The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Review: Quirky

In The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley has conjured up an enchanting little world with charismatic characters that readers will love. Read on for our full review.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

BOOK REVIEW

Quirky and captivating. Flavia de Luce, protagonist and narrator, is a precocious little miss – but one the reader will fall under the spell of. Flavia de Luce even has her own website. Flavia exhibits wisdom beyond her years and shares many gems with the reader.

‘Feely says that there is a broken telephone connection, between men and women, and we can never know which of us rang off. With a boy you never know whether he’s smitten or gagging, but with a girl you can tell in the first three seconds.’

‘I waited as this sunk in. Communicating with Ned was like exchanging cabled messages with a slow reader in Mongolia.’

‘As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.’

‘… it had been the garage where autos had their oil and tyres change, their axles lubricated and other intimate underside adjustments seen too.’

But what about the story?

Alan Bradley’s The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie has been a huge success and that success is well-deserved.

Bradley‘s talent as an author really shines through, as does his extraordinary vocabulary. For those that have not had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Flavia de Luce I strongly urge you to do so – you will not regret it.

BOOK RATING: The Writing 5 / 5 ; The Story 4.5 / 5  —  Overall 4.75

Get your copy of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie from:

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OR listen to the audiobook FREE with Audible’s Trial (check eligibility)

This book counts towards my participation in the Cozy Mystery Challenge.

Fans of M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin, Frances Brody and Alexander McCall Smith will enjoy the Flavia de Luce mysteries:

1. Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag
3. A Red Herring Without Mustard
4. I Am Half Sick of Shadows
5. Speaking From Among the Bones
6. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
7. As Chimney Sweepers Come To Dust
8. Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d
9. The Grave’s a Fine and Private Place

* Each Flavia de Luce mystery can be read as a standalone or in series order *

About the Author, Alan Bradley

Alan Bradley received the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Award for The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, his first novel, which went on to win the Agatha Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Macavity Award and the Spotted Owl Award. He is the author of many short stories, children’s stories, newspaper columns, and the memoir The Shoebox Bible. He co-authored Ms. Holmes of Baker Street with the late William A.S. Sarjeant. Bradley lives in Malta with his wife and two calculating cats. Check out his website.

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