A review by cleheny
Busman's Honeymoon, by Dorothy L. Sayers
4.0
Busman's Honeymoon is a romance with a mystery as the backdrop. Sayers takes us from the immediate aftermath of Peter and Harriet's engagement through the first weeks/months of their marriage (with the majority of the novel spent on the first few days).
From engagement through wedding is told through a series of letters by various characters and, principally, through diary excerpts written by the Dowager Duchess of Denver. These are really fun; as usual, Sayers is able to do a great deal of characterization in short segments. And the Dowager is as delightful as she has always been. The bits about Helen are particularly enjoyable.
And then we move to the wedding night and the first days of their marriage. There is a murder mystery inserted here, but the focus is on Harriet and Peter's marriage, how they enjoy and appreciate it, and also how they come to terms with it. There is a pair of scenes where they acknowledge both the depth of their love and also the challenge of being truly supportive of each other.
For readers who love not only Harriet and Peter, but also Bunter, the marriage is a reason for happiness but also concern--how will this affect everyone's favorite valet/manservant/photographer/best friend? Bunter, of course, responds with great professionalism and loyalty to both, but there's a beautiful moment, towards the end of the book, when an action of Peter's makes Bunter feel that he is still an important part of his life.
As usual, Sayers surrounds the trio with a number of vivid characters. Busman's Honeymoon was a play before it was a novel, so some of the theatricality of the supporting characters is likely due to their creation for the stage. Mr. Puffett is a favorite of mine, and Aggie Twitterton, Frank Crutchley, Mrs. Ruddle, and the vicar (and his wife) are all vividly drawn. The murder scheme is ingenious and probably far more sophisticated than what could be expected of the killer.
The ending brings us back to a theme introduced in the first Wimsey mystery, Whose Body: Peter's difficulty accepting the consequences of his own investigations. The sufferings alluded to in earlier novels are depicted more specifically here. This is another aspect of Peter with which Harriet is unfamiliar, but she demonstrates her understanding and devotion. There's reason to hope that Peter, if not cured, will be able to cope better.
Although Sayers wrote two more stories set during Peter and Harriet's marriage, Busman's Honeymoon is really the goodbye to these characters together. Harriet isn't much in the other stories (The Haunted Policeman and Talboys), and definitely doesn't play a role in solving the problem. So this is the true ending of the Wimsey-Vane stories, and it's a lovely way to end their story.
From engagement through wedding is told through a series of letters by various characters and, principally, through diary excerpts written by the Dowager Duchess of Denver. These are really fun; as usual, Sayers is able to do a great deal of characterization in short segments. And the Dowager is as delightful as she has always been. The bits about Helen are particularly enjoyable.
And then we move to the wedding night and the first days of their marriage. There is a murder mystery inserted here, but the focus is on Harriet and Peter's marriage, how they enjoy and appreciate it, and also how they come to terms with it. There is a pair of scenes where they acknowledge both the depth of their love and also the challenge of being truly supportive of each other.
For readers who love not only Harriet and Peter, but also Bunter, the marriage is a reason for happiness but also concern--how will this affect everyone's favorite valet/manservant/photographer/best friend? Bunter, of course, responds with great professionalism and loyalty to both, but there's a beautiful moment, towards the end of the book, when an action of Peter's makes Bunter feel that he is still an important part of his life.
As usual, Sayers surrounds the trio with a number of vivid characters. Busman's Honeymoon was a play before it was a novel, so some of the theatricality of the supporting characters is likely due to their creation for the stage. Mr. Puffett is a favorite of mine, and Aggie Twitterton, Frank Crutchley, Mrs. Ruddle, and the vicar (and his wife) are all vividly drawn. The murder scheme is ingenious and probably far more sophisticated than what could be expected of the killer.
The ending brings us back to a theme introduced in the first Wimsey mystery, Whose Body: Peter's difficulty accepting the consequences of his own investigations. The sufferings alluded to in earlier novels are depicted more specifically here. This is another aspect of Peter with which Harriet is unfamiliar, but she demonstrates her understanding and devotion. There's reason to hope that Peter, if not cured, will be able to cope better.
Although Sayers wrote two more stories set during Peter and Harriet's marriage, Busman's Honeymoon is really the goodbye to these characters together. Harriet isn't much in the other stories (The Haunted Policeman and Talboys), and definitely doesn't play a role in solving the problem. So this is the true ending of the Wimsey-Vane stories, and it's a lovely way to end their story.