What do You think about Flavia De Luce Y El Misterio De La Gitana (2011)?
2.5* I read the first in this series a couple of years ago and, while I can remember almost nothing about the plot, this one feels extremely similar. Flavia solves the mysteries of the assault on a gypsy and the murder of a local thief. She also explains lots of chemistry to us, avoids her family members and appears to lead an almost entirely solitary existence. I found the plot unbelievable, although I appreciate that realism is not what this book is about. I am not sure what the function of Porcelain was. How old was Porcelain meant to be? Why was Colin (apparently so young that he is a cub scout) in Brookie's power? Why did Flavia feel it important to conceal the fact that she found Brookie in the house in the middle of the night? Why did the hospital matron (in the most amusing scene in the novel) accept that the cigarette belonged to 11 year old Flavia?What was the point of dragging in the story about the portrait of Harriet and her children? How did Flavia's bike make it home from the fete? Why does a Canadian published book set in England use US spellings? I know that last point is petty, but Flavia would never have spelt odour "odor".I won't be reading any more from this series.
—ikers02
I think I am done with Flavia de Luce. I quite enjoyed the first book, thought there was a significant drop in quality with the second book, and another big drop with this third installment. It did not help that I listened to the audiobook this time and did not care for the way the narrator performed Flavia. This audiobook really brought home to me what a big difference it makes listening vs. reading. In this case, the performance was of high quality, but Flavia's narration was done in a way that gave her a completely different personality than the one I had imagined during the first two books. Apparently, she finds everything amusing and smirks and laughs her way through everything from family strife to murder.That wasn't the worst part, though. I just didn't think the plot was very good. The solution to the mystery did not work for me and did not seem very related to the plot twists & turns we'd been through during the book. Also, Flavia's chemistry hobby seemed poorly integrated this time -- like the author was forcing it in, rather than it being central or necessary to the story.At least this clears a few titles off my to-read list!
—kas10_5
What a wonderful series - continues to delight and surprise.
—Imogen
3 1/2 STARS
—justine
audio
—Twincess
