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tobyyy's review
4.0
The first of this week’s book haul from the library.
I love how Anne Perry tackles societal issues in her books. Perhaps as I’ve become more aware of the world around me, and in the work that I do, these pieces have become more obvious to me when I encounter them in rather unexpected places. This novella dealt with the oppression of women - a fairly common topic of Perry’s novels but a striking one in this one specifically.
I enjoyed this book. I have read Dracula multiple times so the references to the story were intriguing. However, I think that if one is unfamiliar with the plot of Dracula then this novel’s plot and details may be tedious. I loved the clever pieces of philosophy, taken from Bram Stoker and applied to the lives of the characters, and I enjoyed the ending as well. The final line almost made me cry, due to its placement and meaning based on the story arc:
“Behind her, other church bells joined in the welcome of the day when, briefly, gloriously, all mankind is at home.”
I love how Anne Perry tackles societal issues in her books. Perhaps as I’ve become more aware of the world around me, and in the work that I do, these pieces have become more obvious to me when I encounter them in rather unexpected places. This novella dealt with the oppression of women - a fairly common topic of Perry’s novels but a striking one in this one specifically.
I enjoyed this book. I have read Dracula multiple times so the references to the story were intriguing. However, I think that if one is unfamiliar with the plot of Dracula then this novel’s plot and details may be tedious. I loved the clever pieces of philosophy, taken from Bram Stoker and applied to the lives of the characters, and I enjoyed the ending as well. The final line almost made me cry, due to its placement and meaning based on the story arc:
“Behind her, other church bells joined in the welcome of the day when, briefly, gloriously, all mankind is at home.”
barbi_story's review
4.0
Enjoyed the story would have preferred a little more on the solving of the crime.
victoria92's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
tiff_reads_plenty's review
1.0
I didn't understand this book, it was terrible! The book involved a group of actors who meet at a location to create and perform a play, and then there is a murder in which they suspect a vampire. Random storyline for sure.
bak8382's review
3.0
Caroline Fielding finds herself accompanying her husband to a manor house in Yorkshire in order to produce a theatrical version of Dracula adapted by the daughter of the owner. Initially the play is a disaster, but with the help of a mysterious stranger it begins to appear the show can go on. When murder strikes and the company finds themselves snowed in, it is up to Caroline to figure out what happened.
Regular readers of Anne Perry will recognize Caroline as the mother of Charlotte Pitt, and consequently mother-in-law to Thomas Pitt from one of her regular series. As with all her Christmas mysteries everything is solved over a manner of days, and that's exactly what happens here. It's almost too neat, and Caroline is a bit too forthcoming with her opinions to be believable for the time period. It's a quick read, but not worth it to all, but the most die hard of fans.
Regular readers of Anne Perry will recognize Caroline as the mother of Charlotte Pitt, and consequently mother-in-law to Thomas Pitt from one of her regular series. As with all her Christmas mysteries everything is solved over a manner of days, and that's exactly what happens here. It's almost too neat, and Caroline is a bit too forthcoming with her opinions to be believable for the time period. It's a quick read, but not worth it to all, but the most die hard of fans.
thisbookishcat's review
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
This book was quite the entertaining read! I went into it with no real expectations as I've never read any of her books and I was very happy with how it all panned out. At times the pacing seemed too slow and then too rushed, but for a fun and fluffy Christmas mystery novel it's quite fun. Well worth the read.
judyward's review
2.0
In retrospect maybe reading this book in August wasn't the best idea, but in my defense, I had just just bought my first three Christmas presents and my thoughts were on the holidays. But, in truth, I think that my reaction to the book would have been the same if I had read it on Christmas Eve just after decorating the tree and drinking a couple of glasses of eggnog. It is the Christmas season and Joshua Fielding, his wife, and his theatrical troupe travel to an lovely manor house in Whitby where they are to debut a stage production of Dracula. While the actors revise and rehearse the production, a blizzard cuts off the outside world and a stranger dressed in black arrives seeking shelter. You got it--there is a murder in a isolated country house and virtually everyone inside the house is a suspect.