Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d by C. Alan Bradley

Reviewed by Jeanne

Flavia de Luce, the pre-teen enfant terrible of chemistry, is thrilled to be returning to home to England after an unhappy sojourn in Canada at Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy, but her dreams of a warm family welcome are shattered with the news that her father is hospitalized with pneumonia.  Visitors are limited, so Flavia goes to visit Cynthia, the vicar’s wife, by way of diversion.  She’s promptly sent to deliver a message to Mr. Sambridge, the local wood-carver.  When he fails to answer his door, Flavia—being Flavia—opens the door and discovers he’s been murdered.

And oh, how Flavia loves a good murder. . . .

The first thing she does, of course, is to carefully observe the scene, making all the deductions she possibly can about the crime, the victim, and clues as to the murderer.  One thing jumps out at her:  why would a grown man, a woodcarver with no apparent family, have a set of children’s books--multiple copies, in fact?

This is the eighth book in Bradley’s enjoyable Flavia de Luce novels, all of which revolve around the precocious Flavia who lives with her father and sisters at Buckshaw, the family’s badly neglected mansion.  Flavia is a force of nature:  headstrong, impulsive, brilliant, and analytical. She’s also a child, though she sees herself as an adult; for example, she views the police detective Inspector Hewitt as a colleague, though she sometimes thinks he’s a bit slow on the uptake.  Her older sisters see her as more than a bit of a pest, while her father tends to be remote, locking himself away in his rooms with his stamp collection. Her greatest confidant is Dogger, who served and suffered with her father during WW II, and who treats her with kindness and deference (think a less sarcastic and less stable Jeeves.) Flavia’s imagination also tends to run a bit wild, but she is tenacious when she’s on the trail of a murderer.

I confess I found the previous book in the series to be a bit of a slog.  I think it was having Flavia out of her element and missing the supporting cast of characters.  This book is, for me, a return to the somewhat tongue in cheek mysteries I so enjoyed.  In addition, I especially enjoyed the parts of the plot that had with do with the children’s books by Oliver Inchbald.  This is a fictitious series, but parts bear a passing resemblance to A.A. Milne’s works and life. In fact, it seemed to me that more (real) books than usual were referenced in this one, which delighted me.  I do love a good book reference.

This is a series which needs to be read in order; not only is Flavia growing up a bit in this one, but there are changes in the household along the way that have an impact on the characters, especially Flavia.  As with several of the other books, this one ends at an emotional moment, making the reader anxious to see how the next story will unfold.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by C. Alan Bradley

Reviewed by Jeanne

At the end of the previous book, Flavia de Luce learned she was being sent to Canada to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy.  Her mother, Harriet, had attended the school and left quite an impression.  Flavia isn’t at all thrilled at this turn of events.  She desperately misses Buckshaw, Dogger, her father, and even her sisters.  Not even discovering that her chemistry teacher is Mrs. Bannerman—the woman acquitted of poisoning her husband and a personal hero of Flavia’s – is enough to make her want to stay.

There is one bright spot:  the first night at the school, a body tumbles out of the chimney in Flavia’s room.

The body is charred and partially mummified, wrapped in a flag. It appears to be the body of a young woman, but oddly the adults don’t seem inclined to let Flavia examine the body too closely. Could it possibly be the remains of a former student of the Academy?

This is the seventh adventure of the extremely precocious but not precious Flavia de Luce, a twelve year old with a passion for chemistry and for mysteries. I confess I had some concerns when I found Flavia would set out for the New World, but she didn’t disappoint.  Her observations are as sharp as ever, and she has a whole new cast of characters to impress and/or appall. She’s a bit more of a fish out of water here. She’s uncertain at times how to interact with her peers, but for the most part Flavia does what she always has:  assesses the situation and takes action. The adults are almost more befuddled by her than the other girls, of course, and Flavia has many opportunities to indulge her taste for theatrics.  The author even allowed some long distance interaction with the folks of Buckshaw so that readers weren’t totally bereft of the other characters we’ve come to know.

The brevity of this review is from a desire not to give too much away.  If you’re already a fan, I think you’ll enjoy this latest outing which continues the turn toward what has been called The Great Game.  If you’ve acquired a taste for pheasant, you’ll know what I mean. 

On the other hand, if you haven’t yet experienced Flavia de Luce I would strongly suggest you start with an earlier book. This is a series best read in order.

1. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5. Speaking From Among the Bones
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
7. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust

Speaking From Among the Bones by C. Alan Bradley

Reviewed by Jeanne

I admit from the outset that I am a devoted Flavia fan. The precocious twelve year old with a passion for chemistry and solving murders is one of my favorite literary characters, but sometimes this series is a hard sell.  It just sounds so—well, Nancy Drewish. It helps a bit to tell folks that the setting is an English village in the 1950s, where she lives with her emotionally distant father and two disagreeable sisters in a crumbling manor house but that still doesn’t convey the appeal of the series. Flavia has an insatiable intellectual curiosity, be it for a way to slightly poison someone or how to read her sisters’ diaries undetected.

