Georgia gardener

Faulty premise hard to overlook

Revisado: 11-16-21

I’m always keen for an update on Bess Crawford and this novel was particularly well researched. I enjoyed learning more about the Easter Rising and “The Troubles” and I think an effort was made at balancing political perspectives. Ultimately, however, the English characters come across as moral and sensible whereas the Irish characters come across as willful and selfish. I understand why the chips fell that way with the given characters, but it felt like a pity to play into those outdated stereotypes, especially when they clearly had researched the historical nuances. This is the only Bess Crawford novel where I’ve had trouble believing the danger she faced, and I think that’s because the premise on which the plot hinges is extremely flimsy. There’s just no adequate rationale for choosing that level of danger. I don’t want to give spoilers so I’ll say that both the character who insisted the event take place in a certain location and Bess’s insistence on staying there are just ludicrous self-absorbed decisions without adequate justification. Bess is way smarter than that and Eileen at least had people around her who could have advised against such catastrophic risk. No one would endanger their friends like that. Hard to look past, but once you do, the novel is engaging. Landor is at her most intense with somewhat less material to work with than she has had previously and it is well performed.

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Actor much improved

Revisado: 07-02-21

My first impression is that Langton’s American accents, which were so ridiculous in the previous volume as to be distracting, are much improved in this one. They are not true to the era of American accents but are at least regionally identifiable. His study has paid off, though the American pronunciation of a Thames Street in Newport has been overlooked.

The story is complex and is the only one in this series that I have not guessed. As in the other volumes, Finch does a good job of weaving in interesting historical facts—in this book perhaps more subtly than in others. While I particularly enjoyed some of the feminist themes in this book (and that have been emerging over the past several books) the female characters continue to be a bit one-note and dominated by physical description, even when the set up is so masterfully crafted as to give me great hope of their potential, they’re always pale and pointless in contrast to the vibrant and interesting male characters. It’s hard to be as emotionally invested in Jane as one is in Edmund or Graham, or even the Irish valet, for example.

There is notably less humour in this book than in others in the series, but I think that must be attributable to the focus on the cultural differences between an Englishman and an American. As a result, I found myself less emotionally involved in the outcome, which is interesting in itself. The humour must endear me to characters in the previous novels in this series.

One of the aspects of Finch’s writing that I particularly enjoy is that he doesn’t wrap it all up on the reveal but instead takes a few chapters to contextualize the events. In this particular novel that is handled less deftly and both the beginning and the end feel a bit disjointed for the flashbacks and expository visits, but my loyalty to the series is not daunted just feels like maybe he didnt take as much time to stitch it together or had a lesser editorial team on this one.

Newport geography was a bit off, from the standpoint of where hills and sea are and what views one would have seen in this era, given the level of construction and maturity of the fine gardens, but that’s not particularly relevant to the plot. I look forward to returning to London or wherever the next adventures of Charles Lennox may lead.

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One of her best

Revisado: 09-06-20

This Gamache mystery is well plotted and Penny has done a terrific job of balancing the setting of Paris with a homesickness for Three Pines. The book feels more carefully written, or maybe better edited than some of the others in the series. I knew where the “missing evidence” was immediately but the book is so well structured that it never mattered—the tension is more about who knows what and who is on which side of the moral divide. While the end is a little heavy handed, seeming to exploit the emotions of the reader rather unfairly, it’s forgivable. There is a bit of a gap in resolution with one of the characters who never has to face a final confrontation with Gamache and I found that dissatisfying, along with the stress that I as a reader took on about the hotel bill (silly, I know but I worried about that all the way through—throw us a bone and say he took care of it!), but overall, this is one of her best novels. The performance suffers from Bathurst’s inability to manage the Canadian Anglo accent. As a result, Daniel is rendered nasal and insufferable. I suspect I would not have dismissed Daniel as so irritating had I read the book rather than listened to it. To other listeners, I’d say it helps to bear that in mind. Otherwise you lose a lot of the necessary tension there because it’s hard to muster sympathy for such a whiner. However, Bathurst is clearly a terrific actor and a clear reader and the French, German and Québécois characters sound realistic and he subtly denotes age in his voices as well—it’s a tiny detail, but he nailed the attitude of the perfumerie salesclerk and that was brilliant reading that reflects PennyMs dry humor. Highly recommend, but don’t listen to the last few chapters when sleepy-lots of twists and turns and backtracking.

