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heather_boo's review against another edition
2.0
1.5. Miraculously I forced myself to finish this audiobook. I think the atmosphere was really good except sometimes I simply didn’t know what was going on. I kept trying and pieces of it would be very clear and then it would go into pieces that weren’t clear at all. It just wasn’t for me and I don’t want to struggle so hard.
taliatalksbooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd was one of my most anticipated 2024 reads, but unfortunately fell a little short. First off, I felt like there were so many characters, and I simply couldn’t keep them all straight. Trying to remember who was involved with what was difficult, especially when combined with a non-linear timeline. I didn’t really feel like it was necessary for the plot development and it felt more chaotic in trying to keep the characters straight. I also found the dialogue to be a bit dull between characters. Everything felt fluffy and formal and it took me out of the story while reading. I think in the context of the year the book takes place in, it makes sense, but it made it hard to follow because there was excessive description and many moments where not much was happening actively. I did really like the concept of the book, and I found the plot interesting, I just wish it had been a bit more streamlined.
green_rat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lauracooleyjohnson's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a basic whodunnit, set in the 1800s. It has a pretty cool protagonist, a woman (imagine!) inspector, and some interesting colorful descriptions of the times. But I didn’t like it. Too boring.
timinbc's review against another edition
5.0
I'm going to read all of Kidd's work.
Many reviewers here have mentioned the wonderful characters. I'll add how refreshing it is that Bridie is only moderately competent and plucky, and Inspector Rose respects her - just two departures from the all-too-common tropes. And an additional character: London, also avoiding the too-common wallowing for pages in the details of horrible poverty and nasty pubs and alleys. Cora, wow, there has to be another book with Bridie and Cora, even if it is otherwise a completely different book. The bad guys are pretty standard bwah-hah-hah villains, but this is balanced by a few characters who were decent enough but got drawn in over their heads.
But I didn't see many mentions of how wonderfully Irish the prose is, often nearly poetry with rhythms and idiom and uniquely Irish structures.
The plot develops at a very nice pace, and small mysteries are revealed, last of all being Ruby's story.
The book uses the two-time-stream approach, with flashbacks to Bridie's earlier life. It's often done badly, but not here. We're given past information when we need it, relevant to what we have just learned in the present.
Be warned that it's not a nice cozy mystery: the bad guys do some nasty stuff. Nor is it 100% real-world, because a few elements edge into folklore.
It's been a while since I said, "Oh, darn, it's over," but this is one of those books.
It's in my Top 5 of the year so far.
p.s. "There are things in jars" goes into my notes right next to "there's something nasty in the woodshed."
Many reviewers here have mentioned the wonderful characters. I'll add how refreshing it is that Bridie is only moderately competent and plucky, and Inspector Rose respects her - just two departures from the all-too-common tropes. And an additional character: London, also avoiding the too-common wallowing for pages in the details of horrible poverty and nasty pubs and alleys. Cora, wow, there has to be another book with Bridie and Cora, even if it is otherwise a completely different book. The bad guys are pretty standard bwah-hah-hah villains, but this is balanced by a few characters who were decent enough but got drawn in over their heads.
But I didn't see many mentions of how wonderfully Irish the prose is, often nearly poetry with rhythms and idiom and uniquely Irish structures.
The plot develops at a very nice pace, and small mysteries are revealed, last of all being Ruby's story.
The book uses the two-time-stream approach, with flashbacks to Bridie's earlier life. It's often done badly, but not here. We're given past information when we need it, relevant to what we have just learned in the present.
Be warned that it's not a nice cozy mystery: the bad guys do some nasty stuff. Nor is it 100% real-world, because a few elements edge into folklore.
It's been a while since I said, "Oh, darn, it's over," but this is one of those books.
It's in my Top 5 of the year so far.
p.s. "There are things in jars" goes into my notes right next to "there's something nasty in the woodshed."
greymalkin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
An okay gothic murder mystery, with lots of fun period details. Unfortunately I couldn't find a character to really latch onto, and I found Bridie too much of a cypher to get invested in her story. For being a detective she seemed to do very little detecting work or deduction, she just knew things that were sometimes clues. The "romance" with the ghost was frustrating because it relied too much on the author being coy and not having the detective main character actually piece it together herself.
I also was a bit surprised that in the author notes, the author didn't mention that they were essentially making a female Sherlock Holmes. The addiction, the measured emotional responses to everything, the use of disguises specifically of other genders and ages, the partnership with a lumbering goodhearted person who happens to be their biggest fan, the complicated family relationships, the fondness for belittling other people, the interest in science and lack of disgust of dead and dismembered things... it felt so obvious to me. But that's probably my biases coming into play there.
I also was a bit surprised that in the author notes, the author didn't mention that they were essentially making a female Sherlock Holmes. The addiction, the measured emotional responses to everything, the use of disguises specifically of other genders and ages, the partnership with a lumbering goodhearted person who happens to be their biggest fan, the complicated family relationships, the fondness for belittling other people, the interest in science and lack of disgust of dead and dismembered things... it felt so obvious to me. But that's probably my biases coming into play there.
catherine_hopper's review against another edition
4.0
This was an unexpected fun read. Bizarre and strange at times, this "gothic mystery" (as it was described on the back cover) contained stirring, beautiful (and sometimes haunting) descriptions of victorian London and had me pulling for the main characters Bridie Devine and her companions from page 1.
feedon's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
ellenjanemck's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5