I love a good Murder mystery, and a Friend reccommended this one to me. I was a little sceptical at first, an 11 year old slueth? I thought there were two ways it could go..Either Flavia was going to be able to do whatever she wanted, easily beat full grown men in a wrestling match, and be brainy beyond beleif, or the mystery would be so easily solved, a two year old could do it with theur eyes closed. But, hey, I was willing to try it out. Unknown to me, there was a third option. Flavia, true, is very smart, and since her Mother is dead, and her Father is often distanced from his daughters (Flavia in particular, since she is so much like Harriet her Mother), she does have a wider range of freedom then a normal 11 year old might. And, its the English Country side in 1950, the world wasn't filled with child molesters, gangs, and Kidnappers. So naturally, there wasn't as much a problem with an 11 year old riding her bike to the town and back. But her age does stand in her way at times, And while Flavia is a very smart little girl, she does have her limits. I found it very fun, refreshing, and quirky.
:Publisher's Description:
It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia
de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series
of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp
bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the
cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”
:info to know:
Author: Alan Bradley
My recommended age: 12+
Their recommended age: NA
Publisher: Bantam
Number of Pages: 416
Characters: Flavia was great fun. Despite her precocious ness, you love her. And I loved getting the view of a little sister. I must try my hardest not to be an Ophelia. Flavia's Father, you couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. Burdened by his wife's death (Which he still grieves over, despite his tip and tuck Wot Wot British attitude) and then has the charge of murder dropped over his head. Dogger seems like a great pal, and he is a great mystery I hope we get to delve into more in the next 2 books in the series. For some reason, I knew the whole time who Pemberton was. I just attribute it to my extreme love of Mysteries. I've been given the ability to foresee things in the books. XD What would a man be doing wandering the Buckshaw grounds so soon after a murder anyway? It was suspicious to me.
Plot:
I enoyed it quite a bit! Mr. Bradley's Plot writing feel is a lot like Agatha Christie's (I'm not amazed he won the Agatha award on Sweetness) It is twisting, turning, and slow, but you never realize it is slow at all, because you are so enthralled with it.
Writing Style:
As said, his style is a lot like Agatha Christie's. Only, a bit more fun. Almost like it was meant for a YA group instead of Adult. But that doesn't make it cheaper, but more easier to keep up with and understand.
Cover:
Wot wot! Why is that bird's beak not through the Queen's head? Artist error, I'm afraid. But pretty intruging, none the less.
Ending: I liked this a lot. In the end, Flavia is the hero, while, at the same time, not being the only hero. It kept with her age, She is after all, only 11. But, we aren't cheated into seeing the Heroine lose. And, I like Ophelia's payback. XD
World Building: Surprisingly Mr. Bradley had never been to the English Country until after the book was printed, and he was on tour. Which, for the amount of description he gave, is remarkable.
Color: Tan.
Language: None.
Drugs and Drink: There wasn't any drinking, aside from the Colonel's wine table, which was only once. But Flavia is very interested in chemicals and poisens. And she didn't hesitate to 'poisen' her older sister, Ophelia.
Romance and sexual content: Ophelia is sweet on the town handyman-boy.
Violence:
It's a murder, but done very well. There isn't any blood, and the most horrid pictures are the things Flavia imagines. Little girls and their big imaginations, I say.
Ratings
I loved it. Point blank. It was engaging, and once finished, I decided I was going to hunt down the next two books in the series.
