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The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn
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August Group Read - The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn by Colin Dexter
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There is an Inspector Morse episode with John Thaw which I thought was very good, but I thought this novel was not one of Colin Dexter's best ...
Come and prove me wrong?! 😁
Checked my wait time for the ebook, sadly it’s still 7 weeks away so unless something unexpected happens, I won’t be able to join you for this one 😔
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What a brilliant coincidence. I have just started reading this book. I have been very slowly working my way through the Morse books since the start of the year. I have bought the Kindle edition and the Audible version narrated by Samuel West. I'm mid-way through Chapter One right now. I can't wait to join in the discussion. Life has dragged me away from serious reading and the Internet over the last few months, but now things are settling down into a "new normal" I'm hoping to get back into my reading. Look forward to reading along with you all and getting back into the groups on here that I am a member of.
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That's great Andrew - we'll look forward to it 😊
Want to hear another weird - even uncanny - coincidence? That's exactly how I joined this group too, way back in 2013! In my case I was right at the start of the first one, and was just in time to join a buddy read of all the Morse novels here. Great fun, and I never looked back!
(It's all archived in the comments.)
Well, this book had an intriguing idea: a person who could know a lot more than people realized due to his ability to read lips. What an interesting idea to bring into a mystery!
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Who else is reading this one? Or if they know it already would like to share their thoughts?
SPOILER ALERT!!! I thought Quinn would help solve the mystery because of his ability to read lips and I thought the concept of the book was intriguing. I had never run across such an idea in a mystery before and I’ve read a lot of mysteries.
I am still waiting for my copy of the book (and so averting my eyes from the spoiler above!). I will comment once my copy arrives!
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My copy finally arrived! It took a bit to get started in this book, but after a while, things picked up, and I wanted to know how it ended.This is a competent mystery, but I have some mixed feelings. It's a period piece, socially. From the dates, the book appears to be set in 1976 (dates are important, which is fun). The Sex Discrimination act was passed in 1975 in Britain, but it hasn't had much of an impact on attidues as of yet!
We are treated to Morse's thoughts about one female character -- "Biddable, by the look of it -- and eminently beddable." I salute the clever wordplay, but Morse stays busy thinking about her physical attributes long enough to be tiresome. After she leaves, he and Lewis talk about her, Lewis stating he had thought she'd drop her inhibitions quickly (when questioned) and Morse retorting that she'd "drop her knickers pretty smartish, too." Later, Morse calls her a "tart" to her face. It's not just Monica. It's impossible not to notice that I would not like the man if I met him.
On the other hand, there's a good puzzle, and Morse and Lewis get charmingly excited when engaged in that actual work. The plot serves up many complications as things progress.
One maddening note -- I read this in a Kindle version, and I think this edition obscured a clue (view spoiler).
So, I didn't love it, but I'd read another book in the series.
Onwards!
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I was living in Oxford until the previous year, and certainly did find discrimination, both in town and gown. One memorable occasion was when I was told to wear a skirt instead of my smart trousers, (I said that I didn't have one ...) and that females were not eligible on the management training scheme. The colleges were all single sex.
By the late 70s things had considerably improved, although I still had an argument with my bank manager when I wanted a monthly statement, not a quarterly one. (Why? he said!! I'll bet he never asked male customers that). And even in academia the forms were "pink for females, blue for males" until at least 1979 that I know of.
By the later books someone must have had a word with Colin Dexter as they are much better! I've reviewed all 13 novels in full: LINK HERE for my shelf just of those, in case anyone is interested. You can read any specific one of them by scrolling to the right hand end and clicking on "view".
I gave this one 2 stars; it's one of my least favourites I'm afraid!
Bionic Jean wrote: "Jennifer, your objections are exactly the same as mine! I found these early Morse books riddled with such misogynistic (and distasteful) attitudes, and suspect it was the author (he was actually a ..."even in academia the forms were "pink for females, blue for males" until at least 1979 that I know of.
Oh, Jean. That's appalling. A stack of related anecdotes from my life, my mother's and those of my grandmothers, come to mind. (I come from a family of feisty women who pushed back against the status quo for women.)
I am glad to know that the later books do get better. I'll check your reviews for titles later in the series!
Took forever but I finally got my copy 🤯Even though most had a few problems with this book, I’m still looking forward to reading it knowing that it was a product of its time.
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I read this a while ago, but like Jennifer, took issue with the misogyny. Colin Dexter did get much better from this point of view, later.
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Reading begins on 1st August and continues all month.
Who's joining in with this one?