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rosieclaverton's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid offering in the series - a fantastical premise that is well executed.
mariapascualfont's review against another edition
3.0
Li poso 3,5 estrelles perquè em va costar entrar en el llibre i era ple de referències difícils... tot i això, l'he gaudit força i tenia un estil d'escriptura que m'ha agradat molt.
alanaleigh's review against another edition
5.0
The Moving Toyshop by Edmund Crispin is utterly fabulous. It cropped up on some list of great sleuthing books a while ago and recently, I decided I needed a random treat. Having forgotten all the details that merited its placement on my Amazon wishlist, I was plunged into a wickedly funny and delicious murder mystery romp that takes place over twenty four hours in Oxford.
The Moving Toyshop is the third in a series of novels featuring Gervase Fen, an Oxford don who evidently solves crimes more often than he lectures or have tutorials with students -- but knowing nothing about Gervase Fen did not hinder me here. The novel opens in 1938 London, with the poet Richard Cadogan trying to coax an advance from his publisher, as he's utterly bored, needs adventure, and has selected Oxford as his holiday destination of choice. After a late-night arrival in Oxford, he stumbles into a toy shop -- and discovers a dead body. (Just accept this ridiculous premise and move on.) After being knocked unconscious and reviving in a broom cupboard only to escape, when Cadogan tries to take the police to the scene of the crime -- the location he distinctly remembers as a toy shop is a grocer's and there is no body to be found. Cadogan seeks out his old schoolmate Fen to help him track down the killer (and the body... and the toy shop...) and a rolicking day of sleuthing ensues.
Now, we all know how much I love Oxford, and if you do, too, then I think you're certain to love this. Cadogan and Fen seem to run over every inch of the place, but there are other things that conspired to make this a new favorite book of mine... for instance, the near bar-fight over Jane Austen. Seriously, I knew before then that I was quite charmed with the book, but at that point, I knew it was fantastic. While sitting in a bar or tied up and held hostage, Cadogan and Fen play games where they name off unreadable classics or insufferable characters that are intended as sympathetic. I'm totally going to start doing this with my friends whenever we find ourselves waiting somewhere. The novel is also in that particular witty style of British novels where every man is a raging homosexual or a rake... and even the rakes seem a bit light in the loafers. The dialogue is fantastic (I don't often underline in my books these days, but there were a few exchanges that I simply knew I'd want to note for later reference) and while the circumstances of the murder mystery are clearly ridiculous, it still makes for a very amusing story.
In short, if you enjoy ridiculous British sleuthing novels, then I'd be surprised if you hadn't read this already -- and if you haven't, you simply must.
The Moving Toyshop is the third in a series of novels featuring Gervase Fen, an Oxford don who evidently solves crimes more often than he lectures or have tutorials with students -- but knowing nothing about Gervase Fen did not hinder me here. The novel opens in 1938 London, with the poet Richard Cadogan trying to coax an advance from his publisher, as he's utterly bored, needs adventure, and has selected Oxford as his holiday destination of choice. After a late-night arrival in Oxford, he stumbles into a toy shop -- and discovers a dead body. (Just accept this ridiculous premise and move on.) After being knocked unconscious and reviving in a broom cupboard only to escape, when Cadogan tries to take the police to the scene of the crime -- the location he distinctly remembers as a toy shop is a grocer's and there is no body to be found. Cadogan seeks out his old schoolmate Fen to help him track down the killer (and the body... and the toy shop...) and a rolicking day of sleuthing ensues.
Now, we all know how much I love Oxford, and if you do, too, then I think you're certain to love this. Cadogan and Fen seem to run over every inch of the place, but there are other things that conspired to make this a new favorite book of mine... for instance, the near bar-fight over Jane Austen. Seriously, I knew before then that I was quite charmed with the book, but at that point, I knew it was fantastic. While sitting in a bar or tied up and held hostage, Cadogan and Fen play games where they name off unreadable classics or insufferable characters that are intended as sympathetic. I'm totally going to start doing this with my friends whenever we find ourselves waiting somewhere. The novel is also in that particular witty style of British novels where every man is a raging homosexual or a rake... and even the rakes seem a bit light in the loafers. The dialogue is fantastic (I don't often underline in my books these days, but there were a few exchanges that I simply knew I'd want to note for later reference) and while the circumstances of the murder mystery are clearly ridiculous, it still makes for a very amusing story.
In short, if you enjoy ridiculous British sleuthing novels, then I'd be surprised if you hadn't read this already -- and if you haven't, you simply must.
cjhh's review against another edition
What a stinking delight, so droll. This is what I imagine a P.G. Wodehouse mystery novel would sound like. I essentially read this in one day just because I wanted to stay in this world just a little bit longer. And while I can't say that the mystery itself was the most intriguing, I still enjoyed it. I may have come for the mystery, but I stayed for the wonderfully comedic characters and their interactions.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
I was looking for something a little lighter after the latest intense Swedish thriller I finished...this was the perfect fit! The dialog was witty & laugh-out-loud funny. I loved the banter between Fen & Cadogen and the author's technique of talking directly to the reader in places. The mystery of the moving toy shop was enjoyable & complex, despite how short this book was. Definitely worth seeking out this little gem! I'd love to read more by this author & hope to find more Gervase Fen mysteries soon!
krobart's review against another edition
4.0
See my review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/day-1099-the-moving-toyshop/
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/day-1099-the-moving-toyshop/
bookmarkhoarder's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
deegee24's review against another edition
5.0
Edmund Crispin (the pen name of composer Bruce Montgomery) deserves to be more widely known. He was friends with Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis and shared their irreverent sense of humor (as well as their debilitating alcoholism, unfortunately). The Moving Toyshop, published in 1946, is often cited as Crispin's masterpiece. It can be appreciated on many levels: as a locked room mystery, as a light-hearted, zany academic satire in the manner of Amis' Lucky Jim, and as a highly self-conscious parody of the detective genre that anticipates many of the literary devices of postmodernism. Most importantly, it is extremely entertaining and written with style and infectious energy. Gervase Fen is a gentleman detective like Holmes and Poirot and he is assisted by a rather circumspect companion, the Oxonian poet Cadogan, along with a whole gang of helpers from the Oxford campus. The crime plot is intentionally ridiculous and many of the secondary characters are comedic types used to poke fun at the high cultured world with which Crispin was familiar. It may not be to everyone's taste, but in my mind, it is one of most important detective novels of the post-WWII era.
jonathanrobert's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.0