dreamerfreak's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wonderful gay historical mystery. Farraday doesn't shy away from the gritty details of life for the lower and criminal classes, and her suspense is on the nose and delightfully convoluted. The ending was also thoroughly satisfying, and I loved the feeling of character growth as Ira matured and made some tough decisions throughout the book. I'm looking forward to reading the next one as soon as I can manage to get my hands on it!
hartd's review against another edition
4.0
So, this is not a romance novel. I don't read a lot of non-romance novels these days, so it was kind of nice to read about a gay character and not know what to expect. I figured the main character would survive, but otherwise, I had no idea what would happen at any point.
The plot is very exciting. But the blurb and other reviews do a good job of summarizing it, and this isn't a recent book. So I won't retread that too much.
Ira Adler is a young man in a relationship with a crime lord. Based only on that fact, I was expecting Ira to be sort of naive and sweet, but that isn't true at all. He is tough, smart, and prickly. At certain points, he is as grumpy and selfish as George Costanza. He's ended up in his situation because he really loves the luxury of living with someone so wealthy.
So, Ira isn't a cinnamon-roll type of character at all. Sometimes, I found him hard to like, but I never found him hard to sympathize with. He is a victim of circumstance for much of the story, but the overall plot is really about him taking control of his own destiny, and deciding what matters to him. I found it satisfying to see him come into his own in this way.
I'm very interested to discover what will happen in the rest of the series. All of the side characters, even the somewhat minor ones like Pearl and Mrs. Lazarus, really came alive for me, and I hope their stories continue in the other two books. I also liked (what I interpreted as) a positive portrayal of a bisexual man, Tim Lazarus. I feel he loved Ira in the past, and maybe still does, but he also loves his wife. It's far more common for queer historicals to portray bisexual men as unable to commit to anyone, and I was very glad to see another type of character here.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Philip Battley, who also narrates one of my favorite current series, Oxford Medieval Mysteries. He's very talented, and he really performs his narrations, with subtly distinct voices for each character.
I think there's an overlooked market for these kinds of books. I see a lot of requests on Reddit and Twitter from people who are looking for stories about queer characters that aren't romances. I'm very happy to add this one to my recommendations list.
The plot is very exciting. But the blurb and other reviews do a good job of summarizing it, and this isn't a recent book. So I won't retread that too much.
Ira Adler is a young man in a relationship with a crime lord. Based only on that fact, I was expecting Ira to be sort of naive and sweet, but that isn't true at all. He is tough, smart, and prickly. At certain points, he is as grumpy and selfish as George Costanza. He's ended up in his situation because he really loves the luxury of living with someone so wealthy.
Spoiler
He decides he is in love with Cain, eventually, but I don't think he ever was. And the story does not end with them together.So, Ira isn't a cinnamon-roll type of character at all. Sometimes, I found him hard to like, but I never found him hard to sympathize with. He is a victim of circumstance for much of the story, but the overall plot is really about him taking control of his own destiny, and deciding what matters to him. I found it satisfying to see him come into his own in this way.
I'm very interested to discover what will happen in the rest of the series. All of the side characters, even the somewhat minor ones like Pearl and Mrs. Lazarus, really came alive for me, and I hope their stories continue in the other two books. I also liked (what I interpreted as) a positive portrayal of a bisexual man, Tim Lazarus. I feel he loved Ira in the past, and maybe still does, but he also loves his wife. It's far more common for queer historicals to portray bisexual men as unable to commit to anyone, and I was very glad to see another type of character here.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Philip Battley, who also narrates one of my favorite current series, Oxford Medieval Mysteries. He's very talented, and he really performs his narrations, with subtly distinct voices for each character.
I think there's an overlooked market for these kinds of books. I see a lot of requests on Reddit and Twitter from people who are looking for stories about queer characters that aren't romances. I'm very happy to add this one to my recommendations list.
scarletine6's review against another edition
5.0
What a great book and a superb narrator.
Its a pity this author just has one audiobook as I would love to listen to more of her work
Its a pity this author just has one audiobook as I would love to listen to more of her work
claudia_marcela's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
michaeljpdx's review against another edition
4.0
You can read my complete review of The Affair of the Porcelain Dog at my web site.
alisonalisonalison's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It was completely gripping and I enjoyed reading it so much. Not a romance, this is more of a coming-of-age story based around an exciting mystery. The mystery was interesting and complex and kept me well engaged. The setting (late 19th century London) was so well done and I loved the wonderful detail and atmosphere. However, I think what made this book so enjoyable is Ira Adler himself. He's a fascinating, delightful, very flawed character, and he's incredibly likeable. His narration is entertaining and lively and so immersive. This book has a lot of depth and emotion and rich detail. It's also full of a very subtle, wonderful humour and there are some dead funny lines. The secondary characters are nicely realised and it's always neat to see a fantastic secondary character who's bisexual. This was such a pleasure to read and I'm amazed it's the author's first book. It's very good and the writing is so snappy. I am so excited for the second book.
marlan's review against another edition
4.0
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle meets Anne Rice (without the vampires). The Affair of the Porcelain Dog is a mystery set in 19th century London, with a twist of having a gay main character, and all the apprehension that comes from being gay in that time and place. I love Sherlock Holmes (I grew up watching Mystery! on PBS) and historical fiction, and I've always had an interest in LGBT culture and history. So this book hit a sweet spot of many of my interests.
