meganbmoore (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
meganbmoore) wrote2008-02-25 02:33 am
meganbmoore) wrote2008-02-25 02:33 am
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Whose Body by Dorothy L. Sayers
Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey books is a series I've been meaning to read for some time. I've seen a BBC production of one of the books (involving, IIRC, Wimsey's sister's fiance being murdered and both her and their brother being suspects) but never read one.
Peter Wimsey is an upperclass gent in 1920s England, and a war veteran. At first glance, he comes across as (as I believesmillaraaqworded it to me a few days ago) "a superscilious upper-class fool." I think my personal description would be "overly-absorbed, facetious twit." This does, however, seem to largely be a surface personality, and the "real" Peter Wimsey is a determined, observant investigator who often aids Scotland Yard, dragging his valet, Bunter, along with him. Most fans of the series I know seem to be fans primarily for later books in the series (which is also one of the draws for me, but I mustmustmust start series at the beginning) but this book stands up well on it's own.
Mostly a straightforward "whodunnit?" murder mystery, Wimsey is made aware of a body found in a bathtub wearing nothing but an expensive pince-nez, at the same time a prominent financier goes missing. While there is an obvious conclusion to be drawn, and one Scotland Yard's investigator eagerly jumps at, Wimsey has his suspicions, though, and lauches his own investigations into the matter.
Mixed in, though, are hints and references to Wimsey's past, indicating that the war caused a mental breakdown of some sort, including a scene where he hallucinates that he's back in the war. Perhaps I've simply encountered it too much in fiction and am jumping to conclusions, but I am assuming that Bunter is a war buddy of some sort, who entered Wimsey's service after the war. (If so, it's a setup I typically find interesting.)
I have a confession to make, though: I often got distracted from the plot by the excellent, witty dialogue, and had to reread some parts because of that. And I probably still missed something...
Peter Wimsey is an upperclass gent in 1920s England, and a war veteran. At first glance, he comes across as (as I believe
smillaraaqworded it to me a few days ago) "a superscilious upper-class fool." I think my personal description would be "overly-absorbed, facetious twit." This does, however, seem to largely be a surface personality, and the "real" Peter Wimsey is a determined, observant investigator who often aids Scotland Yard, dragging his valet, Bunter, along with him. Most fans of the series I know seem to be fans primarily for later books in the series (which is also one of the draws for me, but I mustmustmust start series at the beginning) but this book stands up well on it's own.Mostly a straightforward "whodunnit?" murder mystery, Wimsey is made aware of a body found in a bathtub wearing nothing but an expensive pince-nez, at the same time a prominent financier goes missing. While there is an obvious conclusion to be drawn, and one Scotland Yard's investigator eagerly jumps at, Wimsey has his suspicions, though, and lauches his own investigations into the matter.
Mixed in, though, are hints and references to Wimsey's past, indicating that the war caused a mental breakdown of some sort, including a scene where he hallucinates that he's back in the war. Perhaps I've simply encountered it too much in fiction and am jumping to conclusions, but I am assuming that Bunter is a war buddy of some sort, who entered Wimsey's service after the war. (If so, it's a setup I typically find interesting.)
I have a confession to make, though: I often got distracted from the plot by the excellent, witty dialogue, and had to reread some parts because of that. And I probably still missed something...
no subject
Along with the "gay = evil rapist" and "woman should do whatever the man says" of the book you waded through, I bet you'd loooooooove the two I've been battling with. They add in "fat = evil", "poor hygiene = evil", "woman who likes sex too much but isn't goopy about motherhood = evil", and oh yeah, "crossdressers = ok, maybe not quite *evil*, but definitely pathetic, unmanly, and good only for mockery and working as beauticians".
Stupid, OTOH, does not equal evil in the Edwards-verse, because at this point I'm pretty sure the only character with an IQ higher than room temperature is the dog in Savage Grace...
no subject
Sadly, there was no pet in SH to bring up the general IQ level...