Aunt Dimity And The Deep Blue Sea (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
I really enjoyed this book. I think it's more about my desperation to find and read good books with female protagonists, than a statement about this book. Aunt Dimity and the Deep Blue Sea breaks all the rules, and does it badly. It's filled with telling instead of showing. What this means is it's superficial rather than substantive and deep. Well, that's ok to a degree. Perhaps. I like Nancy Atherton's protagonist, but I don't know why. I don't know what she looks like, for example. But I do know in great detail what everyone is wearing.Next, I was bothered by the plot. In the beginning, a conflict is set up. A bad guy has threatened the family of our protagonist, Lori. She and her children are shipped off to a remote island in order to hide from the bad guy. Husband, Bill, stays behind to solve the mystery in our absence. (boring). Almost immediately, a new mystery is set up and most of the book is about this B story mystery. The B story mystery is resolved by bringing a bunch of mostly unknown characters together into a room where they talk about and reveal all the answers; thus solving the mystery. (boring). Then we go back to the original mystery. The protagonist, Lori, is injured and taken to the hospital. While she is away, the men solve the mystery. To make it even more insulting, an act of God resolves the bad guy.And yet, I kept turning the pages. Go figure.Maybe the most bizarre thing, plot device, is a ghost called Aunt Dimity who appears only to Lori, by writing in a journal. At the end of each useless chat, Aunt Dimity's writing disappears from the book. I think the story would stand on it's own, so to say, without the thoughts of Aunt Dimity.Altogether a bizarre read that I somehow enjoyed.
I was very impressed by this book. Going on my normal, "Judge-A-Book-By-It's-Cover-Method," I am happy to report that I was way off. In one word I though this book was going to be... Fruity. I also assumed that it was not going to have very much depth to the plot, although the plot seemed very original. I was surprised to find that even though there is a character named Aunt Dimity, she is by no means a leading role. The actual plot is about a mom and her two boys who suddenly have their life threatened and have to escape to an island. It's very well written, with some interesting twists, but not using too high a level of vocabulary.
What do You think about Aunt Dimity And The Deep Blue Sea (2007)?
I really liked this one. It has an offbeat element of the ghost in a blue journal, Aunt Dimity. When I just started reading it and realized that the main character talks to a ghost, I thought "Oh boy, this is about to get all supernatural and weird. Soon werewolves and vampires are gonna do battle in this Scottish castle by the sea." On the contrary though, instead of getting in the way, the Aunt Dimity plot device was seamlessly integrated into the story. It didn't get in the way and only appeared once in a while to help the plot along the way and assist the main character in small ways to solve the mystery. It was a good mystery with interesting and engaging characters. I will surely looks for more books in this series as this story left me guessing until the very end.
—Elsa Wong
#11 in this cozy mystery series wasn't quite as cozy as the others I've read. Someone was making death threats toward Bill, Lori, and their twin sons Will and Rob. Bill arranges for Lori and the boys to be spirited away from Finch to Erinskill, a remote island in the Outer Hebrides where they could be protected within the walls of a friend's castle. A history of Viking murders of monks on the island, a more recent history of smuggling, and Lori's rescue of her sons from the bad guy, all contributed to the mystery and it's resolution. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading the remainder of the series.
—Carlin
In #11 of the Aunt Dimity series, Lori finds herself and her twin boys whisked away to a remote Scottish isle when Bill receives death threats against himself and his family. With no clue as to who would be sending these threats, Lori and the boys are tucked away in the safety of family friend Lord Percy's retreat. While Bill and Scotland Yard work together to discover who is behind the dangerous emails to Bill, Lori discovers her own mystery on the island to solve. And, as always, Lori confers with Aunt Dimity via the blue journal for some sage advice and observations from beyond the pale. Lots of action in this intriguing addition to the series, as well as great atmosphere.
—Kathy
