The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I finished this about a week and a half ago, but this is my first opportunity to write a review.  I have steadily become very enamored with mysteries over the past few years, and I love when the sleuth is atypical. In this case, it's a ten-year-old girl with an obsession for chemistry, poisons in particular.  This book stands out because of Flavia's very unique point of view.

I am a big nerd. I won't even lie. I love trivia and I love science facts. While my interest is more biological science and medicine, I admit to a love of chemistry.  I connected to her in this way.    This young woman has set up her own chemistry laboratory and regularly does experiments with compounds based on her readings from her deceased relative Tarquin de Luce, whose laboratory she appropriated in her family's home.  Flavia has a sense of loneliness being the youngest daughter of three and so different from her older two sisters (and the fact that they are caught up in their own interests) and a father who is emotionally unavailable due to the loss of his wife and his war experiences.  Like many children who grow up surrounded by neglectful adults, Flavia is rather precocious and mischievous.  When a man is murdered in her garden, she takes it upon herself to solve the murder, especially when her father is accused of the crime. And she does an excellent job.

I liked Flavia's investigative process. She uses the tools in her arsenal and gets fairly hands on solving the crime. She displays a fearlessness that might put an older investigator to shame.  Flavia is observant and has an inquisitive and analytical mind that allows her to process the information she receives as she discovers clues about the man who was murdered and how it connects to her family and others in her small community.  And it makes that the world is a lot smaller than one would think.

At times, Flavia does come off as a bit bratty. But it's to be expected, considering that she is more or less ignored by her family.  I like that this book shows how family work.  Even good families have some degree of dysfunction, but in the end, the love of family members usually comes out.  I appreciated her relationship with her father's retainer, Dogger, a troubled man suffering from PTSD from being a prisoner of war, but very kindhearted and loyal.   Flavia's viewpoint touches on very adult issues in a hopeful, often humorous and essentially truthful way that I really appreciated.

I liked the backstory about her dad and how it relates to the mystery. It was sad and kind of disturbing at the same time.  You can see that the person behind the murder truly has no moral limits to what he'll do, and when Flavia ends up in his path, I truly feared for her safety.

This book is as much a coming of age story as a mystery. I love them, seeing life through the eyes of a child or teenager, as they learn that life is a lot more complicated that they previously thought, and how this narrative shows the resilience and inner strength and intuitive intelligence of young people. 

Flavia is a fun lead character. I'll definitely continue this series and see what mysteries of life and chemistry she'll encounter and solve next.



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Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James

Silence For the Dead by Simone St. James

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


After reading Ms. St. James first book, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, I made a note to keep reading her books. I was that impressed. I am quite fond of the early 20th Century period in a fictional setting, and this seems to be a particular area of interest for her as well.  With this book, she focused on the troubled homefront of Post-WWI England, when veterans are coming back from the war damaged, both in body and in mind. Kitty Weekes is desperate for a job, desperate enough to take a job at Portis House, an isolated mental health facility for veterans. She lies about being a nurse, and she's caught in her lie, but the Matron allows her to keep the job anyway, as she's that desperate for another 'nurse'.  Kitty soon realizes just how wrong things are at Portis House, but it's not like she has anywhere else to go.

"Silence for the Dead" is Gothic fiction, and the author does choose a fearsome setting in a haunted mental hospital.  Unfortunately, this book lacked the degree of authentic and effective atmosphere that this story cried out for.  I expected to be really unsettled by this story, considering its setting in an asylum with a troubled history as a family home whose family disappeared under decidedly strange circumstances.  It seems to suggest some very powerful emotions of fear of isolation, abandonment and entrapment.  However, I felt that things just didn't come together very well.  I thought that some unsettling events that occur in the house would be explained or tie more strongly into the story and origin of the haunting, but they weren't in a satisfactory way.  Don't get me wrong. There were some parts that were quite eerie. However, I think that this story could have been a lot more frightening than it was, considering the subject matter.

One of the things I liked most about this novel was the authentic characters, most of whom are veterans who suffer from profound mental illness as a result of the horrors of the war.  It was quite sad how they were viewed by the public and their families as a whole. As cowards in that they were emotionally and mentally affected by the events occurring on the Front. Only a veteran can truly attest to the statement "War is Hell," and one would think that their loved ones would respect that they had survived and came home, even if they were tormented by their experiences.  It was a slap in the face at how some of this men were treated, as if their surviving the war was an affront, as opposed to dying as "heroes".  This aspect of the book spoke strongly to me, and gave me a lot to think about, as we still deal with veterans and how their lives are profoundly impacted by their war experiences. It's a good reminder to me to show sensitivity and to pray for their healing and restoration from their wounds.

This story has a strong romantic element that I did appreciate, although it did seem kind of crammed into the story around the Gothic and paranormal suspense elements.  I really liked Jack and Kitty both. They were strong characters who had both suffered and understood what rejection and isolation was. In Kitty's case, she was very wise beyond her young years, and carried her own set of battle scars.  She actually keeps my interest the most and remains a rootable character throughout this novel. I do have to say that the veterans did grow on me and I hoped for their well-being over the course of the novel.

