“I am half sick of shadows,” said
The Lady of Shalott.~Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott
Alan Bradley’s fourth book in the Flavia de Luce series takes place during the heart of the yuletide season, with the dilapidated manse of Buckshaw acting as movie set for a cinema cast and crew while the de Luce family is expected to stay out from underfoot. While this directive may be quite simple for Captain de Luce and his two eldest daughters, 11 year old Flavia de Luce is too curious an observer of the human condition to do anything but insinuate herself into the very inner workings of the happenings at Buckshaw.
For those who may be unfamiliar with Bradley’s works, this series of cozy mysteries set in England in 1950 features the eleven year old science-obsessed…or more accurately poison-obsessed…Flavia de Luce. With boundless curiosity, a sharp mind and the assistance of her faithful bicycle Gladys, young Flavia stumbles across mysterious deaths with the frequency of her literary predecessors Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. If you can get past the idea that folks are dropping dead at a very unhealthy, pardon the pun, rate then you are sure to love this delightful young lady. In Bradley’s ongoing series the death du jour is rarely the main focus of the story. Instead we find a family broken by the possibly suspicious death of wife and mother, Harriet de Luce, and a dysfunction that may be very real or may be the result of a story told through the eyes of an eleven year old child. With each successive novel we learn more about the de Luce family and their complicated relationships and the overarching mystery of what happened to Harriet.
While I am Half-Sick of Shadows stays true to form in the larger sense of the series, the holiday theme gave Bradley an opportunity to take a bit of a breather from form and in the course of so doing the reader is given an engaging glimpse into the Christmas season in a country not yet recovered financially, psychologically or emotionally from the devastation of World War II. The result is pure satisfaction.
I bought this book when it was released in November of 2011 then did not get to it during the Christmas season. I determined that I was not going to let that be the case this time around, especially with Flavia’s new mystery due out in February. In order to fit it in I checked out the audio version read by Jayne Entwistle. Miss Entwistle is a delight. She made the story come to life in such an imaginative way and she voices Flavia with exactly the personality you would expect her to have as Alan Bradley has penned her.
In I am Half-Sick of Shadows the focus of the majority of the novel is Flavia herself and her attention that is divided between the film cast and crew, most particularly the star actress Phyllis Wyvern, and her plans to put her knowledge of science and chemistry to work to capture St. Nicholas on the night before Christmas. If you are familiar with cozy mysteries at all then you know a dead body or more will show up eventually. Often this happens quite early in the story but in I am Half-Sick of Shadows Bradley spends a good portion of the novel allowing the reader to experience Christmas, albeit an unconventional one, at Buckshaw. For this reader Buckshaw has always been an important character in the novels and having done some reading (fiction and nonfiction) about the decline of England’s great houses, especially after WWII, there is a fascinating and melancholic thread running through the stories in relation to Buckshaw. In his own way I think Bradley is examining that history through the economic struggles of the de Luce family and I appreciate that aspect of these stories.
It takes a long time for Death to make his presence known in I am Half-Sick of Shadows and it would not surprise me if that incites some criticism from readers/reviewers. I enjoyed that very much. First it was effective because we get to know more about the character who eventually dies while said character is living and breathing as opposed to all the “facts” being revealed post-murder. Secondly, and most importantly, I don’t read these stories for the inevitable murder(s), I read them to learn more about Flavia and the rest of the de Luce family. In that aspect I am Half-Sick of Shadows does not disappoint. We don’t learn much new in regards to Flavia’s father or two older sisters, but we do get more insight into the character of Dogger and into Flavia’s Aunt Felicity and those insights add to the mystery and suspense of the de Luce family and increase my excitement for the next novel in the series.
Reading, or in my case listening, to the novel at Christmas time adds to the enjoyment. I am a big fan of the season and being able to embrace the season through Flavia’s eyes was a real treat. Between Flavia’s descriptions of her feelings about Christmas and the blizzard that hits Bishop’s Lacey I could practically hear the chestnuts roasting by the open fire. Bradley also takes several opportunities for Flavia to remind us of the bookish love of her middle sister and I have no doubt that fellow book lovers who have read this swoon, as I do, over Buckshaw’s library.
