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My name is Pat and I live in Florida. My skin will never be smooth again and my hair will never see color. I enjoy collecting autographs and playing in Paint Shop Pro.,along with reading and writing. Sometimes, I enjoy myself by doing volunteer "work" helping celebrities at autograph shows. I love animals and at one time I did volunteer work for Tippi Hedren's Shambala Preserve.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Weed That Strings the Hangmans Bag

The Weed that Strings the Hangmans Bag by Alan Bradley.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Bantam; (February 8, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0385343450

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From Booklist

Flavia, the precocious, imaginative, and adorable 11-year-old sleuth, returns for her second adventure. It’s a mystery in itself how a mature male author can pen the adventures of such a young female child and keep readers believing in the fantasy. Flavia’s world is 1950s England—specifically, a very old country house that just happens to have a long-abandoned chemistry laboratory. And Flavia just happens to be fascinated by chemistry—particularly poisons. This helps her solve mysteries because, as Flavia says, “There’s something about pottering with poisons that clarifies the mind.” This time she becomes involved with the members of a traveling puppet show that features the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. When the puppetmaster is mysteriously electrocuted during the show, Flavia knows it can’t be an accident and eventually finds the murderer. The rest of Flavia’s family are also eccentric, to say the least, and add greatly to the overall fun. Thank goodness Bradley is not allowing Flavia to grow up too quickly; we need more sleuths whose primary mode of transportation is a bicycle.

It must be Fate that has me reading these books!  I came across the first book at the used book store for 3.00 and since so many people loved it I purchased it and read it.  I enjoyed it but wasn’t sure I wanted to get into yet another series….

Low and behold, I was back at the used books store and there sat “book 2” of the Flavia saga.  Ohhhhkay, so we got book 2 and I just finished reading it.

This one was also enjoyable but I have to say that in both books there are occasional terms used by Flavia that no matter how much of a chemical genius she is an 11 year old would not be using!… however… the books are still enjoyable.

This one took it’s time getting to the “murder”… I was beginning to wonder if there was even going to be one…when suddenly, there it was… a murder for young Flavia to solve!

I’ve gone this far so the odds are I will eventually read the next book lol..like I have no other books sitting on my shelves that need to be read, right? cha!

There is one small matter that I have to say bothers me in these books… and it’s the way her sisters make her feel unwanted.  It’s a part of the books that I would have edited out if I were the author.  I realize it gives her a reason to “get back” at the sisters…but hurt like that is never forgotten, even if she is only 11 yrs old.

All in all.. I do agree with most everyone else though, that if you read these books, you will enjoy them!

5 Comments:

Blogger Cath said...

I agree about the sisters. They say the most awful things and like you said... hurt like that never goes away. I find the father neglectful too. Plus, I agree, there are things she writes or thinks that would never be in the mind of an eleven year old, my grand-daughter is eleven so I know. So, I don't really know why I like these books so much. LOL. The mystery maybe? I haven't guessed whodunit in either book. They are very much of the 1950s too and I like that. Perhaps I like the idea of a girl flying round the countryside on her bike and not obsessed with her mobile phone or TV or whatever. A simpler time.

9:40 AM  
Blogger DesLily said...

Cath: oh glad to hear about this sisters! Sometimes I am afraid to say something against a book that is so loved..but then a few times they said things to her about not being wanted I felt as if it were me they were saying it to and it hurt. I only had 1 brother and no other siblings..he never downed me.. never really praised me either but at least he didn't make me feel unwanted.
Oh yes! as soon as a book starts being "current"..and mentions things like a cell phone or computer it totally turns me off! I don't know why but it does.. oh and I had an OLD bike named Nellie Belle! heh..

9:55 AM  
Blogger OldLady Of The Hills said...

This sounds like an interesting series. It IS amazing that a mayure man can write in the voice of a 1950's 11 year old....!
Nor having read the book myself, I do have a negative reaction to the thing with the sisters---Does it really add anything to the book? No...it sounds like it takes away from the story....
It surely was a simpler time, wasn't it?

11:07 PM  
Blogger Kailana said...

You are doing better than me. I read the first book ages ago and still haven't moved on to the second book...

11:02 PM  
Blogger Kathleen said...

Sounds like a series I will enjoy.

8:56 PM  

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