Nose in a Book

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Read for: Canadian Book Challenge 3, What’s in a Name? 3 Challenge

I loved this book!  I don’t know how I haven’t heard of it sooner, I know people have been blogging about it because I just read a bunch of reviews, but somehow I’ve missed them all.  Last month at book club a couple of people mentioned it and I decided it sounded interesting.  I’m so glad I picked it up!  I’ve been having a rough week (nothing serious – just adjusting to life with three kids) and it’s been the only thing that’s kept me sane (besides bedtime!).

Anyway, what made the story for me was Flavia, the main character.  She’s an incredible intelligent eleven-year-old who loves chemistry.  She’s inherited a very well appointed chemistry lab (seriously, I used to teach chemistry and some of the equipment she had was better than we had!) and she know how to use it.  I think what I liked best about the novel were all the little chemistry references that were woven into the story.  At one point she’s in a classroom and notices a mistake on the periodic table.  This is too much for her and she has to correct it.  I was cheering her on at that point!

But that’s not even the most important part of the book.  One afternoon, the housekeeper finds a dead bird with a stamp on its beak on the front step.  The very next morning, Flavia finds a dead man in the garden.  After calling the police, she decides that she takes it upon herself to find the murderer.  As I mentioned earlier, Flavia is very intelligent, but she is also eleven and this equals funny!  Another reviewer said the story wouldn’t have worked if she had been older and more mature and I totally agree.  The humour comes from her age and immaturity combined with her intelligence.

The book was fun and humourous and light but still had a great plot and a mystery with an unpredictable ending.   I’m looking forward to reading more about Flavia!

Trackback URL

Alan Bradley, England