Over the course of four novels this series has been consistently special. It is all about the characters and Alan Bradley has created some memorable ones, characters who manage to be sentimental without being overly sweet. I’ll be tempted in future to avail myself of the audio versions. This one was great fun. I hesitate to declare unequivocally that if you liked the other three novels then you’ll enjoy this one as we know that is not always the case. I will state that my observation is that I am Half-Sick of Shadows offers more of the same interesting characterization that you’ve come to expect from Bradley’s books while offering an ever so slightly different story from the standpoint of pace and focus.
It was another hit for me and I hope for many more Flavia de Luce novels to come. 8/10 stars.
It sounds great. I am three books behind you in the series so it will be a while before I can read it. Maybe next Christmas.
Well whenever you do get to the others I suspect you’ll enjoy them Tracy.
I am now reading Book 2, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag. About a third into it and loving it. Glad to see that the author could maintain the charm in the 2nd book.
I noticed the comments on whether this is a YA book or not. Way back when I was a teen or even a preteen, there were very few “YA” books and I read mostly adult fiction (classics and Perry Mason books and Rex Stout mysteries). I can definitely see this bridging the generations.
I certainly think the publishers meant it to be adult first but still appropriate for YA given that they aren’t shelved in in YA. They are great for bridging the gap though. I’m glad you are enjoying book 2, it seems to be the one that gets the most complaints. I liked it very much and thought book 3 was even better.
great observation about how Bradley takes a nice breather here, using the opportunity for an amusing holiday mystery and allowing us to get more from some of the cast we’d yet to learn much about–which works (having read ahead) in the coming book. he makes the historical aspects fun, not just putting them to good use.
Yes, you are in the know about the next book, lucky you!!!
I am glad that we got to see a different side of Aunt Felicity, for example, and I enjoyed the moments with Mrs. Mullet and her husband, especially the way the narrator voiced them. And it is always a pleasure to spend time with Flavia.
I’ve still only read the first book in this series but I absolutely LOVED that one!! Really need to read the rest of them. Especially if there’s a new one coming out!! Didn’t know that!! This one sounds so so good and I’ve been wanting to get to it because I love cozy mysteries set with the holidays as a background be it Christmas or Halloween…they’re some of my favorite books 🙂
Yes, I knew there was no way I could let another Christmas get by without me reading this. So glad I went with the audio as it didn’t interrupt my other current reading and it was such a pleasure to listen to on my driving to and from work. Audio might be a great chance to catch up if you have a commute.
I’ve read the first two books in the series this year (or rather, I listened to the audio versions – highly recommended, by the way) while on holiday. And I feel the same as you. Flavia’s voice captures me and her unsentimental ways make me chuckle every time.
Not being a great reader of crime fiction and murder mysteries, I think these are the perfect gateway into the genre. Or maybe I just can’t get enough of Flavia.
You totally made me want to catch up on the series so I can read this one in time for Christmas. 🙂
No, I think you are probably right. They are light enough to be entertaining…nothing grisly or unsettling in these novels…and Flavia is such a delight. As you get into the series there are some real poignant moments of pain that give the family some depth and make you want to keep reading in the hopes that one day the bigger mystery will be solved and healing will come to these relationships.
I’ve read them all so far and hope to get the new one when it’s released! I still can’t forget that she named her bike ! I did this also when I was quite the young person lol… glad you are still enjoying this series (I am too)
so far my absolute favorite ya series is Michael Scott’s Nicholas Flamel series.. lots of historical figures and Mythological names in his series.
Yes. Her bike just makes a cameo in this one as you probably remember but I smiled when she got her moment. It is interesting that these books are considered YA, at least in the sense that the publishers have them placed in the regular mystery section and not the YA section of the store. Or at least that has been my experience at BN and at the formerly open Borders. And yet they would rest happily there and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to young people.
I liked this one specifically BECAUSE it strayed from the formula so much. There was never really any doubt about the mystery, you know? It was very straightforward, less a book structured to let the reader guess, and more to let you learn about the family and town. I enjoyed that.