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Unfulfilled potential

Revisado: 07-11-20

Having read the preceding Ian Rutledge novels I was really looking forward to this extended flashback. While enjoyable, it definitely misses the mark in several ways. Most significantly, Jean is simply irredeemable. I had most looked forward to gaining some insight into that relationship which plays so heavily into his later life choices. Not only is she shallow, apparently emotionally fragile, and not even intelligent enough to carry on a conversation with Rutledge, but there’s an extraneous character of her cousin Kate who appears to serve no other purpose in the narrative than as a foil to Jean and clearly a much more suitable partner for Rutledge. There’s no compelling explanation as to why he would even give a person like Jean the time of day with such a warm and friendly circle of interesting friends. I was sorry his sister didn’t feature more instead. She’s smart and kind and interesting. Another shortfall is in the new format of the mystery. As with the last novel in the series, the reader is treated to a prologue with clues about the killer. While this format can be employed successfully, the authors haven’t yet got the hang of it here, resulting in a great deal of repetitive exposition at the point where the final chase ensues. Rutledge is too intelligent a detective to waste on this sort of narrative trick to try to flatter the reader; I’d much prefer to work it out alongside him. Finally, I think they missed an opportunity to give some more background on Hamish. He features gratuitously and I was hoping to learn more about whether his personality is what becomes imbedded in Rutledge’s psyche or is it truly Rutledge’s insecurities and negative self talk in Hamish’s voice. If he had appeared here kind, supportive, and carefree, it would be the latter, or if Hamish had been shown demonstrating concern over the losses of war there could have been useful foreshadowing. Instead it’s a literal picnic, providing no particular insight. It was, however, a joy to engage with Melinda Crawford and fun to see both Bess Crawford and Simon Brandon mentioned in this series. Ross became a more real character as well; though he barely features, it serves to underscore Rutledge’s loss of him by taking him for granted. I liked the plot (also structured this way in the last novel) where you know who’s done it but can neither prove it not catch the culprit. It plays well to the dynamic between Rutledge and Bowles. Cummins gets a proper airing as Rutledge’s mentor, but again, as other reviewers note, Bowles is so awful as to be rendered a completely flat character. His anger has, by this point, become rather boring if the only thing behind it is his own insecurity and jealousy of Rutledge’s status. As a recurring character, they ought to invest in a little bit of nuance there.

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Compelling double mystery

Revisado: 05-29-20

I enjoyed the plotting in this Ian Rutledge story very much as well as dipping into Ian’s relationship with his godfather, which makes a nice foil for his war trauma. Despite the religious tone more fitting the American south than the Scottish Borders, the compulsion of a village to go with the flow of gossip rather than stand up for what is right is again used as a pervasive theme. I couldn’t help but wish this was explored with a bit more nuance. So, too, the feminist theme introducing a lawyer who doesn’t listen to women and a priest who projects his own issues with sexuality onto single women could have been more thoroughly fleshed out. Everyone insisting that nasty letters were clearly a woman’s crime got a bit tedious after a while. That being said, the cast of characters is interesting and the links in their backstories are plausible. I wish there had been one more chapter to savor the resolution, as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I hope the next novel will pick up where this one left off. There were a few holes in the authors’ geographic research in that one doesn’t simply nip down to Winchester from the Borders overnight, particularly in that era (arduous journey!) and I’m pretty sure hay is not a viable crop in Glencoe, nor are sheep traffic jams likely in that stretch of the glen that is so open and gorgeously barren. I also laughed at the notion of it being hot climbing up the side of the mountain (remotely possible perhaps, but unlikely, particularly in the context of severely cold and rainy weeks). But these errors don’t mar the story telling and as ever the visual descriptions are vivid and lush. Gilles’ performance is solid, though I know other reviewers dislike his reading style. My one complaint there is given Rutledge’s sister’s social status and that he went to a boarding school, and given the class tension with Boyles, I would have thought Rutledge’s accent would be a bit more posh? It doesn’t really matter to me as a reader but it doesn’t align with the class tension with his boss nor with the fact Rutledge is so often the one sent to sooth rich people.

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Doesn’t fulfill potential

Revisado: 05-26-20

This Dorset installment of Ian Rutledge has a lot going for it, but ultimately doesn’t quite live up to it’s potential. The subplot of exploring mental health in the context of the Great War is a rich one, but I think aside from Hamish they manage it better in the Bess Crawford books. The conclusion of this mystery was more sad than riveting and the female characters were generally irritating. With a little bit more attention to detail some one note characters such as the local inspector or Elizabeth could have been better flushed out. As it is, you just loathe them rather than finding yourself fascinated by the social dynamic as you usually do in Charles Todd books. Gilles is at his best here. I don’t agree that his old fashioned sound is bad. It may be an active choice to suit the era of the story. He suits these regional accents with more subtlety than most readers.