I wish I liked this book more than I did, quite simply.  For me, it failed to attain the potential the setting and story seems to promise.  However, it was a good book, and I certainly did appreciate Kitty and Jack, and the setting and time period.  For what it's worth, I think this would make a good movie.

Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.



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The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book. It was delightful, from beginning to end.  I was searching for how to classify it, and in the afterward, Ms. Berry mentioned the term, British Farce. And that's what this is.  I am all for Girl Power, and this book is very much about girl power and the bond between girls/women.  Not only is this a sisterhood bonding story, it's also a bit like Oceans Eleven, one of those caper-type stories where you have a disparate group of individuals who are thrown together under a common bond.  I'd call these girls the Scandalous Seven.  You have Dear Roberta, Dull Martha, Pocked Louise, Dour Elinor, Stout Alice, Disgraceful Mary Jane and their de facto leader, Smooth Kitty.  Each girl brings a different characteristic to the book, and I loved each and every one of them. I just wanted to give them all a hug (even Elinor, whose obsession was death was a little bit disturbing at times).

Such a dark subject, a double murder at a quiet ladies school. However, Berry handles it with a deft touch. Instead of spending too much time dwelling on the horror of the girls' predicament, the reader is focused on how these girls react to it and take measures to prevent their sisterhood from ending prematurely.  I like the way they work together, and despite the typical occasional squabbles among young women, they look out for each other and validate each other.

I loved the humor. It was mostly subtle, but sometimes laugh out loud. It reminds me very much of British comedy with some British mystery thrown in. 

There is a nice dose of romance, because, well they are young women, and romance is often a factor. However, the youngest, Pocked Louise, could give a fig for boys. She's our resident sleuth, and a very smart sleuth she is and she thinks boys are foul.  The other ladies, all seem to find guys who prick their fancy. Even Smooth Kitty, who thinks she's got everything all figured out. It thought it was so funny how big a flirt Disgraceful Mary Jane was, and a very unrepentant one at that!

I have been quite stingy with five star ratings lately, but I can't talk myself out of giving one for this book. I am very thankful to Olga Godim for bringing "The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place" to my attention. It was scandalously good!



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The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Gods of Gotham was an impulse audio read from my trusty library, and it was definitely worth the read.  The narrator really took this book where it needed to go.  His voices were subtly different for each character.  He endows Timothy with the integral mix of hardened cynic and stubborn idealist which defines his persona. For Valentine, Timothy's jaded older brother, his tone is more sardonic and poised, what I would expect of a borderline shady rakish fellow such as Valentine.  The narrator also does the voices of women well. He doesn't fall into the trap of endowing all women with a high falsetto, but instead their voices are higher than men and have the feminine softness expected of women, without each one sounding like a clone. Even the children's voices are well done.  I would give the narrator five stars alone, although I am not committed to giving this whole book that rating.

Readers who have watched the television series Copper or the movie Gangs of New York will find this world familiar.  Set in New York City in the mid-19th century when the influx of Irish into the country reached an epic high, the author doesn't hesitate to be real with the situation. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from historical documents of the time, including some horribly bigoted written statements against Catholics and particularly the poor Irish that came over in the wake of the Potato Famine in Ireland.  It paints a very vivid picture of the realities of this time with all the depths of the ugliness of human nature on display.

There were more than a few wince-worthy moments, from the rampant racism against Irish and blacks (among other marginalized groups, even Jews), and not to mention the horrible bigotry towards Catholics. All these are crucial to the story, although Faye focuses more on the Irish-phobia and the racism against other groups is a realistic backdrop.  One aspect that I found the most chilling was the casual acceptance of existence of child prostitution.  This was just one of the many extant social ills of the time, but the idea is so abhorrent that it did make this read a little more difficult for me.  I was grateful that Timothy in his own way takes a hard stance against this. 

Some readers might find the portrayal of women in this novel quite jaundiced. I can't really point fingers in that area, since most of the characters have their share of stains on their soul. Having said that, I really did not like Mercy Underhill. Although I realize that Timothy is deeply in love with her, I hope he gets over her, because she does not deserve him, and not because of her failings but the callous way she treated him.  I liked Mrs. Boehm and young Bird a lot.  Their characters help to give texture to the story and to further define Timothy's own characterizations. Despite his cynicism, his deep sense of justice is shown in how he interacts with their characters in particular, but also in other ways.

It's obvious I really liked Timothy and with good reason. He's a good everyman hero.  Imperfectly perfect as a lead for this book.  I liked that he has a keen detective mind, but his reasons for having it have to do with his background as a bartender and his own hard life in New York City. He's very down-to-earth, but honorable at the same time.  His conflicted relationship with his older brother is a very important aspect of this novel.  Readers who enjoy the theme of familial relations (often troubled) will appreciate their relationship.  There is a deep seed of bitterness between them that tarnishes many of their interactions, and I was glad the author took the time to delve into that, and the reasons turn out to be very crucial to the story. I rather liked Valentine, even though he has some very questionable morals and his behavior is quite debauched even at the best of times. Deep down I think he's a good man who truly loves his brother, despite his admittedly flawed moral compass.

