Alan Bradley

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Patrick Book

An appropriately titled little confection!

Sarah Sammis

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley is another gem that was making the rounds of our local BookCrossing group. I'm glad I waited my turn to read it.

Flavia de Luce lives with her father and sisters in the once-grand Buckshaw mansion. She's obsessed by poisons and other unpleasantries. Her unusual hobbies come in handy when a man is found murdered in their garden. Her father is accused and Flavia takes it on her own to solve the mystery, knowing full well that her father couldn't have done it.

One of the only clues is an orange penny stamp stuck to the bill of a dead bird. It seems like such a strange detail but it's enough to send a message to anyone who knows how to decode it.

Flavia's research and investigation takes her to all sorts of interesting, old and sometimes crumbling locations, much like her own home. I loved the descriptions of these places especially the library with the barely standing shack which works as storage for the periodicals.

Flavia herself is of a similar personality to Theodosia Throckmorton. When describing the book to my husband (who loves to read over my shoulders), I said Flavia was like Theodosia's granddaughter.

Gwyn Dill

I listened to this book and the narrator was fantastic. I laughed out loud several times at the wittiness of the main character in this mystery. She's cheeky, smart & fun.

C. Alan Bradley

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is propelled into a mystery when a man is murdered on the grounds of her family's decaying English mansion and Flavia's father becomes the main suspect.

Colleen

3 Stars

This review contains minor spoilers.

I have mixed feelings about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. It is a book that I have been meaning to get around to for a few years now.

The first mixed message is whether this is YA or Adult. My library had it in the Adult section, and it looks like it was published by an Adult imprint. But the main character is only eleven. On the other hand, she is a genius and does not act or sound like an eleven-year-old. There were definitely inconsistencies in the tone of the story.

The story is a first person narration by Flavia de Luce and is a murder mystery set in England in 1950. Overall, it would probably fall into the category of Cozy Mystery. Flavia is the youngest daughter of an old English family. Her mother is dead and her father does not spend much time managing his daughters, so Flavia runs around doing whatever she wants. Which mostly consists of playing with poisons in her chemistry lab and trying to solve a murder. Her narration was not convincingly childlike. Certainly, her character is supposed to be super intelligent, but still. She never came alive for me, and she certainly was not "delightful" as the book blurb promised. No, Flavia was pompous and erudite. She was probably a psychopath but sadly not a very interesting one. She was manipulative, lacking in empathy and emotion (other than anger), and prone to extreme anger followed by drawn out, elaborate plans of revenge for the slightest perceived wrong. She was obsessed with poison and constantly considering the which poison she would use on each person and how she would administer the poison. She felt contrived rather than real or organic. I was closer to being bored than being dazzled. 

I love mysteries and historical fiction, so the combination of both should have been better. I appreciate the historical detail in this book but there is such a thing as too much. The constant name dropping in the first first half of the book was distracting and annoying. A character could not each a single bowl of cereal without it being a brand of cereal popular in 1950's England. It felt like every page had some sort of product placement which is annoying no matter what time period in which the story is set. Rather than bringing the time period to life, large sections felt like a Wikipedia article on 1905's products. Clashing with that was the tone of the writing and dialogue which felt close to 1920's or 1930's at times.

More annoying than Flavia herself or the constant brand name drops, was the way all of the adults in the book were written. Other than the Inspector, every single adult in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was ridiculous to the point of being farcical. They were complete ninnies! I have never read a book where so many different adults are continually going into hysterics, fainting, and just generally being useless. And it was not just one or two. No, as I mentioned, Inspector Hewitt was the only rational adult. The only other close one was Dogger whose breakdowns were the result of PTSD. The rest were so high-strung that it was nonsensical. For example:
"She gasped. Her face went red, then gray, as if it had caught fire before my eyes and collapsed in an avalanche of ashes. She pulled a lace handkerchief from her sleeve, knotted it, and jammed it into her mouth, and for a few moments, she sat there, rocking in her chair, gripping the lace between her teeth." And that was just because Flavia simply mentioned the name of a relative who had died decades before. Talk about over the top. Maybe it was supposed to be humorous, but the repeated hysterics by so many adults got old quickly. There were also some big info dumps about chemistry, poison, and stamps which are probably part of why this book was not marketed as YA.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie features a lot of classism and some racism. But it is not inserted as an obstacle to overcome. Rather it is placed matter-of-factly throughout the story in a "this is the way it is" kind of way particularly from the view of Flavia's old, privileged family. There was also a part where a teenage girl is sexually assaulted by a man (how far the assault went is left vague). The characters have no problem talking about it to an eleven-year-old that they barely know though -which seemed strange. 