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Compelling mystery, problematic flaws

Revisado: 05-21-20

I wanted to love this one. It’s a great development of Rutledge’s character and he is well constructed as a protagonist. The story is interesting and the geographical and emotional landscapes are masterfully constructed. While I agree with others who complained that Gilles’s narration sounds a bit old fashioned (and his renderings of female voices are a bit shrill and hysterical) he does do an excellent job of gently nuancing the regional accents. It’s unfair to contrast anyone with the genius of Simon Prebble (or Richard Armitage) when it comes to voice acting. Where the story fails is in the huge cast of characters and the crises at the end. Despite rather a lot of dull explication at the beginning, it’s hard to wrap one’s mind around the complex genealogy that is essential to the plot: one woman, three husbands, six children. As for the ending denouement, it’s completely unplausible that Rutledge would put himself in that position, especially as things had been falling into place and the reader is pretty sure s/he knows who the baddie is. It felt like a quick and dirty end to an otherwise carefully crafted novel. What should have been thrilling falls flat because of this. I’d still recommend it, but write down the character’s names and relationships for reference.

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Return to form!

Revisado: 05-13-20

This is an excellent Bess Crawford installment. It had all of the interesting personal dilemma that I had longed for in the previous novel of Bess weighing her post-war options. The Simon strain of plot was also well done and rather humorous! The mystery itself is secondary to the exploration of mental illness and injury, which is true to form for the more battle ridden books in this serious. I totally enjoyed it, despite some minor hiccups in character development. Lawrence veers too far on the side of insufferable to be a sympathetic character and while that’s probably realistic, it leaves holes in the story where Bess’s motivation to protect and restore him seems far fetched. Marina is so downtrodden as to be tragic or pathetic rather than compassionate or interesting; much more could have been made of that role. It also felt odd that matron would be unaware of the lengths Bess had gone to and unappreciative, especially as she knows Bess’s father. Overall, this is a return to form and one of the best in the series. It’s consistently funny, well paced, and well researched. Landor is a better performer in this installment as well. She doesn’t master a New Mexico accent (strange 1940s pseudo-American cinematic accent on display here) but Jackson isn’t nearly as annoying as her portrayal of Berkeley; in fact, he’s charming. I was glad to see a sensible and intelligent French person finally portrayed in the doctor’s wife and relieved to avoid the Javert-esque snooty and dismissive French police characters in favor of more varied representations here. I’m now caught up and impatiently await the next installment in Bess Crawford’s adventures.

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Good mystery but unlikeable characters

Revisado: 05-11-20

This one ranks down there with the third novel in this Bess Crawford series. The actual premise of the mystery is interesting but the plodding storyline and unlikeable characters let it down. Bess is at her gullible worst and the ‘friends’ for whom she sacrificed so much are unpleasant and frequently lie to her by omission. The townsfolk are right up there with Gaston’s mob from Beauty and the Beast and even the villains who are supposed to have complex backstories fall flat because they have no value system. The rector was one character I felt had a lot of potential from his position in the village but the writers wasted that opportunity and loads of pages on that insipid character who comes to nothing. The risk isn’t compelling because there is no respect for human life in the first place. As other reviewers have said, the characters are shrill, selfish, and hard hearted. Even Bess seems a bit whingey. I still want to see what becomes of Bess and Simon but the series is currently in a downward spiral, which is particularly unfortunate given the ripe content of the end of the war and all the psychological subplots the writing team usually explores. Landor is not at her best either, conflating accents and giving Bess a welsh lilt at times and missing verbal queues at other times (angry tone, then the next line immediately says, ‘his tone was one of curiousity’) This novel felt tired; like they had to churn one more out. I hope there’s more time and energy invested in the next one!

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Not one of the best Bess Crawfords

Revisado: 05-08-20

I think this novel might be a victim of the pace with which the Charles Todd team has to keep rolling novels out. The premise is solid and the potential is here, but as others have complained, it’s overwritten. That is not to say tedious, but we’ve come to expect a lot from Bess! The whodunit is fairly transparent, which left me expecting more twists and turns than are present here, though the danger at the last did surprise me and there are a sufficient number of viable suspects. However, that also revealed another flaw: it’s getting impossible to believe Bess is ‘taken up in Simon’s arms’ for comfort yet again and feels nothing. Similarly, there’s a deep problem with plausibility that Bess doesn’t go home. There’s just not enough in the plot compelling her to stay to sort out the mystery, and as with one of the previous stories, it’s not believable that she would offend her mother so-particularly in light of the armistice. I realize this is necessary to keep the story rolling, but the subplot of Bess not being sure about her feelings about her postwar life offered a perfect explanation, rich to be mined, and yet the authors side step her psychology in favor of petty action. I also agree with the reviewer who said Landor isn’t doing justice to the character development. There were no Americans in this one for me to complain about her lack of skill there... but the men do not have enough variance in their voices to help keep them straight. Even Bess’s father in this rendition has lost his air of authority and sort of blends with the major and with Simon. Still looking forward to the next installment but I hope they’ll be able to take a bit more time with the production of it (or get a better editor to flag some of these issues). I’m very invested to see what becomes of Bess now that the battles are over.

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