The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pieby Alan Bradley
Delacorte, 2009. 373 pgs. Mystery.
Flavia de Luce is the sort of little girl who could be profoundly annoying in real life, but in Alan Bradley's delightful new mystery she is a total charmer. Besotted with chemistry with a particular interest in poisons, she has her own lab at her home, Buckshaw Manor and would no doubt be happy as a clam were it not for her older sisters with whom she carries on endless exchanges of malicious practical jokes. Trouble arrives in the form of a dead jack snipe with a stamp stuck on his beak. When Flavia's father is apprised, he pales, trembles, and retreats to his room where Flavia later hears (and sees through the keyhole) him in an angry discussion with a red-headed stranger. Early the next morning, Flavia arrives in the garden just in time to watch the stranger take his last breath. Wasting no time, she hops astride her trusty bicycle Gladys and rides off to solve the case, redoubling her efforts when her father is arrested for the murder. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a fabulous, British village mystery, filled with memorable characters: Dogger, the deeply traumatized World War II vet; Mrs. Mullet, whose custard pies are deadly even without poison; and Flavia herself whose brilliant mind is bottled up in the most precocious of little bodies. Best news of all--the next book in the series is in the works.
LW
1 comment:
It's the summer of 1950, and Flavia de Luce lives with her two sisters and father in the English countryside. When Flavia encounters a man lying in the garden only long enough to hear his dying words, she can't help but remember the argument she observed him having with her father the night before. As an aspiring chemist, Flavia is a curious and resourceful 11-year-old, and she can't help but immediately set off to find answers.
Flavia is a great character whose enthusiasm and adventurous spirit are infectious. Happily, there are quite a few books in this series now, allowing any admiring readers to really sink their teeth in to Flavia's world. The audiobook is also narrated by my favorite reader, Jayne Entwistle, who brings Flavia's inquisitive, youthful, and somewhat mischievous nature to life.
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