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andgineer's review against another edition
5.0
Одна из многих замечательных книг этой серии Рекса Стаута о Неро Вульф и Арчи Гудвин.
Вульф неизменно сдержан в эмоциях и театрален в финальной сцене раскрытия, Арчи неизменно ироничен и эффективен.
Особенно меня каждый раз впечатляет язык - я давно читаю большинство книг на английском без словаря, но с книгами Рекса Стаута то и дело добавляешь очередное неизвестное, из не односложного basic english, слово в карточки anki.
В книгах Рекса Стаута больше получаешь удовольствие от разыгрываемых Арчи и Неро сценок, чем от детективного сюжета, как правило не слишком изощренного.
Позабавило как тут в комментариях народ возмущается насчет слова негр в конкретно этой книге. Я понимаю что в английском оно относится сейчас к запретным и некультурным. Но во первых надо же делать скидку на то что книга написана почти сто лет назад, тогда это было не так.
И во вторых Рекс Стаут очень аккуратно обошелся с расовым вопросом в этой книге, если не придираться к словам то это уже какое-то ханжество насчет "не смог продолжать читать".
Вульф неизменно сдержан в эмоциях и театрален в финальной сцене раскрытия, Арчи неизменно ироничен и эффективен.
Особенно меня каждый раз впечатляет язык - я давно читаю большинство книг на английском без словаря, но с книгами Рекса Стаута то и дело добавляешь очередное неизвестное, из не односложного basic english, слово в карточки anki.
В книгах Рекса Стаута больше получаешь удовольствие от разыгрываемых Арчи и Неро сценок, чем от детективного сюжета, как правило не слишком изощренного.
Позабавило как тут в комментариях народ возмущается насчет слова негр в конкретно этой книге. Я понимаю что в английском оно относится сейчас к запретным и некультурным. Но во первых надо же делать скидку на то что книга написана почти сто лет назад, тогда это было не так.
И во вторых Рекс Стаут очень аккуратно обошелся с расовым вопросом в этой книге, если не придираться к словам то это уже какое-то ханжество насчет "не смог продолжать читать".
johnbreeden's review against another edition
4.0
It's undeniable that this suffers a bit from the biases of its time. I realized midway why there are so many of Rex Stout's books missing from Audible. The use of derogatory words for ethnic groups seems the most likely candidate. Not excusing the time period it was written in, it was overall a fair mystery. The very subtle clues that were through the book, rather than thrown in at the end, made this a 4 for me.
cardica's review against another edition
5.0
In this novel [a:Rex Stout|41112|Rex Stout|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1201136975p2/41112.jpg] has done the unthinkable, marrying the concepts of food and murder mystery, creating a delicious abomination that sinks itself into your tastebuds and just won’t let go. If you are looking for some light eating, err reading, to put you in the mood for some crime solving, this novel starring our rotund detective Nero Wolfe will set you straight.
The story follows Wolfe as he is barrelled up and shipped off to a holiday resort hotel called Kanawha Spa. A picturesque location for Wolfe to take some well-deserved time off, or at least that’s what he would like this novel to be about. As we are put in the perspective of his partner Archie Goodwin, we get to take in all the sights and sounds of a grand cook-off. The event is attended by the Fifteen Masters, a group of international chefs who meet every five years to test their culinary skills and uphold their own reputations in their secret chef society, and with Mr Wolfe being brought in to oversee it all. It’s obvious nothing could go wrong. It is during a public event that tragedy strikes, and the rest of the novel is spent traveling in the shoes of resident good boy Archie as he acts in the position of well, legs for the good detective.
The gimmick that this series of novels plays with relies heavily on the dynamics between the Detective Wolfe, and the Watson Archie. While Nero Wolfe is predominantly the brains of the outfit, he absolutely HATES travel. So we result in a rather terse back and forth between the two halves of this crime solving outfit as we dash back and forth through the action. Too Many Cooks is a novel that isn’t afraid to separate these staple pieces of the detective genre and in a way that adds so much spice to the dish. Archie himself is a pleasure to follow through as he is quite the snarky gentleman. Sometimes voicing his sarcasm out loud, other times keeping it locked in his head, either way, the dynamic that Archie and Nero pull off is endlessly entertaining.
