France seem very alive and real, and avoids the trap of making characters in a historical novel paragons of the modern day...moreAmazing. Makes 12th-century France seem very alive and real, and avoids the trap of making characters in a historical novel paragons of the modern day. Later novels fall off in quality, but this one is absolutely top-notch.(less)
Positively one of my favorite books. I picked it up at a used bookstore, and had a moment where I asked a book where it had been all my life. It wasn'...morePositively one of my favorite books. I picked it up at a used bookstore, and had a moment where I asked a book where it had been all my life. It wasn't life altering in the way people describe Siddhartha or books on high-fructose corn syrup, but oooh, the intrigue! Corn laws, German philosophers, opium! Attempted murder, achieved murder, and pumpkins!
If you like Victorian literature and epistolary novels, this is a book for you. The beginning is pretty slow, but totally worth it to make it to the middle and end.(less)
Such satisfying mystery and romance, set in a totally believable portrayal of a small, rural town. This one involved Hispanic farmh...moreI LOVE THESE BOOKS.
Such satisfying mystery and romance, set in a totally believable portrayal of a small, rural town. This one involved Hispanic farmhands without the proper paperwork (i.e. illegal migrant workers) working on dairy farms, and I found myself going “yes!” multiple times as Spencer-Fleming got the dynamics of that situation right.* Add it together with fantastic characterization – her female characters are especially strong and believable – and the alternately frustrating and rewarding relationship between the two main characters, and wow! I love these books!
And it doesn’t hurt that it made me laugh out loud more than once. For example:
Finally she said, “Thank you, God,” and staggered to her feet. It felt like she’d been worked over with a lead pipe. Her poor car was totaled. Another one. She lifted her eyes to the hills. From whence my help cometh. USAA was going to cancel her. Her parishioners would start calling her the Reverend Stephanie Plum.
Hee! I know allusions to popular culture frustrate some people, and can date the work, but I don’t really care, since I’m reading this contemporary to its publishing. So I will laugh, laugh, laugh at the idea of Clare Fergusson being called Reverend Stephanie Plum.
Though, I do have to say, living in an area that’s pretty similar to Millers Kill, that these guys are way over their quota for really grisly murders. It’s starting to get a little Murder, She Wrote up in there. Why do people keep coming to Millers Kill? Why do people keep inviting Jessica Fletcher places? Dead people everywhere!
I totally recommend these to people who like mysteries or people who like angsty romance or people who like believable stories about rural towns/farm communities or people who like stories about believable, realistic characters. There's so much about this series that is appealing! Definitely read the first book, though: All Mortal Flesh and continue from there. They're not really stand alones, as a lot of the development of the characters over the course of the series would be lost, and the real appeal here is the characterization, not the mysteries.
*There were a couple times where the Spanish the characters were speaking seemed wrong to me, but I'm not sure if that was intentional awkwardness on the part of the Spanish-as-a-second-language characters, or if it was just me being a dummy.(less)
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