Finished January 12
I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley, read by Jayne Entwistle
I am hooked on this series and the lovely, unexpected Flavia de Luce. The series started with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, continued with The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, followed by A Red Herring without Mustard. So that makes this the fourth book. Flavia is 11 (still) and has had a busy year. Here it is just before Christmas and her father has rented most of the house out to a film crew to get money to allow the family to stay in their home. The vicar gets the idea to call on the female lead to do an evening entertainment to raise money for the roofing fund for the church and thus the house is further invaded by villagers (in a good way). But like all good country house mysteries, snow arrives in earnest and traps everyone at the house.
The intrigue starts early and Flavia is heavily involved as usual. She manages to insinuate herself into every situation, all the while continuing her own plans for a chemically inspired Christmas that only she could think of. Great fun, with just the right dose of seriousness.
I got Sweetness from my son for Christmas, but have yet to start it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI really love the narrator for the audiobooks. I think she has the perfect Flavia voice.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of these yet and really didn't know anything about them. The idea of an 11 year old narrator doesn't appeal to m, but maybe I could be won over.
ReplyDeleteYou are on a roll with your European Reading Challenge reviews!
I have done them all as audiobooks and find the reader a great fit. She captures the voice of the unusual young girl very well.
ReplyDelete