The main course of this meal is the chefs themselves, and honestly why I couldn’t put this book down. So much of the setup of this crime and even the puzzle itself relies on the relationships that the different characters impose upon each other, for better or worse. Rex Stout shows his knowledge of good character cooking, mixing and matching theme with each other to really bring out the flavour of the scene. The novel is able to weave a web of characters while still keeping that organic touch, bringing out the best and worst qualities of everyone involved, it keeps it feeling very… human.
It would be remiss of me to not mention the single ingredient that pulls Rex Stout’s story above the rest of the stories we have read this past year, and that is the heart of the characters. Despite having these snippy back and forths and Nero Wolfe being quite unpleasant in a lot of his bossing about of his sidekick, they are both characters who are shown to have tremendous heart when dealing with the case. Rex Stout used this novel as an opportunity to evolve the Black Rights cause of his time, portraying black characters with respect and dignity, and when characters put them down in the story for the colour of their skin Nero is there to pull them back up. It’s actually an important part of solving this mystery and it’s the tremendous heart here that puts Too Many Cooks at the top of our list for 2019 on Death of the Reader. You can catch our full thoughts on the podcast.
The story follows Wolfe as he is barrelled up and shipped off to a holiday resort hotel called Kanawha Spa. A picturesque location for Wolfe to take some well-deserved time off, or at least that’s what he would like this novel to be about. As we are put in the perspective of his partner Archie Goodwin, we get to take in all the sights and sounds of a grand cook-off. The event is attended by the Fifteen Masters, a group of international chefs who meet every five years to test their culinary skills and uphold their own reputations in their secret chef society, and with Mr Wolfe being brought in to oversee it all. It’s obvious nothing could go wrong. It is during a public event that tragedy strikes, and the rest of the novel is spent traveling in the shoes of resident good boy Archie as he acts in the position of well, legs for the good detective.
The gimmick that this series of novels plays with relies heavily on the dynamics between the Detective Wolfe, and the Watson Archie. While Nero Wolfe is predominantly the brains of the outfit, he absolutely HATES travel. So we result in a rather terse back and forth between the two halves of this crime solving outfit as we dash back and forth through the action. Too Many Cooks is a novel that isn’t afraid to separate these staple pieces of the detective genre and in a way that adds so much spice to the dish. Archie himself is a pleasure to follow through as he is quite the snarky gentleman. Sometimes voicing his sarcasm out loud, other times keeping it locked in his head, either way, the dynamic that Archie and Nero pull off is endlessly entertaining.
The main course of this meal is the chefs themselves, and honestly why I couldn’t put this book down. So much of the setup of this crime and even the puzzle itself relies on the relationships that the different characters impose upon each other, for better or worse. Rex Stout shows his knowledge of good character cooking, mixing and matching theme with each other to really bring out the flavour of the scene. The novel is able to weave a web of characters while still keeping that organic touch, bringing out the best and worst qualities of everyone involved, it keeps it feeling very… human.
It would be remiss of me to not mention the single ingredient that pulls Rex Stout’s story above the rest of the stories we have read this past year, and that is the heart of the characters. Despite having these snippy back and forths and Nero Wolfe being quite unpleasant in a lot of his bossing about of his sidekick, they are both characters who are shown to have tremendous heart when dealing with the case. Rex Stout used this novel as an opportunity to evolve the Black Rights cause of his time, portraying black characters with respect and dignity, and when characters put them down in the story for the colour of their skin Nero is there to pull them back up. It’s actually an important part of solving this mystery and it’s the tremendous heart here that puts Too Many Cooks at the top of our list for 2019 on Death of the Reader. You can catch our full thoughts on the podcast.
donkeykong64's review against another edition
3.5
Nero Wolfe leaving his house!? Always a treat, and of course it’s to satisfy his gourmand tendencies. The Wolfe/Goodwin duo amused per usual, I love Stout’s cracking prose, feels more hard boiled and tough than his British contemporaries while still maintining the same respect for the rules of the genre. Do feel the denouement here is a bit rushed and not altogether satisfying (though logically sound). This one could have been a bit longer.
ichirofakename's review against another edition
3.0
Exceptionally breezy tale, with delightful voices in the two main characters, Wolfe and his assistant, the narrator, Archie Goodwin. Plot is involved without being intriguing. Written in 1938, with consequent social attitudes that are rather offputting, but not dominant. It's worth reading one of the series.
dllh's review against another edition
2.0
This one started off really slowly, and though I guess part of its intent was to portray Wolfe as a man above petty racism, some of the language and attitudes in this one bothered me (even granting it was set in 1937). It did leave me with a smile on my face in the end.
alice_horoshev's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0