Reviews
I am bored to distraction. Time to move onto something else.
i do not remember ever reading this before so the question is -- why is it marked as read once already? well - classic Sayers. I loved the Scarlet Pimpernel as a kid because of his careless foolishness designed to throw people off, and I loved reading LPW for much the same reasons. But I never read them in order - Nine Tailors was my first LPW novel in 8th grade bc of Omni II - and then I just kind of picked up any LPW novel I could get my hands on at my library with absolutely no regard for order and I skipped a few important ones in that mess. I am remedying that now.
just as good the second time
I was hoping to find another classic mystery writer to mix in with P.D. James and Agatha Christie, but I found this book to be a little tedious. The characters are amusing, and the mystery was intriguing. But, it really only had enough heft for a long short story or a novella. It dragged. And the class commentary seemed clunky to me. I hear that the books get more engaging as you go through the series, so I may try another at some point, but not anytime soon.
3 Stars *A serviceable mystery that is a bit too posh* I’ve been working my way through classic Mystery novels and had yet to read anything by Sayers. So I started with the first in her Lord Peter Wimsey series. But while the case itself was interesting, I did not care for any of the characters. Whose Body is not a story that has aged well. The story boils down to this: Lord Peter Wimsey is a privileged, posh aristocrat who inserts himself into an investigation because solving crimes is "his little hobby." He did not have any discernable skills or elevated intelligence. He was literally a bored nobleman who throws around his aristocratic title and money whenever anyone dares question why he is poking around in things that are none of his business. While the Mystery genre is full of amateur detectives sticking their noses into police investigations, I found it unpalatable when said amateur sleuth was a spoiled rich guy with nothing noticeable to recommend him other than his status. Sherlock Holmes may have run rampant over the police squad, but at least I was never in doubt of his intelligence and effectiveness at solving cases. In contrast, Wimsey was a useless fop whose investigation was frequently interrupted by wardrobe changes. And yes, I mean that literally. This dude was such a dandy and had to spend significant amounts of time conferring with his manservant about the proper waistcoat to wear while interrogating people. It almost crossed over into being farcically funny, but not quite. And while this bourgeois devotion to multiple wardrobe changes per day was accurate to the time period, it did not make for a compelling story. Particularly when paired with Wimsey’s laissez faire attitude towards solving murders. “‘If Sir Reuben has been murdered, is it a game? And is it fair to treat it as a game?’ ‘That’s what I’m ashamed of, really,’ said Lord Peter. ‘It is a game to me, to begin with, and I go on cheerfully, and then I suddenly see that somebody is going to get hurt, and I want to get out of it.’ ‘Yes, yes, I know, said the detective, ‘but that’s because you’re thinking about your attitude. You want to be consistent, you want to swagger debonairly through a comedy of puppets or else to stalk magnificently through a tragedy of human sorrows and things. But that’s childish. If you’ve any duty to society in the way of finding out the truth about murders, you must do it in any attitude that comes handy. You want to be elegant and detached? That’s all right, if you find the truth out that way, but it hasn’t any value in itself, you know.” That section sums up the tone and attitude of the entire story. Wimsey never moved past being the bored, unqualified, rich guy who strong-armed his way into an investigation using his title. It also felt like there was too much filler dialogue especially given how short the story is. The bottom line is that I liked the mystery, but I dearly wish it had been solved by someone else. I doubt I’ll continue on with the series. RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 4 Stars Writing Style: 4 Stars Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars Level of Captivation: 3 Stars Originality: 2 Stars
The very first Dorothy Sayers featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, Whose Body? is a highly enjoyable read. I simply love the characters (Wimsey, Bunter, the Dowager...) and Sayers's writing is brilliant and full of wit. The mystery in itself is very entertaining: it all begins when a man finds a naked corpse in his tub one morning, wearing nothing but a golden pince-nez. An excellent premise and a excellent read!
Do you like whimsical protagonists who solve crimes, but have no training and know they shouldn't be solving crimes? Because that's what this is, and it's very...specific in its audience. To be fair, I think it is a great example of whatever subgenre this fits for the mysteries. Think Agatha Christie's Murder or the Orient Express with rich people solving rich person crimes, either with or without an inspector. I just don't like it that much, down to the conclusion and the confession (or lack thereof, no spoilers here lol). So, I don't know. If you like the antiquated murder mysteries, I think you'll like this. I'd rather have a lot more action from the protagonist in solving the crime.
This is a second read. When I stumbled into DLS, it was with Gaudy Night. I was 22, a new mom, newly moved, and living in a hotel with my new baby and my husband while we searched for a home. All I wanted was a big, fat book that would distract me. And Gaudy Night was perfection. From there I began a search for all DLS's books, and they were not easy to find then. I'm glad I didn't stumble into WB first, because there's so much questionable language/sentiment toward Jews that I'm pretty taken aback a long time later. I wonder if I would have doggedly hunted down every Wimsey I could find if I'd followed my usual need for reading a series in order, instead of needing a big, fat book. I'm glad I'll never know because I love these books. I will always love these books, in this case, even though... I was about to add something that would be spoilerish, but I can't do that. Even with my misgivings about certain passages, I'm still wholeheartedly saying this book is a 5 our of 5 stars read for me. I'm looking forward to Clouds of Witness!