The second half of the book was certainly better than the first although it featured the annoying gimmick where the character figures everything out but keeps the reader in the dark. The ending was also anticlimactic. It rushed through the exciting bit only to drag on with a long-winded followup. So it was not good enough to regain any stars. It was a decent read, but I am not sure whether or not I will continue on with the series. In the author Q&A at the end, Bradley stated that he did not intend to age Flavia much and did not want to write her as a teenager. So it sounds like one of those series that would get repetitive and stagnant because the characters can never grow or move on.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Sandi King

Mounir Bashour

Brilliant writing. 
When I first started it I was shocked I thought this is the best new author I have read in years. In my head new meant and young and sad to say but the new young generation of writers are very poor at proper use of the English language. Then I looked up the author and realized no not young born in at time when he had been educated in good writing, hence the beautiful prose I was reading.

Maggie Gordon

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is perhaps the most adorably dark little mystery for adults I have ever read. It stars Flavia de Luce, an 11 year old chemist who lives with her father and two older sisters in the English countryside during the 1950s. She's a precocious child, stubborn, brilliant, and utterly without restraint. When a strange man is murdered in her garden and her father is the primary suspect, she sets out to solve the murder and save her dad. 

Though the younger character might make you think that this is YA or MG fair, the Flavia books are definitely for adults. It's interesting to have a child character with their limitations as the lead for a series like this as she looks at situations quite differently, and, much to the chagrin of the local inspector, can wiggle her way into people's good graces and get information much more easily than your average adult. 

The mystery isn't particularly hard to figure out, but it's the setting, characters, and way that Flavia unravels things that is enthralling. If you are a fan of British cozies, give this book a shot!

Sonja H

As much as I would like to, I can't finish this book. It's sooo boring, Flavia is arrogant and there went way to much research work into this book. There are dialogues that exist such for the reason to show off the author's knowledge.

WINNER OF THE AGATHA • ARTHUR ELLIS • DILYS • DEBUT DAGGER AWARDS “Wonderfully entertaining . . . sure to be one of the most loved mysteries of the year . . . [Flavia is] a delightful, intrepid, acid-tongued new heroine.”—Chicago Sun-Times 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.” BONUS: This edition contains a The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie discussion guide and an excerpt from Alan Bradley's The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag.

A Flavia de Luce Novel

Vilde

I thought this was a delightful book. Jayne Entwistle is a great narrator and I liked how she voiced Flavia: the book smartness of an 11 year old child and the innocence she still has. A bit slow in the start, but I enjoyed listening to this. And it is definitely nice to read/listen to some crime that isn't stuffed with graphical and violence scenes/descriptions.

Mary Rose Luksha

Set in post WWII England, Flavia de Luce is an 11 year old chemistry buff who decides to solve a murder that occurred in her own backyard (literally). 

Reasons why I gave it 2 stars:

Brady wrote from Flavia's perspective and while I know it was set in post war England, her voice was still terribly British; like to the point it got a little kitschy. And the Britishisms got tiring after a while.

Flavia's character was well-developed and stayed true throughout the book, but it wasn't believable that it was an 11 year old's voice. She seemed more like a grumpy old man.

I figured out the culprit well before Flavia, and when she finally figured it out and there were about 50 pages to go, all I thought was "good Lord, what's left?" I just wanted it to be over. Not the mark of a good book.

Yulande Lindsay

Although solution rather obvious to any experienced mystery reader, the story itself was very enjoyable with a very unique narrator. Genius, dangerous child with the naivete of an 11yr old and the intellectual capacity of one 4 times her age. Thank heaven she's on the side of the angels!

Emmett

Recommended for: unabashed, precocious females who have nursed a unquenchable love for knowing everything (science, literature, music, ingenious ways of getting into and out of trouble) and a bit of the old Sherlock Holmes spirit in them, who will find a kindred spirit in this novel's heroine.

Damn, this was good.

Kali Olson

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is a bit of an odd duck. She’s not the most loveable of children—she’s sly, secretive, crafty, and her favorite hobby is concocting poisons in the upstairs laboratory of her old manor home. But Flavia is also armed with an extensive vocabulary, a passion for chemistry, a knack for picking locks, and a childish confidence fostered by an unflappable determination. This means that when a dead bird with a postage stamp stuck through its beak is found on the doorstep, and a murdered man is found in the cucumber patch, Flavia is able to rise to the occasion like no detective, young or old, we’ve ever met before. Set in a small English village in the 1950’s, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is peppered with characters who meet the standards of the classic mystery while adding their own bit of dash and pep to the story—the stoically amused police inspector, the devoted gardener with a mysterious past, the gossipy no-nonsense cook. Then there’s Flavia’s family—a deceased mother whose presence is still everywhere, a passive father who is most devoted to his stamp collection, and a pair of older sisters with their own interests that they cling to as obsessively as Flavia clings to her beakers and flasks. This is author Alan Bradley’s first book, and besides winning the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is, we’re delighted to learn, only the first in a planned series of mysteries that’s set to star this highly original new girl sleuth.