In Speaking from Among the Bones, Flavia is enthusiastically looking forward to the disinterment of St. Tancred’s bones on the 500th anniversary of his demise.  It makes a nice diversion from the worry that her home, Buckshaw, may be sold out from under them.  Before the tomb is opened, however, Flavia discovers a much fresher corpse:  the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist who had gone missing.  How did he end up in Saint Tancred’s crypt? Why was he wearing a gas mask?

The writing somehow remains fresh and funny, though never silly.  Some of the descriptions of Flavia’s hair-raising underground graveyard adventures made me hold my breath for a variety of reasons. (Bradley does have a way with description!) The mysteries pile up and the solutions are ingenious.  I'll admit that for once I spotted the murderer before Flavia did, but that in no way lessened my enjoyment.  In fact, I'd venture to say that the reason she failed to figure it is a reflection of Flavia's character, which is one reason I like the series so much:  Flavia, while brilliant and seemingly sophisticated, is still a child and her analysis and interpretation of events is often from a child's point of view. She finds her old sister's romances baffling, for example, and is still naive enough to half believe some of her sisters' taunts even if she pretends not to.

You don’t have to read the series in order, but if you want to understand the full significance of the last line it might be better to start with an earlier book. Fans will be counting the days until the next book comes out.  Alas, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches  isn’t scheduled until 2014!

1. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5. Speaking From Among the Bones

I Am Half Sick of Shadows: A Flavia de Luce Novel by C. Alan Bradley

 Reviewed by Jeanne


One of the most difficult things about doing book reviews for me is to decide exactly how much to tell about a book.  In the course of my work, I read a lot of reviews; sometimes I start to feel that I’ve already read the book because I know so much about it without ever having so much as cracked the cover.  In the case of I Am Half Sick of Shadows by C. Alan Bradley, I’ve thought long and hard and concluded that probably the best way to introduce it is to do a bit of a spoiler; otherwise, it’s rather difficult to explain to someone unfamiliar with this series.

When the book opens, eleven year old Flavia is skating down the long portrait hall in Buckshaw, her castle-like ancestral home.  There is no heat, and once flooded, the water immediately turned into ice.  She can see the pattern of the parquet beneath from the candles she set into the chandeliers.  She fantasizes that some celebrity photographer will be by and take her photo, which will then appear in a leading magazine.  Wouldn’t that just make her sisters puce with envy!  At this point, Flavia awakens in her bed, though it’s almost as cold as in her dream.

If your reaction is, “Well, of course it was just a dream!  No one would really flood a house and skate down a hall!” then you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of Flavia de Luce.  People who know the precocious chemist would have no trouble at all believing that Flavia would do just that, strictly in the interest of science (and to annoy her sisters and astonish her father).  Flavia is a wonderful creation; she sounds like an adult for the most part and a very learned adult at that, but she is still basically a child.  Part of the fun is seeing Flavia’s interpretation of events.

The series is set in the 1950s English countryside where the de Luce family has lived for generations as the local gentry.  Times have not been good; the family has been financially strapped since Harriet, Flavia’s mother, perished in the Himalayan Mountains. Now Buckshaw has been rented out to a film company in an effort to raise money.  The family is divided about this turn of events.  Father is embarrassed but resigned, seeing no other way out. Flavia’s older sisters Daphne and Ophelia try to appear blasé about the worldly thespians who are descending upon them but are secretly intrigued. Flavia herself is more preoccupied with her plans for the holiday, plans which should secure her place in history:  she is going to capture Father Christmas. She has begun to harbor a touch of doubt about the existence of the jolly old elf, and –being Flavia—would like to settle the matter scientifically.

Meanwhile, the film crew has descended and it isn’t long before Flavia becomes aware of some conflicts held just below the surface.  In a grand gesture, some of the cast agree to participate in a fundraising event for the local church.  Tickets are sold and half the village shows up, just as a snowstorm makes travel impossible. This insures that there is no lack of suspects when one of the actors is murdered.

I can't say that the series continues to improve because it was a great series from the start.  The second book slipped just a bit for me, but the overall quality has remained consistently high.  Witty, with a wonderful set of characters and marvelous atmosphere, I recommend this series unreservedly.  If you're among the fans of Downton Abbey,  you might give this series a try.  It's set a couple of decades later, but there is a bit of the same feel about it.  You don't need to read the books in order but if that's your preference, start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Genetics, Prodigal Summer, Flavia, Birds, Ex Libris and The Hogfather

The November 22 Nevermore Book Club readers were enthusiastic about their selections, which were fairly evenly balanced between fiction and non-fiction.

