Dolly And The Singing Bird (1982) - Plot & Excerpts
[7/10] extra star for being written by one of my favorite authorsBefore becoming a writer, Dorothy Dunnett was a voracious reader. According to her biography, when she complained to her husband that she has run out of reading material, he asked her why she doesn’t write her own stories. The result of the challenge is one of my all time favorite historical adventures: the epic “Lymond Chronicles”, followed by equally impressive “House of Niccolo” novels. The Dolly mystery novels are lightweight, summer reads compared to her erudite, monumental historical doorstoppers. But they shine with the same intelligent, mischievious, subversive approach to storytelling. I can imagine the author chuckling over the typewriter, as she sets out not to imitate but to play with the rules of the sleuthing game as set out by the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers.Like his more famous counterparts, Sherlock Holmes and Lord Peter Whimsey, our detective is an intriguing individual with a passion for solving mysteries and a rich repertoire of affectations and idiosyncrasies. His name is Johnson Johnson, he is a renowned portrait painter and a passionate sailor on his private yacht “Dolly”. His visage is rather non-descript, dominated and defined by his bifocal glasses, and he is thrifty in providing personal information: I like Bach, whisky, striped underpants, Montego Bay, shooting and Peruvian brandy. Also beautiful ladies of character. This is my first novel in the series and, from the brief research I have made, it appears that each episode is a stand-alone adventure, told from the perspective of a ‘lady of character’, set aboard the yacht “Dolly” in an exotic location close to the sea. In the first installment the narrator is Tina Rossi, a world famous coloratura soprano, and the setting is Scotland, starting in Edinburgh with a recital at the Festival, and moving later to the islands on the West coast, in particular one called Rum. So there’s where the new title comes from, although I was confused in the beginning, considering a Whisky Affair more appropriate for the Hebrides. I actually like the original title better: “Dolly and the Singing Bird”, with Tina Rossi in the role of the singing lady.Tina is a lively, resourceful and sharp-tongued protagonist, alternating her behaviour from a damzel in distress to a sophisticated jet-set primadona, with an underlaying layer of pragmatism and ambition. She’s at the top of her career, but she never forgets her modest start in a foster home. Her troubles begin in Edinburgh, when she escapes from her luxurious hotel on a romantic assignation, where instead of meeting her lover in their love nest, she finds a dead body in a cupboard. Johnson Johnson intervenes to help her out of this tricky situation, and then offers to take her on his boat to the remote island where this man, a respected scientist named Kenneth Holmes, is either missing or in deep trouble with the authorities. Expect complications and a lot of surprising twists.The way Dunnett balances sophisticated comedy with mystery and with several edge-of-the-seat set pieces, in particular an Atlantic storm in a disabled small boat, reminds me pleasantly of the talent displayed in her historical pieces, while keeping the overall tone lighter and avoiding the eclectic, encyclopaedic references that tend to slow down said novels.I would recommend the book as a good vacation choice, especially for readers who have a passing interest in sailing, in Scotland whisky distilleries, in grand opera and in British-flavoured whodunits. They may not be representative of the author’s exquisite talent for historical fiction, but they are a good example of writing for fun and profit.Note: I have another example of an author who got high praise for sprawling historical epics, yet managed to publish a series of crime mysteries with female leads and a humorous tone: M M Kaye is well known for her Indian adentures, “The Far Pavillions” and “Shadow of the Moon”, yet her murder novels are sadly out of print. I wish some publisher will pick them up for electronic publishing and make it easier for the fans to track them down and buy them.
I discovered the Dolly books when I was living in Europe and looking for something to read at the American Embassy in Geneva. Little did I know that I would be swept away by Dunnett's quirky, hilarious hero Johnson Johnson, wealthy social gadfly and undercover mystery solver extraordinaire. Dolly is his yacht...he travels from port to port meeting fabulous people and helping them out of sticky situations. I had to rush back to the Embassy to buy ALL the books they had in this series. The humor is very British so it took some getting used to but I love how unique her voice is. I don't think I ever figured out just who Johnson Johnson really is but I'd sure want him on my side.
What do You think about Dolly And The Singing Bird (1982)?
I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd never read any of Dorothy Dunnett's books. It is a well written mystery, with several interesting twists. It's presented from the perspective of one of the main characters, but not necessarily from the one you'd expect. The terminology is both nautical, and European. (Ms. Dunnett was based in Scotland) A dictionary on hand might be helpful, but not necessary to continue with the flow of the story. The descriptions of the scenery, clothes, and jewels are beautiful. I enjoyed it, even though I didn't really connect with any of the characters.
—Lisa
Part mystery, part spy story, but primarily a character study of a famous female singer. Her practiced coping with the men who want to use her, sleep with her, or impede her is one of the more interesting aspects of this book. I also found interesting her detailed description of her (endless) array of outfits, because that is very much a part of a woman who is famous and to whom appearance is a primary factor.The story is a tad overlong, and could particularly have done without most of the final 20%, and the last twist kind of left me blah, but I'm curious to see how different the next book will be, so I'll probably try one or two more of these.
—Andrea