Kwan Ann Tan

A pretty damn good book. It's young Sherlock Holmes without trying to fit into the mould of a historical mystery, without trying to imitate anything, but it has its own very unique and very interesting appeal. I mean, how many 11 year old poisoners can you think of? Was talking to a friend the other day and we both agreed on the thought that how would we have changed as children/young adults if we had Flavia as a female role model to look up to? Flavia de Luce is unquestionably brave, intelligent beyond her years, and her storytelling style is exceedingly amusing- I found myself grinning widely more than once while reading this. 

Looking forward to devouring the rest of the series.

Robin M Cabana

I didn't think I would enjoy a mystery about stamps so much! Flavia De Luce is such a delightful and interesting character and one of my new favorite young heroines. I love that she's independent, obsessed with chemistry and still childishly mischievious. She's brilliant and I need to read more books in this series!

Meet Flavia: Mystery Solver. Master Poisoner. 11 Years Old. England 1950. At Buckshaw, the crumbling country seat of the de Luce family, very-nearly-eleven-year-old Flavia is plotting revenge on her older sisters. Then a dead bird is left on the doorstep, which has an extraordinary effect on Flavia's eccentric father, and a body is found in the garden. As the police descend on Buckshaw, Flavia decides to do some investigating of her own. Praise for the historical Flavia de Luce mysteries: 'The Flavia de Luce novels are now a cult favourite' Mail on Sunday 'A cross between Dodie Smith's I Capture The Castle and the Addams family...delightfully entertaining' Guardian Fans of M. C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, Frances Brody and Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy the Flavia de Luce mysteries: 1. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie 2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag 3. A Red Herring Without Mustard 4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows 5. Speaking From Among the Bones 6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches 7. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust 8. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd 9. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place If you're looking for a cosy crime series to keep you hooked then look no further than the Flavia de Luce mysteries. * Each Flavia de Luce mystery can be read as a standalone or in series order *

Kim Tyo-Dickerson

Intrepid 11 year old investigator Flavia de Luce uses chemistry and her love of poisons to solve her first murder case involving her grieving father's old school chums and two incredibly valuable postage stamps, one belonging to the King of England. I started the series with book three, and had to go back to read them in order from here out.

Nadine 

Solid middle grade crime series with young female with an interest in chemistry and poison.

Sarah Vaughan

First Read: December 2014
Second Read: February 2016
Third Read: January 2018

Still one of my all-time favorite books. 

I don't think I've ever liked a character more than I like Flavia de Luce. Flavia, or "Flave," as she sometimes refers to herself, is the spitting image of Sherlock Holmes, except of course that she's 11 and the most precocious child in existence. I loved everything about this book. From the descriptions of the decaying mansion Flavia calls home and the people in the town of Bishop's Lacey to how she solves the murder of the strange Norwegian man found dead in their garden, there was absolutely nothing I would change. Just a lovely book. I can't wait to reread the rest of the books in the series.

Tracey O’Rourke

I have read so many good reviews of this book, and then there were two sequels out, I thought I might finally read it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to its reviews. This book is a quaint little book, along the line of Alexander McCall's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, although not as entertaining in ways because as amusing and precocious as Flavia is, she is not as worldly as Precious.

Told from the point of view of a smart and emotionally neglected 11-year old, this book is the story of Flavia and her finding of a body in her garden and all that ensues from that find, including her father's arrest, her kidnapping, and lots of biking around and trespassing. In the end, I found no connection to Flavia or to any of her family, I figured out the murderer well before she did, that being telegraphed in the writing, and I was less than satisfied with the story. It was all a little too quaint. It also could just have easily been found in the young adult section, although much of that has more going for it than this book did.

Maria

этой ставлю 3.5
героиня хорошая - хотя и вообще не похожа на одиннадцатилетнюю девочку
но автор иногда буксует на её размышлениях, что замедляет динамику
детективу нужен сайдкик, чтобы обсуждать с ним расследования, всё-таки

но почитаю следующие в серии

Elizabeth Garza

Funny story - I've tried reading this book, I think, 3 times before both in audio and print and could never finish it. But now I have finished it! *jazz hands* And it was really enjoyable. 

I had been reading a lot of non-fiction that dealt with some heavy topics that were hitting me right in the feels and wanted something that was light but still witty and smart. This fit the bill! Flavia is such a wonderful main character to live through and she makes me wish I liked/was good at chemistry (alas, I am not, nor shall I ever be). For whatever reason, the narrator's voice didn't get on my nerves as it did before and I actually was impressed with it this time around. The narrator does a perfect voice for Flavia. And though this is classified at my library as adult mystery, I think a middle schooler who is of strong mental disposition (interpret as you will) would enjoy this and be appropriate.

Christa Bakker

Gorgeous writing, great story, but somehow it took me ages to get through.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

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