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August 2019 Group Read: Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers (Spoiler Thread)
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Bill
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Jul 30, 2019 11:11AM
This is the spoiler thread for discussions of Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers. Gisela is the moderator.
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Hello All,I hope we can have good and frank discussions on this thread. As I mentioned in the other thread, I have read this series 33 years ago and I was enchanted with Wimsey and the UK. It will be interesting how it strikes us all in 2019!
I have also read a very good autobiography of Dorothy L. Sayer, who was known as a blue-stocking. Apparently mothers used to point to her as an example of how girls should not turn out, i.e. it doesn't do to show your brains dear, men don't like that!!!
Apparently Wimsey is based on her passionate love affair with a man who, enchanted her complete, but who unfortunately left her. She had a child with this man and had to hide this fact throughout that life! So, most Sayers expert believe that she wrote Wimsey as an ideal to the man who definitely was not that.
Looking forward to how you feel about Wimsey and the book as a whole.
This looks interesting as I also read several Winsey books a lot of years ago and curious to see how they age.FYI, this book is available on Project Gutenberg for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58820
I downloaded the mobi format and sent it to my Kindle with Send to Kindle from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/
New member so if this kind of thing is too much detail and not helpful, let me know.
I finished this one in just a few days. It's a classic example of the "Golden Age" mystery, with a body being discovered then detective work taking place to reconstruct what happened and whodunit. The characters were amusing and I thought they were the most entertaining part of the book. Skimming this one for plot details would rob readers of the chance to get acquainted with Lord Peter Wimsey (so aptly named), Bunter and the others, not to mention their witty dialogue and banter.
Good fun. I'll try another in the series.
I have to say on my re-read I cannot find my youthful admiration for Lord Peter and feel that both Bunter and Parker are stronger and more likable character. However, I do admit that current British politics really spoils the privileged environment which Peter enjoys a lot. Moreover, the racist and sexist attitudes which were common during tis area are distasteful.
I read this in 2016. Had looked forward to this book by one of the Grand Dames of the Golden Age of mysteries. I remembered being disappointed in the book. I looked up my review. Not much, just a "meh". I have read some other comments on the other thread, that indicates the series gets better.
Chris wrote: "I read this in 2016. Had looked forward to this book by one of the Grand Dames of the Golden Age of mysteries. I remembered being disappointed in the book. I looked up my review. Not much, just a "..."It definitely does and on the whole it is a very entertaining series especially if you are interested in that period and that part of society. Very telling of why this country is still run the way it is now!
RJ wrote: "I finished this one in just a few days. It's a classic example of the "Golden Age" mystery, with a body being discovered then detective work taking place to reconstruct what happened and whodunit. ..."Hi RJ.
I also enjoyed this book enough to want to read the next book in the series. One of the things that many have posted both in this thread and in the 'non-spoiler' thread is that folks who've read Sayers before always found the books to get better was Harriet Vane was added to the mix. I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.
Thanks,
Bobbie
I just finished this and I really liked it. I agree that the characters really made the book, and learning about them was actually more compelling to me than the mystery. Looking forward to reading more in this series and getting more acquainted with the cast!
Roberta wrote: "Hi RJ. I also enjoyed this book enough to want to read the next book in the series. One of the things that many have posted both in this thread and in the 'non-spoiler' thread is that folks who've read Sayers before always found the books to get better was Harriet Vane was added to the mix. I guess we'll just have to wait to find out.
Thanks,
Bobbie"
Good to know. Thanks!
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I liked the relationship between Lord Peter, Parker, and Bunter. I found Bunter even more endearing when it came out that he had served under Lord Peter in the War. (view spoiler)
Glad most of you liked this story and will read other books from the series.
I've enjoyed 4 books in this series so far. This was my review of Whose Body?https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I have always loved Lord Peter ever since watching the tv series in the 1980s starring Ian Carmichael. Later they did the Harriet Vane books with Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter.
Kirsten #EnoughIsEnough wrote: "I have always loved Lord Peter ever since watching the tv series in the 1980s starring Ian Carmichael. Later they did the Harriet Vane books with Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter."I prefer Harriet Vane to Lord Peter. In an autobiography which I have read, it says that she is very much like Dorothy L. Sayers.
This was my first read of Lord Peter, and I was a bit disappointed (my father loved him!). He was quite funny sometimes, but there was too much happening (or rather not happening) around the crime and its solution.As far as I understand, Harriet Vane will be in later books - I wonder with which book I could start to give it another chance?
I read all the Lord Peters as a teen, and did not fall in love with the series until the arrival of Harriet Vane. I reread the books with her around the time the second series featuring Edward Petherbridge and Harriet Walters appeared on Masterpiece, which inspired the Mystery! side of Masterpiece. I was very happy to re-read the first book, I saw Lord Peter with new eyes, welcomed the first appearance of Bunter and Parker, and the Dowager Duchess. Ordered the second in the series, passed my old copies on to friends at some point. Am in a very English reading phase, staying in the 1920s & 1930s, read the Mike and Psmith books by P.G. Wodehouse in the past weeks, moving into the Blandings books proper. The characters had a world with many problems and more to come, but they had manners.
Harriet doesn't pop up until Strong Poison. This is my alternate entry suggestion for this series.
Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "Harriet doesn't pop up until Strong Poison. This is my alternate entry suggestion for this series."Thanks! I may look at this one, as many of you commented that the books were better with Harriet.
Michaela wrote: "Susanna - Censored by GoodReads wrote: "Harriet doesn't pop up until Strong Poison. This is my alternate entry suggestion for this series."Thanks! I may look at this one, as many of you commented ..."
Definitely. She trumps Lord Peter anyday.
