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A review by bookish_bry
Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane by Dorothy L. Sayers
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.25
This novel is very well written and has solid theming. It is often not as exciting as most mystery novels, because at the end of the day the mystery is not the point of the novel but simply a vehicle used to expand upon the main character's inner conflict.
Truly this novel manages to hit almost all types of narrative conflict. There is man vs man of course since it is a detective novel where the main characters are tracking down a miscreant hiding in the shadows, but the narrative's real strength is in the man vs society and man vs self conflicts which are all supported by the actions of the bad actor in this book. The main villain really is just a foil for Harriet's own inner conflict over how she feels for Peter.
This complexity is something that many mystery novels miss the mark on, and it was a delightful introspective read between the quick and engaging action scenes. Despite the vast amounts of downtime, I don't think I was ever bored with the story as even if the characters weren't running around at night in pursuit, every scene seemed to contribute to the main point of the story and lead to the beautiful ending.
Truly this novel manages to hit almost all types of narrative conflict. There is man vs man of course since it is a detective novel where the main characters are tracking down a miscreant hiding in the shadows, but the narrative's real strength is in the man vs society and man vs self conflicts which are all supported by the actions of the bad actor in this book. The main villain really is just a foil for Harriet's own inner conflict over how she feels for Peter.
This complexity is something that many mystery novels miss the mark on, and it was a delightful introspective read between the quick and engaging action scenes. Despite the vast amounts of downtime, I don't think I was ever bored with the story as even if the characters weren't running around at night in pursuit, every scene seemed to contribute to the main point of the story and lead to the beautiful ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Antisemitism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
This book was written pre-WWII in an academic setting when the concept of eugenics was often seen more as a valid academic perspective to hold and not a horrendous thing. As such, the topic comes up briefly a few times and there is a reference to "what Germany is doing."