Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

 

(This is my 8th read for RIP)

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Bantam; (January 19, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0385343493

 

Amazon : It's the beginning of a lazy summer in 1950 at the sleepy English village of Bishop's Lacey. Up at the great house of Buckshaw, aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce passes the time tinkering in the laboratory she's inherited from her deceased mother and an eccentric great uncle. When Flavia discovers a murdered stranger in the cucumber patch outside her bedroom window early one morning, she decides to leave aside her flasks and Bunsen burners to solve the crime herself, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. But who can blame her? What else does an eleven-year-old science prodigy have to do when left to her own devices? With her widowed father and two older sisters far too preoccupied with their own pursuits and passions—stamp collecting, adventure novels, and boys respectively—Flavia takes off on her trusty bicycle Gladys to catch a murderer. In Alan Bradley's critically acclaimed debut mystery, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, adult readers will be totally charmed by this fearless, funny, and unflappable kid sleuth. But don't be fooled: this carefully plotted detective novel (the first in a new series) features plenty of unexpected twists and turns and loads of tasty period detail. As the pages fly by, you'll be rooting for this curious combination of Harriet the Spy and Sherlock Holmes.

I just finished reading this book about an hour ago.  Many have read it and the books that follow it already and loved the books.

As many know I have been in a slump plus stressed out to the point it’s hard to get my mind off of things let alone seriously get into what I’m reading and it seriously hampers my enjoyment of the books I’ve been reading… so take this with a grain of salt.

I did enjoy the book and Flavia and her whole family which Mr Bradley very nicely gave very individual personalities to, which in turn flavored the book quite well.

The mystery itself was laid out very well and I really did not piece it together any before Flavia did!   I did however have a bit of difficulty  with her being so adult at such a young age.   Was she extremely smart and into chemistry.. yes… in fact, almost more so than is believable….so I did have some difficulties there…but at the times I was not envisioning her of the age she was, then the story seemed better to me.   I know I have read many YA books before and this is not the first time I thought the protagonist “too young” or written too old for the age. But I will admit that this doesn’t happen often . 

Over all, considering my lack of enthusiasm for anything I’ve read lately, I did enjoy this book and I can see where most who take up the book to read will also enjoy it.

*little things that I enjoyed*:  Flavia named her bicycle.  (me too! Mine was named Nellie Bell) .  I loved that she could get the better of her older sisters.  (I was once known to chase my brother who was 5 yrs older than me, around the yard with a big earthworm in my outstretch hand)  

This is a book I am sure many of you will enjoy if you like YA books and a good mystery.