This is a mystery. The protagonist, Flavia de Luce, is a 11-year-old girl, but this book is written for adults. It's the first book written by author Alan Bradley and it's the first in a projected series of mysteries featuring Flavia.
General Rating: 3 out of 4 (it had plausibility issues AND Flavia's family relationships were not uplifting). I liked it a lot.
1. Plausible? This is the biggest problem with this book. Flavia, our detective, is only 11, but is preternaturally well-read, intelligent, even-tempered, insightful and just generally gifted. The ladies in my book club found her age very unbelievable and had to put it out of their minds before they could enjoy the book. I found Flavia believable, but perhaps that's because I liked the idealized picture of an 11-year-old. I have a 12-year-old and perhaps I like to imagine him as having the potential to be as mature, intelligent and insightful as Flavia is. It's my unreasonable idealism showing through.
2. Thought provoking? Well, it was an intelligent book. Plenty of literary allusions, a bit of clever science... yes, it was the kind of book that appeals to people who consider themselves smart.
3. Engaging? Absolutely yes. Very entertaining book.
4. Uplifting? Well, it ended well and I really liked it, so I think that counts as uplifting. One thing that my book club ladies found depressing about the book, though, was Flavia's pitiful relationships with her sisters and even her father. Her home life was not happy. I found those relationships easy to overlook.
Language: no bad language *my 15 year old daughter noticed that there were a few mild swear words
Sex: none
My recommendation: Well worth reading. I liked it a lot. My 15-year-old daughter liked it a lot too.
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