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A review by brandypainter
Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L. Sayers
5.0
Busman's Honeymoon picks up the story of Peter and Harriet on the day of their wedding. There are several amusing, and sometimes sweet, letters and journal entries at the beginning that fill in the details of the time that has elapsed from the end of Gaudy Night to the big day. Peter and Harriet leave for their honeymoon at a house they have purchased near where Harriet lived as a child. The first day there one catastrophe after another occurs, culminating with the discovery of the former owner dead in the cellar. So of course, Peter and Harriet have to spend their honeymoon working, hence the title.
The book is, of course, brilliant. Like Sayers other Lord Peter books it is not the mystery aspect of the novel that makes it wonderful but the keen insight into humanity, the philosophy and the tackling of weightier issues that pushes it into the brilliant category.
Gaudy Night allowed us to see Harriet come to terms with her demons and, with Peter's help, overcome them. In Busman's Honeymoon it is Peter facing his demons and he has Harriet to help him this time around. The book paints a startling picture of a mind haunted by the things it has witnessed, the war it survived and the struggle it constantly undergoes to balance responsibility, honor and a massive guilt complex. Unlike all of the times Peter simply ran away and into himself, this time there is another person to factor in to his decisions and actions. This and the tension that is created by the situation as Peter and Harriet (and Bunter too) adjust to the new reality and revelations marriage brings about is the center of the story. The mystery acts as a catalyst that brings all of this to a head.
Peter and Harriet are one of my favorite literary couples and I am grateful to Sayers for rendering such a beautiful and complex love story.
The book is, of course, brilliant. Like Sayers other Lord Peter books it is not the mystery aspect of the novel that makes it wonderful but the keen insight into humanity, the philosophy and the tackling of weightier issues that pushes it into the brilliant category.
Gaudy Night allowed us to see Harriet come to terms with her demons and, with Peter's help, overcome them. In Busman's Honeymoon it is Peter facing his demons and he has Harriet to help him this time around. The book paints a startling picture of a mind haunted by the things it has witnessed, the war it survived and the struggle it constantly undergoes to balance responsibility, honor and a massive guilt complex. Unlike all of the times Peter simply ran away and into himself, this time there is another person to factor in to his decisions and actions. This and the tension that is created by the situation as Peter and Harriet (and Bunter too) adjust to the new reality and revelations marriage brings about is the center of the story. The mystery acts as a catalyst that brings all of this to a head.
Peter and Harriet are one of my favorite literary couples and I am grateful to Sayers for rendering such a beautiful and complex love story.