Busman's Honeymoon
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.' - P. D. James
'I admire her novels . . . she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.' - Ruth Rendell
'She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller.' Minette Walters
'I admire her novels . . . she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.' - Ruth Rendell
'She combined literary prose with powerful suspense, and it takes a rare talent to achieve that. A truly great storyteller.' Minette Walters
Product Description
They plan to have a quiet country honeymoon. Then Lord Peter Wimsey and his bride Harriet Vane find the previous owner's body in the cellar.
Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers' last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions, it lives up to both descriptions with style.
Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers' last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions, it lives up to both descriptions with style.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am glad to find so many favorable reviews of this, Dorothy L Sayers' final detective fiction novel, on the internet. It failed to find much favor with the public or the critics when it was written in the late 1930s. In actual need of the income that her earlier works in this genre had generated (she had to support not only herself but also a non-productive husband and an illegitimate son), she negotiated with her publisher to "once again try my hand at detective fiction" after he had pointed out that the market seemed to have become saturated.
Just as a busman's holiday is a vacation where the busman is likely to be as involved with driving as he is throughout the rest of the year, a busman's honeymoon (a phrase which she coined) is one where the busman (in this case Lord Peter Wimsey) is likely to spend his honeymoon checking alibis, interviewing murder suspects, observing rigor mortis, and all the other tiresome activities of an amateur detective.
Lord Peter and Harriet Vane are the honeymooners. After their wedding (reported in a series of letters that begin the novel), they travel to "Talboys", a country house chosen by Harriet. Their reception is not as predicted. Eventually Lord Peter's butler, Bunter, discovers a corpse in the cellar.
The novel began life as a play, as you may infer from the many static scenes involving a large ensemble of characters entering and exiting. The prose is as rich in wit, classical illusions and sophistication as you will ever encounter in detective fiction. Dorothy L. Sayers was an honours graduate and capable of writing as well as George Eliot.
Don't expect the kind of fast food satisfaction that Agatha Christie provided so successfully. You will find instead the full silver service dining and wining experience here.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dorothy L Sayers is always a cut above your average crime novelist, especially in the Harriet Vane novels (Strong Poison, Have His Carcase, Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon). Busman's Honeymoon can't quite decide if it is a love story or a detective story ... but that really doesn't matter, it's a great example of both, with characters that really live. Read it ... but you'll enjoy it all the more if you start with Strong Poison and work your way up to it.
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This has to be my favourite Dorothy L. Sayers mystery! Lord Peter Wimsey has finally persuaded his beloved Harriet Vane to become his wife but married life does not run smoothly for them. Their honeymoon is marred by the discovery of a body in the cellar, and naturally they feel duty-bound to investigate. As with all Sayers' novels, the plot is both gripping and original. In addition the atmosphere of Britain in the 1930s is captured brilliantly, adding an extra dimension to the book. If you enjoy reading Agatha Christie you will love Dorothy L. Sayers (who in my opinion is a far better writer).
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The final D L Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey novel
I always regard Dorothy L Sayer's books as a bit of a challenge. Compared to Agatha Christie's novels they are not a light read, but I do feel that they are worth the effort as... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tigger
Revisiting an old friend
This was one of the first ever books of Dorothy L Sayers that I read, in paper back of course and so I decided to revisit. The Peter Wimsey Mysteries have always delighted me. Read more
Published 9 months ago by D. M. Dickson
Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. Read more
Published 15 months ago by bernie
Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. Read more
Published on 11 May 2010 by bernie
Laugh out loud funny plus incredible pathos
The start of this book is hysterically funny - the accounts of the Wimsey marriage are worthy of a story all by themselves, and Peter's mother is magnificent! Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2009 by snowqueen01
A must-read for Wimsey and Vane fans
This is a much more intimate and passionate examination of Peter and Harriet's relationship than the other Wimsey stories. Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2008 by quippe
Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2006 by bernie
Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. Read more
Published on 5 April 2006 by bernie
Last completed novel containing Harriet Vane.
The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2005 by bernie
Lord Peter's Final Case
Out of all the Lord Peter Wimsey books this is my favourite. I felt that the addition of Harriet Vane's character added an extra, and welcome, dimension to the books. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2004 by SMG
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