I also like that it's historical fiction that gets into the dark underbelly of the world, with prostitution and opium trade and other criminal activities. I loved the grit of the characters who have all been through tough times and made morally gray choices.
The story has a nice balance of fast-paced plotting, intriguing mysteries, and internal conflict and character development. There's a wry sense of humor present throughout, as well. A great book for Sherlock Holmes lovers who are looking for a new variation on the genre. The LGBT romance is present but relatively light, so it's also a good introduction to LGBT fiction.
Note: I experienced a technical issue on my mobile where the last line would be missing every few pages. This issue disappeared when I reset my background from black to white.
Second note: be careful when reading other reviews - some reviewers reveal mysteries without putting in spoiler tags.
I also like that it's historical fiction that gets into the dark underbelly of the world, with prostitution and opium trade and other criminal activities. I loved the grit of the characters who have all been through tough times and made morally gray choices.
The story has a nice balance of fast-paced plotting, intriguing mysteries, and internal conflict and character development. There's a wry sense of humor present throughout, as well. A great book for Sherlock Holmes lovers who are looking for a new variation on the genre. The LGBT romance is present but relatively light, so it's also a good introduction to LGBT fiction.
Note: I experienced a technical issue on my mobile where the last line would be missing every few pages. This issue disappeared when I reset my background from black to white.
Second note: be careful when reading other reviews - some reviewers reveal mysteries without putting in spoiler tags.
lu_lu_light's review against another edition
4.0
To my admittedly untrained eyes, the London in this book is so convincing it is almost habitable with its treacherous villains and repugnant gutters. However inconsequential the atmosphere maybe to the 'actual' plot of a thriller, it certainly allows us to look deeper into who our protagonists are and what has made them so, which I believe is the whole point of this book.
The characters of Ira Adler, Tim Lazarus and Cain Goddard are especially well realised. The rest are less explored but never 2-dimensional or boring.
The narrative is well-paced. Things are always happening, never stagnant but it does take the time to reflect on the significance of whatever happens before.
The story has a distinctive tone to it. Faraday has exploited Adler's POV effectively to set up and challenge assumptions about his world and the people in it. Certainly makes it an interesting read.
The characters of Ira Adler, Tim Lazarus and Cain Goddard are especially well realised. The rest are less explored but never 2-dimensional or boring.
The narrative is well-paced. Things are always happening, never stagnant but it does take the time to reflect on the significance of whatever happens before.
The story has a distinctive tone to it. Faraday has exploited Adler's POV effectively to set up and challenge assumptions about his world and the people in it. Certainly makes it an interesting read.
nikkibd4033's review
4.0
I'm really surprised by how much I liked this book. I don't know why - I guess because I don't read indie-label books very often and maybe I have an unfounded prejudice against them.
Anyone going in to reading this hoping for a lot of hot m/m action, you won't get it. Despite having mostly gay characters, it is not erotica. The book is a mystery first and foremost. It's a mystery that happens to take place in the setting of gay (as in homosexual) Victorian London with all their sodomy laws and legal opium trade and whatnot.
It also happens to include very well-rounded characters, (particularly the protagonist and his former friend/lover current antagonist/possibly still friend, Tim Lazarus) a lot of fast-paced action, and is very well written. Bonus points for the appearance of Oscar Wilde in the epilogue.
Anyone going in to reading this hoping for a lot of hot m/m action, you won't get it. Despite having mostly gay characters, it is not erotica. The book is a mystery first and foremost. It's a mystery that happens to take place in the setting of gay (as in homosexual) Victorian London with all their sodomy laws and legal opium trade and whatnot.
It also happens to include very well-rounded characters, (particularly the protagonist and his former friend/lover current antagonist/possibly still friend, Tim Lazarus) a lot of fast-paced action, and is very well written. Bonus points for the appearance of Oscar Wilde in the epilogue.
rhodered's review
DNFed at 51% because too many characters to keep track of, all of whom seem to have complicated, interwoven past histories and they are all men and it’s tiring. Also, it’s no fun running around London in the skin of a lead character with unending itches and rashes and blisters and bumps. Note: I have the flu so perhaps this was not the right occasion for me to attempt it.