Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

14 reviews

kschupner's review against another edition

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the main character is really silly and charming and i see the potential but i haven’t picked it up in months and feel like ill have to come back to it another time after i read books in my tbr with higher priority </3
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e_liz_e's review against another edition

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funny mysterious 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

3.75

I love these Flavia books so much, I have it all on my shelf, the first six books will be rereads for me to freshen up my memory before I continue to the latest books in series. The first one seems so so boring to me, I can’t remember why I continued reading series, but I am glad I did. This first book is still a detective but it feels bit dry. But I really recommend reading series further 
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vireogirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Delightful. Spunky young heroine, full of clever perspectives and gutsy ideas. The story included real chemistry, anatomy, and stamp collecting. And wonderful phrases, like "One of Inspector Hewitt's eyebrows rose up like a cobra."
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spacedout_reader's review against another edition

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2.75

I really liked the general style of the writing, but I found some of the characters, including Flavia, to be a bit inconsistent, and I felt like the mystery wasn't as tightly worked as it could have been.
also, in the middle section with the dad's backstory, the racism was pretty distracting. I get that it's a period piece in England, but as far as I could tell it didn't add any meaning to the story and overall just added unpleasantness.
I'm really not sure if this book is meant for tweens or adults, so I've added content warnings to my review as if it were for tweens (otherwise most of it would be pretty much par for the course in the mystery genre)
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sarahagna's review against another edition

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Flavia in this book is a little bit racist. Nothing absolutely horrific, but there are some slurs and micro-aggressive comments. I think the author probably tried to stay true to the setting of the the book, with it being set in the 1950s. But if a book is fiction, then it’s absolutely unnecessary for there to be racist language. It’s not the worst racism I’ve ever read, and definitely not worse than what they made us read in school (I’m looking at you Huckleberry Finn), and it can probably be overlooked if things like that don’t bother you. But if I am reading a fictional book, I don’t want any unnecessary racism, especially if it is nonessential to the story. I did however love the chemistry references in the book, as well as Flavia’s commentary on things. I have heard that the rest of the books in the series do not have anything derogatory in them, so I might try to continue the series, but I haven’t decided yet. 
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bosco29's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious slow-paced

3.5

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lilawsahar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book read like a Wes Anderson film. Lots of dry humor and goofy moments —like her using poison ivy to get back at her sister. I also enjoyed her dark humor and curious disposition. Anyone who is fond of poisons can be my friend! You can definitely tell that this book was written by a man though. 

Gripes with the book:
- Lots of description to the situation and scenery going on which makes it hard to read at times. I think the authors writing gets better as the novel goes on. The description about how Flavia was rescued at the end was so confusing.
- The conversations between Flavia and the detective seemed flirtatious.
- The author is American and is writing about Britain and their customs. Just seems wrong tbh. Do research.

Side note: I love how I read about poisons before this book and this novel references different types of poisons!
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orchidlilly's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.25

An endearing and relatable character for young girls interested in science, plus she solves complex mysteries in a way that is scientifically accurate? Sign me up!
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kenderful's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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anniup's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
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