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Love All / Busman's Honeymoon
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Dorothy L. Sayers
752 books3,050 followersThe detective stories of well-known British writer Dorothy Leigh Sayers mostly feature the amateur investigator Lord Peter Wimsey; she also translated the
Divine Comedy
of Dante Alighieri.
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
This renowned author and Christian humanist studied classical and modern languages.
Her best known mysteries, a series of short novels, set between World War I and World War II, feature an English aristocrat and amateur sleuth. She is also known for her plays and essays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 14, 2020
5 stars for Busman's Honeymoon
4 stars for Love All (very witty!)
4 stars four Introduction, Notes, and Appendices
4 stars for Love All (very witty!)
4 stars four Introduction, Notes, and Appendices
January 11, 2008
I picked this up when my book group decided to read Busman's Honeymoon, and I didn't realize it was the play version, not the novel. Apparently the play came first.
They're very similar, especially in the dialogue (not surprising), but the play is set entirely in the one house, whereas the novel can go many places and allows more flexibility in telling the story. Both are very funny and also tender.
They're very similar, especially in the dialogue (not surprising), but the play is set entirely in the one house, whereas the novel can go many places and allows more flexibility in telling the story. Both are very funny and also tender.
August 28, 2021
This is a hard book to rate, because the "Busman's Honeymoon" play is very well done..... however the "Love All" play is very pedestrian. So I give "Busman's Honeymoon" 4 stars, and "Love All" 2 stars.
The book "Busman's Honeymoon" is one of my favorites, really just for the rollicking ride. The mystery is unusual... the romance is fun but has some interesting moments..... and overall I just enjoy it. Many parts of it make me laugh, the characters are so crazy! Mrs Ruddle, the "Ruddle-muddle" with Bunter, the Inspector who enjoys literary quotes. It is just fun along the way.
This book has the play that the book was based on. Produced in London in 1936 with Dorothy Sayer's friend Muriel St. Clare Byrne, it ran for 500 performances (in London) before going off on tour.
I very much enjoyed the play, seeing more clearly how the bones of the book were laid down. The "padding" in the book is all worthwhile, but the main plot of course is what is in the play. One of the MOST fascinating parts was an appendix where the author explains HOW to set up the reenactment of the crime without hurting anyone. After all.... it could actually work on stage too and they would be minus one of the actors!
The play "Love All" was written by Sayers alone (no friend to write with her), and it had a short run in London in 1941. This play did not really grip. It reminded me of some of the 1930's comedies with Edward Everett Horton from the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers days. You watch the movie to see the dancing... and the plot is not that interesting.
The book "Busman's Honeymoon" is one of my favorites, really just for the rollicking ride. The mystery is unusual... the romance is fun but has some interesting moments..... and overall I just enjoy it. Many parts of it make me laugh, the characters are so crazy! Mrs Ruddle, the "Ruddle-muddle" with Bunter, the Inspector who enjoys literary quotes. It is just fun along the way.
This book has the play that the book was based on. Produced in London in 1936 with Dorothy Sayer's friend Muriel St. Clare Byrne, it ran for 500 performances (in London) before going off on tour.
I very much enjoyed the play, seeing more clearly how the bones of the book were laid down. The "padding" in the book is all worthwhile, but the main plot of course is what is in the play. One of the MOST fascinating parts was an appendix where the author explains HOW to set up the reenactment of the crime without hurting anyone. After all.... it could actually work on stage too and they would be minus one of the actors!
The play "Love All" was written by Sayers alone (no friend to write with her), and it had a short run in London in 1941. This play did not really grip. It reminded me of some of the 1930's comedies with Edward Everett Horton from the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers days. You watch the movie to see the dancing... and the plot is not that interesting.
November 4, 2025
Interesting perspective on a classic.
This book contains “Love All” and “Busman's Honeymoon”
I bought it mostly for “Busman’s Honeymoon.”
Written in 1937-38 and staged in 1940 and 1941, Love All.
