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samantha1020's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good cozy mystery series so I'm really glad that I decided to finally try this new to me series and pick up this first book. From the beginning pages, I just knew that this was a series that I was going to enjoy. Who doesn't want to read about a woman moving to Cambridge with her mom to help run a family owned bookstore? I mean, that's a book lover's dream, is it not? The descriptions of Cambridge, the bookstore, just Molly's new life in general had me entranced. The mystery was really just a bonus if I'm being honest. I found myself swept away in this book even when I was able to figure out the whodunnit behind it all. It was just such a pleasant read - the perfect change of pace between some of the darker books I've read this year. I'm excited to continue on with this series and to work on catching up with it (it looks like book four releases later this year).
Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries or those who want to lose themselves in the pages of a book should give this series a try. I cannot wait to grab the second book and see what adventures/troubles Molly gets into next. Four stars and easily recommended!
CW - Suicide
Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries or those who want to lose themselves in the pages of a book should give this series a try. I cannot wait to grab the second book and see what adventures/troubles Molly gets into next. Four stars and easily recommended!
CW - Suicide
theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
Molly Kimball and her mother, Nina relocate to Cambridge, England after receiving a letter from Nina’s Aunt Violet Marlowe. Violet needs help getting the bookshop back in the black. During a poetry reading at the shop during the Cambridge Literary Festival, a local woman is murdered using Aunt Violet’s knitting needle. Molly with help from some new friends works to prove Aunt Violet’s innocence. Chapter and Curse by Elizabeth Penney is the debut of The Cambridge Bookshop Series. Elizabeth Penney captured Cambridge with the vivid descriptions. I could envision the beautiful old buildings of the area. The author created some great characters that live within a cozy community. Molly is a smart woman who loves books. She has great ideas for revitalizing the bookstore. I like Nina, Molly’s mother. I think she needed a change to help her recover from the death of her husband. Aunt Violet, George, Daisy, Sir John, Kiernan, and the other people living on Magpie Lane are charming. They are a friendly bunch who are welcoming. The mystery was well-plotted. We get to follow Molly as she conducts her investigation (you feel like you are in her shoes). There are breadcrumbs for readers to follow to help them solve the crime. I like how the mystery was laid out. The reveal was unique and entertaining. All the details regarding the whodunit were wrapped up so I was not left with lingering questions. I thought Chapter and Curse was well-written with slower pacing. I loved the book descriptions (like Molly, I love books) and meeting Puck. There is some romance in the book as well. I enjoyed my visit to Cambridge, and I look forward to returning in the next book. Chapter and Curse is a charming English cozy mystery with a precious Puck, an abating bookshop, a deadly poetry reading, a purloined knitting needle, a crafty cousin, good pub grub, and stealthy sleuthing.
andiwin's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
nikkibeingsocial's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.25
frankie7toes's review
Read the first chapter and just didn't care enough about any of it to continue.
olap's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
Okay cozy mystery. A lot of over-telling and overexplaining Britishness without particularly endearing hooks, but it's an okay time.
lynnegrace's review
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
esdeecarlson's review
1.0
**This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.**
1.5 stars
I really did not enjoy this book. Cozy mysteries are hit and miss for me, but I really thought this one (murder! Old ladies! Cambridge! Bookshop! Cats!) would be a hit for me; alas, it was one of the biggest misses I’ve read.
Firstly, I felt condescended to the entire book, as if, despite being an adult mystery, it was actually written for young American teens who have a romantic view of England but have never actually read any books set outside of the U.S. before. The first-person narrator ‘helpfully’ informed her readers about such obscure bits of Anglophile trivia as “‘mate’ is slang for ‘friend’” and “they really like tea here.”
The heroine herself was also deadly dull. I spent much of the book wishing that she, and her contrived “American cousin who comes in to save the bookshop with such Quirky, Modern Ideas as ‘using social media to drive engagement’” persona, were cut out entirely. Because part of the real tragedy of this book is that the actual murder plot is really interesting! An old woman who is blackmailing a truly fascinating cast of characters is murdered at a busy event. If Daisy—the young woman who runs the nearby café, and is directly related to a mysterious death from fifty years prior that seems suddenly relevant in this new case—had been the sleuth to tackle the mystery, I would have been much more invested. Instead we got Molly Kimball, who is just… bland.
I just did not have a good time with this story, and I wish that the mystery had been packaged differently—with more adult writing and a more engaging sleuth.
1.5 stars
I really did not enjoy this book. Cozy mysteries are hit and miss for me, but I really thought this one (murder! Old ladies! Cambridge! Bookshop! Cats!) would be a hit for me; alas, it was one of the biggest misses I’ve read.
Firstly, I felt condescended to the entire book, as if, despite being an adult mystery, it was actually written for young American teens who have a romantic view of England but have never actually read any books set outside of the U.S. before. The first-person narrator ‘helpfully’ informed her readers about such obscure bits of Anglophile trivia as “‘mate’ is slang for ‘friend’” and “they really like tea here.”
The heroine herself was also deadly dull. I spent much of the book wishing that she, and her contrived “American cousin who comes in to save the bookshop with such Quirky, Modern Ideas as ‘using social media to drive engagement’” persona, were cut out entirely. Because part of the real tragedy of this book is that the actual murder plot is really interesting! An old woman who is blackmailing a truly fascinating cast of characters is murdered at a busy event. If Daisy—the young woman who runs the nearby café, and is directly related to a mysterious death from fifty years prior that seems suddenly relevant in this new case—had been the sleuth to tackle the mystery, I would have been much more invested. Instead we got Molly Kimball, who is just… bland.
I just did not have a good time with this story, and I wish that the mystery had been packaged differently—with more adult writing and a more engaging sleuth.
jorkal22's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0