Yes, that is exactly it Amanda! You’re hired!!! The pay sucks though, so don’t make any big purchases. 🙂
The more I think about it the more I feel like I connected with this one. I’m sure reading it now, when it is seasonal, helped with that but also I enjoyed the fact that I wasn’t spending as much time guessing.
SPOILER:
I think a lot of the change stemmed from the fact that while Flavia was indeed curious and did some investigating, she had other things on her mind that were occupying her attention and so she wasn’t in super-sleuth mode the whole time. I liked that.
I want to read this series, but somehow the library never has the first one on-shelf when I go to look for it! one day 🙂
I can believe it as enjoyable as these books are. I do hope you can track it down one day. The first remains my favorite, simply because it was first.
Oh Carl are you introducing me to another wonderful series. I’ll never catch up on my reading if you keep this up. But, keep it up–I love a good challenge
The Flavia de Luce books are a delight, there is no other way to put it. Probably even more fun to read while you are living over there in England.
Ooh more Flavia! I don’t mind that this one is a bit different, just the Flavia character is wonderful enough to make me want to read more of this series!
You will certainly enjoy it, there are some great family moments in this one.
So glad to hear you enjoyed this one too! I do love Flavia, and Christmas settings are always a favourite for me. I enjoyed this one last year and am anxiously awaiting the latest one as well 🙂
Me too, and I’m thinking I may have to listen to the next one as I am really taken with the narrator’s production. Which is saying something because I had heard my daughter listening to a previous Flavia novel and didn’t think that I liked her. But I was won over.
I love the Flavia de Luce books and I read this one last year. I thought it was a really great addition to the series. I love learning more about the supporting cast of characters and this one was perfect for that.
Had a HUGE smile on my face when this was all done. Such a pleasure. And the great thing about waiting this long is my wait for the next Flavia book is now much shorter!
I can’t wait to read this! I love Flavia…
She is easy to love!
I read SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE a couple years ago and liked it. Your fine review reminded me I should read the rest of the Flavia de Luce series…soon!
I think they get better in that you learn a little more about the family with each story plus they maintain the same things you like about the first one.
I am glad to hear that this is a worthy read. I listened to the first 2 and really should pick up the series again. The first 2 were so much fun – I definitely want to by Flavia with her ‘chemistry’ set.
It would be fun to hang out in Flavia’s lab. Though I wouldn’t want to drink anything!
Mostly because you your reviews, I picked up The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie a month or two back, I really need to get around to reading it!
Oh yes, please do! Its a wonderful book…or at least I hope you will find it wonderful, as I did.
Carl,
Great review! I don’t know what I’ll even say when I sit down to write mine. I agree that this one was a bit different from the other titles in the series, and was nice to see a slight change to the formula. However, I felt like the conclusion was a bit rushed and the crime too hastily put together. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, because I definitely did. I fell in love with Flavia and Buckshaw and everyone that resides there when I read the first and will be so terribly sad when the series finally comes to an end. Eventually Flavia will have to grow up? It would be really interesting to see a novel written from her perspective as a young woman. She’s such a fascinating creation and so funny! Bradley certainly knows how to create a likable cast that makes it impossible to ignore the next book in the series. Glad to see you loved this one and got to enjoy it during the Christmas season.
I’ll also note that I found the little tidbits that Flavia added about different traditions and facts about Saint Nick that are probably lesser known today very interesting. I like to see how the holiday evolves.
I too liked all those holiday elements. It was fun to see the holiday from an earlier period of time.
I understand what you mean, the murder mystery was very much understated in this one and there weren’t a great deal of clues, red herrings, etc. like one would expect. I assume this was a conscious choice in order to focus the story more on the holiday. I guess we’ll see here in a few weeks when the next one comes out if it goes back to a more detailed mystery or not.
The conclusion was a bit rushed, which would have bothered me more had not the focus been more on the holiday and the family.
It’s been a little while since I read this, but I remember really, really liking it, almost as much as the first Flavia book. And the next one is coming out soon! I am going to get very impatient once February hits. I wonder if I have to let our patrons check out our copy first, or if I can snag it the moment it arrives at the library??
To be a truly effective librarian I think you need to test drive the book first, that way you can give patrons and honest recommendation. 🙂
I heartily agree! I will tell my branch manager 🙂