I first read the novel “Busman’s Honeymoon.” Then I purchased a copy of the movie. Finally, I learned that this was a play first. I enjoyed the different versions and think it is worth the purchase. However, I think the novel tells more of what the characters are thinking.
The play written by Dorothy L. Sayers and Muriel Byane is the last chapter on the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. They are finally married.
There is a well-written introduction that gives insight as to what was to be accomplished in the play. It is equivalent to the voice-over commentaries present on today’s DVDs.
This book contains “Love All” and “Busman's Honeymoon”
I bought it mostly for “Busman’s Honeymoon.”
Written in 1937-38 and staged in 1940 and 1941, Love All.
I first read the novel “Busman’s Honeymoon.” Then I purchased a copy of the movie. Finally, I learned that this was a play first. I enjoyed the different versions and think it is worth the purchase. However, I think the novel tells more of what the characters are thinking.
The play written by Dorothy L. Sayers and Muriel Byane is the last chapter on the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. They are finally married.
There is a well-written introduction that gives insight as to what was to be accomplished in the play. It is equivalent to the voice-over commentaries present on today’s DVDs.
August 22, 2021
I paid $40 for my copy since this book is long out of print. Comparing the novel Busman's Honeymoon to the play, which Sayers wrote a year previously, was fascinating. It may even make for a good conference paper at some later date. Love All was amusing but I'd give it 3 stars. With a typically Sayersian theme: women should be valued for their work, rather than their emotional companionship, the play occasionally riveted my attention. The reverse love triangle (neither wife Edith nor lover Lydia really wants to be with Godfrey Daybrook) got tiring after awhile. Still, it does have the wonderfully snarky line still quoted today:
"Every great man has a woman behind him, and every great woman has some man or other in front of her, tripping her up."
"Every great man has a woman behind him, and every great woman has some man or other in front of her, tripping her up."
July 5, 2025
Terrific. I'd love to see both these plays performed. I hadn't read either before; Busman's Honeymoon is a great play, but, since I am so familiar with the novel, it seemed like a dramatization of it rather than (as is the historical truth) the play on which the novel is based (I disdain calling it a "novelization").
Love All is very interesting, with some lovely bon mots, but the shift between scenes that are quite realistic and those that are exceptional farcical is unsettling.
Love All is very interesting, with some lovely bon mots, but the shift between scenes that are quite realistic and those that are exceptional farcical is unsettling.
April 9, 2018
I was disappointed at first on opening the book and discovering that the Busman's Holiday herein is Sayre's play. I had read the novel a very long time ago, enjoyed it, and looked forward to rereading it.
Being somewhat bereft of something to read at that moment, I read the play anyway.
Despite a few "infelicities" of expression and prejudice, it was mostly delightful.
3.5
Being somewhat bereft of something to read at that moment, I read the play anyway.
Despite a few "infelicities" of expression and prejudice, it was mostly delightful.
3.5
January 1, 2026
Detective Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane are married and off to a honeymoon. Of course the honeymoon is disrupted by a murder in their house they have just purchased. Together they begin their marriage with solving the murder, negotiating the new life and homeownership. A good fun read by Dorothy Sayers.
May 24, 2018
Busman’s Honeymoon has long been a favorite of mine. Even though it was originally a play, I had
only read it in book form. Love All is more of a classic drawing room comedy. It is a fun read, but not my favorite of her works.
only read it in book form. Love All is more of a classic drawing room comedy. It is a fun read, but not my favorite of her works.
October 11, 2019
Good, but not my favorite Sayers. I admit to being partial to the Wimseys, so I enjoyed Busman's Honeymoon more than Love All. Both were entertaining, but not particularly meaningful to me personally.
August 29, 2011
With assistance from Sayers friend Muriel Byrne.
March 30, 2014
Entertaining but fairly slight
May 3, 2017
Only read "Busman's Honeymoon." I've only read the first 150 pages or so of the novel so far, but it's interesting to see the differences. The novel is much more in-depth, but the play is still solid. Peter and Harriet have one of the most romantic scenes I've ever read, further cementing them as one of my top OTPs.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews