The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie: A Flavia de Luce Mystery

What a refreshing book series this is! The author really takes the time to develop complex and believable characters in the midst of fun and interesting story-telling. It has been a while since I have enjoyed a new series as much as Flavia de Luce.The internal dialogue of Flavia is so well done. The family dynamics are fascinating and completely believable. With a mixture of love, humor, and realistic family conflict, the de Luce family is a key character in these stories -- not just Flavia.Love it!

Set in the English countryside near the village of Bishop's Lacey in 1950, eleven year old Flavia deLuce lives with two older sisters and her father, the family factotum Dogger and the part-time housekeeper and cook Mrs. Mullet at a decaying manor home called Buckshaw. Flavia's dad passes most of his time alone, collecting stamps and listening to music. Ophelia, the eldest sister, prides herself on her appearance, and then there's Daphne, who always has her nose stuck in a book. Flavia's mother died during a mountain-climbing trip in Tibet when Flavia was still very small, but her dad manages to hold the family together even though money is tight and the home needs major repairs. As the story opens, Mrs. Mullet discovers a dead bird with an antique stamp through its beak, and shortly thereafter, Flavia discovers a dying man in the garden. After all is said and done, Mr. deLuce is arrested, and Flavia's detective career begins in order to clear him.What makes this story work is both the character of Flavia and the author's writing. It's often hard to remember sometimes that Flavia is only eleven, and the word precocious hardly begins to describe her. Because she's 11, people tend not to pay attention to her, and she's the most scheming little thing you can imagine. Her mind never stops working, she is as relentless as a pit bull when she's on to something, and she's brilliant -- she's a master of chemistry at her tender young age, and she sees all facets of the world around her in ways adults cannot. She has this wonderful gift of being able to make pretty much anyone tell her anything. At the same time, you get little glimpses into Flavia the little girl, such as when her sisters tease her, or when she thinks about her mother. As far as the author's writing, even though his main character is this precocious 11-year old girl, he still hangs on to the realities of post-war England. Dogger, for example, suffers what we would call post-traumatic stress disorder, after suffering through the atrocities of a POW camp. The family home, Buckshaw, once a beautiful and elegant manor, has seen better days. Bradley's characterizations are excellent, each person with his or her own voice and clearly-defined place in this story.And, most importantly, this story does not devolve into the realm of "cutesy" or sickeningly sweet at all. It's fun and yet at the same time, it's intelligent.As far as the mystery goes, the whodunit is a bit transparent, but you really won't care because this book is so well written. You end up being engrossed in the world of Bishop's Lacey and in the deLuce family, and especially in Flavia, so while the core murder mystery is good, there's so much more going on that takes you over as a reader. I can highly recommend this book to anyone -- definitely one of my favorites for this reading year.

I adore this series. Flavia is a cross between Madame Curie and Pippi Longstocking and the characters are so complimentary to this young poison obsessed girl and her bicycle side kick Gladys. The gothic home she lives in is the perfect background, and how she gets back at her sisters at the end is memorably funny. I often recommend this series to young readers too.

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a story about eleven year old Flavia De Luce who tries desperately hard to solve a murder mystery that takes place on her own property. It is a lot of fun in the beginning, and the story is well written throughout. There are funny little quirks from Flavia here and there and overall the writing is witty and the story will hold your interest.My strongest criticism of this novel is that it is just fairly ridiculous in some parts. The idea that an eleven year old girl is so into chemistry and can make these amazing deductions that the professional inspector cannot even dream of, is a bit far fetched. I have also never come in contact with a girl who is such an avid reader at that age, and can use these skills so effectively. Maybe there are girls like this out there, but they are few and far between.This unbelievability aside, the story is fun. It is a pretty quick read, and it is worth picking up. However some of the unrealistic parts did turn me off to the story, so some may not like that. Overall I feel it deserves a 3-3.5 out of 5 stars. I would say it definitely is worth reading for the writing style and for the positive aspects of the story.

Loved the lead character. She was young but really knew her stuff

La novela es bastante entretenida y está bien escrita. Para quien prefiera novelas de misterio de lectura fácil, puede que se haga algo pesada en algunos pasajes. Narrada en primera persona por la protagonista.

I can’t put this book down! It’s one of the best mysteries I have read. Flavia is exceedingly smart with a strong character. She knows how to pick a lock, untie her hands behind her back and she knows all her poisons !

A really easy to read book with a fabulous, quirky heroine. I loved the wit and characters. I'd read more from this author in a heartbeat.

The article arrived in time and it's corresponding to my expectations. I will read it as soon as possible. Thank's

The narrator of this book is Flavia, an eleven year old budding chemist and amateur detective.She lives in a decaying English mansion called Buckshaw with her father, Colonel de Luce, hardened by the war and saddened by his wife Harriet's tragic death while mountain climbing.He is also an avid collector of Postage Stamps. Flavia has two older sisters, Ophelia(Feely)and Daphne(Daffy). There is sibling rivalry between the sisters and Flavia. Mrs.Mullet prepares the family meals and is housekeeper. She bakes her famous custard pies that no one likes. Dogger, a former soldier and POW was initially hired as the Colonel's valet, moved on to being chauffeur, handyman and because of his nervousness and flashbacks, he is now the family gardener. He is very loyal to the Colonel and the only person who Flavia trusts with all her secrets. Dogger likes Flavia and protects her from harm.Flavia is left on her own and keeps herself busy in the house's laboratory, experimenting and reading. She has a love of Poisons and also reads all about the discoveries of the great chemists.One day, Mrs. Mullet opens the kitchen door and lets out a shriek. On the doorstep on its back lies a dead bird, a Jack Snipe, with a postage stamp stuck to its beak. The Colonel and Flavia were in the room and with Mrs. Mullet still shaky, he asks her to remove it. The Colonel then leaves for his study and Flavia takes off for her bedroom. Flavia is trying to understand who would do such a thing.In the evening, there are sounds coming from her father's study. Flavia goes down the stairs, puts her ear to the door, an eye in the keyhole and sees a very tall man, his back to the door, arguing with her father. She can't make out what they're saying but hears her father telling the man to get out. At that point Dogger pulls Flavia away from the door before she gets caught.Next morning, Flavia finds a dying man in the cucumber patch in the garden. She hears him say "VALE" and then dies. She learns that VALE means farewell. Flavia is now even more curious and excited. She decides to call the police and soon Inspector Hewitt along with two Sergeants are questioning the Colonel.Flavia is now on a mission to solve the case. Without Inspector Hewitt knowing,she is going to help him get to the bottom of things.Off she goes on her bicycle named Gladys, her only means of transportation, with her pigtails blowing in the wind. She's going to the village of Bishop's Lacey to question the town folks and get some answers. Believe it or not, she learns a few things and along with some bits and pieces returns home. She notices that a slice of Mrs. Mullet's pie is missing and before long the entire pie is gone.Flavia asks herself: Who is this man? What was he doing in her home? Who killed him? Did Mrs. Mullet's pie do him in?Flavia is smart as a whip and sharp as a tack.Her verbal expressions and quotes will have you laughing throughout.I LOVED this book and am now a huge fan of Flavia, the sleuth.This book is smartly written and very entertaining. It is a Murder/Mystery.Alan Bradley has come up with a WINNER.For those of you who are new to this series like I was, I suggest you start with the first in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in order to get to know all the characters. Then move on to #2) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, #3) A Red Herring Without Mustard and #4) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows.You'll love these books as much as I have. So cuddle up in your favourite chair and ENJOY!