Reviews

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann

lastbraincell's review against another edition

4.0

Charming. Haven't seen something like this done before. However, they were a few holes for me. That one crazy/wise zen but sheep, and some of Zora's meditations, they were a little confusing for me at first. Other questions: Why was Sir Ritchfield suddenly improved after (spoilers) the return of Melmoth? After Operation Polyphemus was revealed, and how Rebecca (spoilers!) worked something out with the mysterious agent to live-- was the solution really that simple? Or did it hinge on a bargain with the cassette tape? In a normal mystery these would have made me rate it average, because of how much I didn't understand. But the novelty of the plot, and the author being able to carry it out throughout the whole book, give back a star. Also a lot of observational humor, like the sheep thinking humans have very small souls, if any at all, then how they understood human religion and "God", based on what they overhead. The big "F You, my sheep are going to Europe" at the end was satisfying. This would make for a good movie I think, like a Detective Babe.

klara1meyer's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

ylbirda's review against another edition

3.0

Eigentlich würde ich es 3,5 Sternen geben.
Das Buch fing sehr gut an, das Spiel mit der Sprache war sehr beeindruckend (mein Favorit: morgenfeuchte Innereien), und die Idee auch. Gegen der Hälfte fande ich es schwierig, da ist das Buch etwas zu langsam geworden. Die letzten 100 Seiten waren dann wieder sehr gut und spannend. Man mus sich bewusst machen, dass es nicht ein typischer Krimiroman ist, mit einem Detektiv, der den Fall möglichst schnell erledigen will, sondern ein Roman über Schafsherde, die nur so nebenbei rausfinden will, wer ihren Schäfer umgebracht hat. Das ist ein großer Vorteil aber gleich auch ein großer Nachteil. Wir kriegen zu dem Fall nur sehr wenig Informationen und die meisten sind nicht wirklich nützlich, was die eigene Vorstellungen etwas begrenzt. Andererseits war der Fall sehr gut gelöst und ich habe es nicht erwartet (tue ich meistens nicht aber eig. will man klüger als Schafe sein).

Die häufige Intertextualität hat mich auch gefreut, Othello war auf jeden Fall mein Liebling aber "Das Schweigen der Lämmer" war auch gut gelungen.

Es war einfach ein gutes Buch.

paulathepudding's review against another edition

funny mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

priceliketag's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Cute characters but often lost track with the “through sheep’s eyes” storytelling

yellowboundbooks's review against another edition

5.0

i think this might be my favorite book of all time. lit fic fans—there is nothing more beautiful than poetic sheep.

kblackmon's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

zoeeetropes's review against another edition

funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

houston_l's review against another edition

challenging funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

cassiope_fastigiata's review against another edition

3.0

An off the wall tale about sheep investigating the murder of their shepherd. I loved the sheep and their efforts to understand humans, but the actual mystery was a bit convoluted and not terribly compelling.