Overall, Gods of Gotham is a gritty, atmospheric historical mystery/thriller that made for very good listening. From a stellar narrator in Steven Boyer, to well-crafted historical details, to characters that are far from one-dimensional, this has all the ingredients for a good read.  Although not a five star book, it's definitely a four star read with my thumbs up to it and recommendation to readers who enjoy historical mysteries and thrillers.  I will be picking up the sequel, Seven for a Secret very soon.



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The Cater Street Hangman

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


I stayed up until 5:30am listening to this audiobook, because it was due back at the library today.  I can't say that it was wasted time. It was a pretty good book and the narrator, Davina Porter does a satisfying job.  However, I didn't love this book.  I think the major issue I had was that I found most of the characters unlikable.

Charlotte did grow on me.  She had some notions and beliefs that weren't ideal (she tended to be very naive about things and was somewhat snobbish and judgmental towards others), but at heart, she was a decent person.  She matured a lot over the course of this book, and I liked how her feelings evolved for Thomas Pitt and how they changed from where they were initially.  My favorite character, Inspector Thomas Pitt, doesn't have a point of view. We only see him though the eyes of the Ellison family, including Dominic, who is married to the oldest daughter, Sarah.  It's a shame, because he's the only character I truly liked and respected without reservation.  I guess I can say that I didn't have anything against Carolyn, the mother, but she lacked depth to me.  She seemed to be a cipher for a 'good Victorian wife' and did not seem to know how to be true to herself.  I am not being judgmental.  I completely understand the pressures that were on her.

After all, this book focuses a sharp lens on the Victorian woman and the tremendous societal forces on her.  In some ways, this book is more of a social commentary than a suspense novel.  Yes the mystery is prominent, because someone is murdering young women (and the police are hunting for the killer) and this affects the lives of the Ellison family on a deeply personal level. But I feel that this series of murders is really more of a catalyst for the exploration of characters in this family and an examination of their individual roles in this microcosmic society of their family and the people they interact with in their periphery.

Anne Perry seems to know Victorian society.  While she does not info-dump facts about the time period, the narrative doesn't bypass any opportunities to give the reader insight on the time period.  I think that this was well-done.  Perry uses characters, situations and conversations to convey the social mores of the times.  It was pretty evident that Victorian women did not have it easy, whether they were upper class, titled society women or lower class women. It was just a question of whether they had the dubious security of marriage or the uncertain and likely demoralizing life of a single woman with few prospects as far as earning a living.   Through the eyes of Carolyn and Sarah, we learn what it's like to be married to a man who we must spend our lives with and take care of, be the perfect wives to, and hope that they take their marriage vows as seriously as we do. And if they do not, we don't really have the agency to leave him or hold him accountable for his failings as a husband.  Through Emily, we learn about the society girl's quest for an advantageous marriage to a man who clearly has shortcomings, but we have to make the most of the man and the opportunity.  Martha Prebble's character is the vicar's wife, and she has spent many years subjugated to an unfeeling moralist, which has done her great emotional and mental damage. Charlotte is the next oldest daughter who has always felt alienated from society and who has been in love with her sister's husband for several years, but is unable and unwilling to act upon those feelings.

As you can see, there is a built-in complexity to this novel, despite the subtle presentation.  It gave me something to think about, but as I said earlier, it was hard to get as invested as I wanted, since the characters were largely unsympathetic in their point of views. I don't know if that was a failing of the narrator in how she conveyed their POVs, or just the things they said and did.  The characters seemed to be in a state of arrested development, although I did see growth in Charlotte's character, and Sarah as well.  I especially disliked Dominic. I felt little sympathy for him, but then I have a huge issue with marital infidelity.  Not to mention his inherent sexism. He treated his wife and other women like they were intellectually inferior to him. He was also a self-absorbed snob.  Emily was a brat, and I didn't care for her manipulative nature.  Thomas, on the other hand, had a maturity, a depth of character, and a firm, steady personality that allowed him to navigate the stormy seas of both high society and the rookeries to get his man. His love and admiration for Charlotte made me like her more as a person. I felt that Thomas Pitt showed great insight into the other characters that helped Charlotte to get past her emotional involvement with her family and societal counterparts and at the same time to trust her instincts about human nature as well.

After much rambling, I have come to the point of concluding this review. This was a good book. It had some insights to offer this reader, but it lacked characters that I could feel for, with the exception of Thomas and Charlotte, and to a lesser degree, Carolyn and Sarah.  I felt terrible for those girls who were murdered, and I wish that more of the characters in this book were able to feel the wrongness and the waste of young life for reasons that were quite disturbing with the final reveal in this novel.  The whole structure of this novel points to the issues of Victorian society in which hypocrisy is a facade for dark decay and the deep dysfunction that was integral to its institution.

I'd give this book 3.5/5.0 stars.  Fortunately, my library has more of these on audio, so I will continue this series.



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