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readbycallum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
kjboldon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hard to put down, and a quick read even at almost 400 pages. The mystery is intricate and well plotted. Characters are complex and endearing. This would be a good introduction to the Wimsey books, though Wimsey is less important than the country church and parish he's investigating. Some beautiful writing.
tinaha083's review
5.0
The first time I read this book I was in my late teens. I thought it confusing, difficult to follow, and far too detailed on the subject of campanology (though I was inspired to research the subject to better understand it). I’m now in my mid-thirties and reread it for a podcast readalong. This time, I think it’s brilliant.
Dorothy L. Sayers is an astonishing writer. She doesn’t pile up bodies, she doesn’t give us flat depictions of good and evil. She doesn’t give us a perfect detective. What she does is study the intricacies of human nature - what drives people to do the things they do, how much chance can affect the consequences of our actions, and the folly of the lies we tell to ourselves and others. What greed can cause, what fear can cause, and what our day to day actions can cause.
I didn’t have an appreciation for the subtleties of this novel the first time around. I didn’t appreciate the solid weight of Sayers’ intelligence. The characters are full-bodies, richly drawn, and human. There are missing emeralds, long held secrets, and a mutilated dead man buried in someone else’s grave. In the middle of it all is Peter Wimsey, thrust into the situation by something so regular as a car accident in bad weather on poorly lit roads.
There will be some who say that the way this mystery played out is cheating, that the fact that the solution to the mystery is not anything that could be predicted isn’t fair. But isn’t that realistic? Sometimes the crimes don’t get solved in the “proper” way. Sometimes the crime we think we are investigating isn’t the type we think it is. And really, like all of her mysteries, this is more about choices, actions, and consequences than just the simple solving of a murder, or a theft.
I’m so glad I read this again. It’s as brilliant to me as Clouds of Witness, which I also recently reread, and a close follow up to my favorite, Gaudy Night. A true delight for fans of masters of this genre.
Dorothy L. Sayers is an astonishing writer. She doesn’t pile up bodies, she doesn’t give us flat depictions of good and evil. She doesn’t give us a perfect detective. What she does is study the intricacies of human nature - what drives people to do the things they do, how much chance can affect the consequences of our actions, and the folly of the lies we tell to ourselves and others. What greed can cause, what fear can cause, and what our day to day actions can cause.
I didn’t have an appreciation for the subtleties of this novel the first time around. I didn’t appreciate the solid weight of Sayers’ intelligence. The characters are full-bodies, richly drawn, and human. There are missing emeralds, long held secrets, and a mutilated dead man buried in someone else’s grave. In the middle of it all is Peter Wimsey, thrust into the situation by something so regular as a car accident in bad weather on poorly lit roads.
There will be some who say that the way this mystery played out is cheating, that the fact that the solution to the mystery is not anything that could be predicted isn’t fair. But isn’t that realistic? Sometimes the crimes don’t get solved in the “proper” way. Sometimes the crime we think we are investigating isn’t the type we think it is. And really, like all of her mysteries, this is more about choices, actions, and consequences than just the simple solving of a murder, or a theft.
I’m so glad I read this again. It’s as brilliant to me as Clouds of Witness, which I also recently reread, and a close follow up to my favorite, Gaudy Night. A true delight for fans of masters of this genre.
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
What a beauty!! An absolute joy to read. And yes I did learn something new about bells and bell ringing. Loved the mystery and loved everything about it especially the last few pages damn had me gripped right from the start.
gailbird's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
anniebanannie's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sailor_marmar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
scrapespaghetti's review against another edition
3.0
her finest literary achievement.
contains the best description known to me of the bells, the ringers and the art. It is probably, indeed, the only novel based on a study of campanology. Its very title and chapter-headings pay tribute to the peculiar vocabulary of the art".
"incautiously entered the closed world of bell-ringing in The Nine Tailors on the strength of a sixpenny pamphlet picked up by chance – and invented a method of killing which would not produce death, as well as breaking a fundamental rule of that esoteric art by allowing a relief ringer to take part in her famous nine-hour champion peal"
contains the best description known to me of the bells, the ringers and the art. It is probably, indeed, the only novel based on a study of campanology. Its very title and chapter-headings pay tribute to the peculiar vocabulary of the art".
"incautiously entered the closed world of bell-ringing in The Nine Tailors on the strength of a sixpenny pamphlet picked up by chance – and invented a method of killing which would not produce death, as well as breaking a fundamental rule of that esoteric art by allowing a relief ringer to take part in her famous nine-hour champion peal"
hbcbray's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but laborious. Excellent reading by Ian Carmichael, but also, like a play with an odd dearth of 'he said's in the dialog parts.
mint_the_muffin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75