Genetics for Dummies by Tara Rodden Robinson was the first book discussed.  Our reader was thoroughly enjoying it.  The author explains a complex subject in relatively simply fashion.  If you want to feel a bit less important, just note the number of genes in corn (maize) verses the number in a human being.  Along the way one learns about the history of corn, information about European royalty, gene therapy, gene splicing and how DNA is revolutionizing crime solving. 

Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer was next up.  This novel weaves three storylines together as a female forest ranger, a young widow, and two elderly neighbors redefine the concepts of home and family.  One aspect that everyone enjoyed was the amount of information about the environment, ecology, culture and wildlife was woven into the story.  The setting is local, which made it all the more appealing. 

Ex Libris: Reflections of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman enchanted our next member.  The book is a collection of essays by a woman who is passionate about reading and books.  Witty and thoughtful, Fadiman covers language, books and the moment she finally felt married: when she and her husband merged book collections.

Eleven year old chemist and sleuth Flavia de Luce has acquired a devoted following since her debut in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  In I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, the delightful fourth entry in the series, Flavia’s father has rented out the family home during the Christmas holidays to a movie company in hopes of raising some badly needed cash to keep the family solvent.  Flavia had been quite involved in her latest project—capturing Father Christmas—but finds the newcomers to be a bit of an intriguing distraction.  Series fans will be glad to know that the sisters are as spiteful as ever and that Dogger has a good role.  You don’t have to read the series in order.

Another holiday title of sorts is The Hogfather by Terry Prachett.  In Discworld, presents are delivered by The Hogfather, a jolly man in a red suit who rides in a sled pulled by pigs.  Due to some unfortunate meddling, the Hogfather is not in a state to do his job in that he is. . . um, sort of dead. Since there must be a Hogfather, the role is assumed by another immortal of sorts, only this one usually carries a scythe.  Let’s just say that Death is not the life of the Christmas party, though his grasp of the concept of a commercial Christmas is one to celebrate. If you like satiric British humor and word play, by all means put The Hogfather  on your holiday reading list.

January 1^st is not only New Year’s Day, it’s the kick-off date for an annual bird-watching competition. On that day, a number of bird-watching enthusiasts will decide to embark on a “Big Year” which when a birder spends an entire year trying to see as many bird species as he can throughout North America.  The Big Year:  A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik chronicles the year 1999 when three highly competitive men set out to beat the record.  Even non-birders will enjoy this entertaining and true story, and come away with a bit more interest in what goes on at the backyard feeder.

A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Red Herring Without Mustard by C. Alan Bradley (F BRA Main & Avoca)

Reviewed by Jeanne

If you’ve already encountered the precocious Flavia de Luce, eleven year old chemist and sleuth, then it’s quite possible that just knowing there’s a new adventure has sent you to the shelves in search of this book. If you haven’t encountered Flavia before, then you’re in for a treat indeed.

As the book opens, Flavia is attending the village fete and having her fortune told by an old gypsy. When some of the predictions hit very close to home, Flavia panics and bolts the tent. Unfortunately, in so doing she turns over a candle and sets the whole tent aflame. Flavia does the only thing she can do in such a circumstance: she pretends she had nothing to do with the whole incident.

Anyone who had two sisters as positively beastly as Feely and Daffy would be tempted to do the same thing. They would never let Flavia hear the end of it if they have any idea she’s responsible. Besides, they would tell Father who might forbid Flavia from going to her beloved lab and conducting experiments. Better not to risk it.

Still, Flavia does feel rather badly about the whole episode, especially since the poor old gypsy doesn’t seem to have very much in the way of worldly goods. She offers the gypsy a place to park her wagon in near the family home as a way of apology. This good deed doesn’t go unpunished: when Flavia goes to visit her, she finds the old woman has been bludgeoned nearly to death.

Needless to say, Flavia is on the case at once and soon finds herself embroiled in a morass of motives from a stolen baby to copied antiques.

I’ve found all of Flavia’s adventures to be utterly delightful. The writing is sharp and peppered with entertaining references, the characters are enjoyable and the mystery is a true puzzle. Don’t be put off by the idea of a child sleuth: Flavia is an unforgettable heroine. If you like to read in order, I’ll list all the titles below but you don’t need to have read the others to enjoy this one.

1. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard

If you’re already a Flavia fan, you’ll enjoy this adventure. The good news is that the fourth Flavia book is scheduled for November 2011. The title is I Am Half Sick of Shadows. At one point, Bradley indicated there would be only five Flavia books. Here’s hoping he’ll reconsider!