The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)
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Contributors
Series
Published
Books on Tape , 2009.
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Status
Checked Out
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Libby/OverDrive
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Description
In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950—and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story—of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder—but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse….An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions—and a rich literary delight.
More Details
Format
eAudiobook
Edition
Unabridged
Street Date
05/05/2009
Language
English
ISBN
9781415964491
Excerpt
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Similar Series From Novelist
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for series you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
The Armand Gamache and Flavia De Luce mysteries are intelligent, character-centered, cozies set in small towns. Although the locales and time periods differ, the conversational tone and feel are similar. They also share casts of eccentric secondary characters as well as unique investigators. -- Becky Spratford
Fans of the cozy mystery solved by a thoughtful observer will appreciate both the Joanne Kilbourn and the Flavia de Luce series, though Kilbourn is a university professor in Saskatchewan and Flavia is a precocious eleven-year-old in small town England. -- Katherine Johnson
If you prefer your settings English and your young heroines fearless, the precocious young women in these historical mystery series should be your cup of tea. However, while Mary Russell ages throughout that series, 11-year-old Flavia de Luce does not. -- Shauna Griffin
Although the Flavia De Luce Mysteries have some macabre humor not found in the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, both feature strong female protagonists, complex family relationships, vividly atmospheric portraits of small-town communities, and wryly humorous depictions of colorful and eccentric characters. -- Derek Keyser
These engaging cozies star lovably quirky protagonists, each with special penchant for crime solving. While their settings and time frames differ, these series share intricate plot lines, amusing secondary characters, and thoughtful and witty narrators with unique worldviews. -- Catherine Coles
Fans of the classic cozy puzzle mystery set in England and featuring the intellectual outsider sleuth will appreciate both the Hercule Poirot mysteries from the Golden Age and the contemporary Flavia de Luce mysteries. -- Katherine Johnson
Like the Flavia De Luce mysteries, this series is upbeat, leisurely paced, and peopled with intelligent, literate characters. But while Flavia is a precocious 11-year-old living in the 1950s English countryside, Isabel is an irrepressible 40-something woman in Edinburgh. -- Shauna Griffin
Though these whimsical cozy mystery series feature vastly different settings and protagonists, both offer intelligent and offbeat twists on the genre while retaining the lushly atmospheric details, wryly humorous prose, and vibrant communities full of endearing eccentrics. -- Derek Keyser
Fans of the classic cozy puzzle mystery featuring the nosy village woman -- or girl -- will appreciate both the Jane Marple murder mysteries from the Golden Age and the contemporary Flavia de Luce mysteries. -- Katherine Johnson
Similar Titles From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Though Sweetness is more of a traditional mystery, it shares with Where'd You Go, Bernadette an endearing, precocious, and entertaining young narrator who pieces together clues from the adult world to solve a mystery. Character interactions are delightfully, humorously depicted. -- Shauna Griffin
A black housemaid in America and a precocious eleven-year-old girl from an ancient English family serve as the ultimate outsider-sleuths in solving the puzzles in these cozy mysteries. The sleuths' acerbic wit adds a similar tone to offset the very different settings. -- Katherine Johnson
The selected works of T. S. Spivet - Larsen, Reif
Fans of Flavia de Luce will appreciate T. S. Spivet, who narrates his journey alone across the U. S. by train while entertaining readers with his drawings. T. S. tells a more leisurely story, but the voices of the narrators are quite similar. -- Katherine Johnson
NoveList recommends "Asperger's mysteries" for fans of "Flavia De Luce mysteries". Check out the first book in the series.
Fans of English village puzzle mysteries will enjoy both The Killings at Badger's Drift and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, though Badger's Drift features police detectives while Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie features a precocious eleven-year-old girl for its sleuth. -- Katherine Johnson
While set forty years apart, both mysteries have young females central to their plot-driven stories. Set in atmospheric English mansions, the inhabitants of each begin to experience strange occurrences. These compelling tales keep you engaged as they unfold. -- Ellie Coen Boote
Though Bottom of the Pie is funnier while Goats and Sheep is more ominous, both upbeat and offbeat mysteries feature precocious child sleuths from small English communities solving crimes through uncovering secrets and putting adults to the test. -- Melissa Gray
The settings are quite different -- a modern American resort hotel and a postwar English village -- but these mysteries are each narrated by a very self-sufficient pre-teen girl who tracks down clues in the face of her elders' skepticism. -- Katherine Johnson
A woman TV celebrity and a precocious young girl from an eccentric family must solve murders that are somehow connected to secondary schools. These eccentric sleuths have a somewhat acerbic tone to their commentary, in addition to the classic British cozy settings. -- Katherine Johnson
If you're intrigued by the role of the rare postage stamp in Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, check out the nonfiction History of Britain in Thirty-six Postage Stamps, an engaging historical exploration from an unusual perspective. -- Katherine Johnson
Readers who appreciate precocious, scientifically minded young narrators will enjoy these upbeat and engaging stories about motherless young girls doing their best to understand the world around them. Sweetness is a mystery, while Rabbit Cake is a coming-of-age story. -- Halle Carlson
If you prefer your settings English and your young heroines fearless and clever, the precocious youngsters in these two historical mysteries should be just your cup of tea. -- Shauna Griffin
Similar Authors From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
While C. Alan Bradley's work indulges in ghoulish elements lacking in Rhys Bowen's, both authors write whimsical and vividly atmospheric mystery stories featuring strong female protagonists, bizarre and intricately developed murders, and charming, often humorous depictions of eccentric characters. -- Derek Keyser
C. Alan Bradley and Alexander McCall Smith write cozy mysteries featuring some of the most interestingly drawn sleuths in the field. They are perceptive, quirky, and thoughtful and have keen insight into human nature. These gentle-toned books all have a strong sense of place and colorful characters. -- Merle Jacob
Although M. C. Beaton's work lacks the macabre edge of C. Alan Bradley's stories, both authors write quirky and atmospheric mysteries set in rural areas of the United Kingdom. Their books feature intricately drawn crimes, dry and often dark humor, and vividly drawn portraits of villages full of eccentric characters. -- NoveList Advisor
C. Alan Bradley's work gleefully indulges in ghoulish details that Simon Brett's avoids, but readers who like the strong sense of place, wryly witty tone, deftly crafted mysteries, and colorful portraits of rustic communities full of eccentric characters in Brett's work will find similar elements in Bradley's stories. -- Derek Keyser
Though Alan C. Bradley's mysteries lack the sinister edge and horror influences of Jonathan L. Howard's stories, like Howard he writes offbeat, darkly comic stories featuring a brilliant, sarcastic, and morally ambiguous protagonist in a bleakly atmospheric world full of eccentric characters. -- Derek Keyser
These authors' works have the appeal factors intricately plotted, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "canadian fiction"; the subjects "murder investigation," "secrets," and "murder suspects"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors suspenseful and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "mysteries" and "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation" and "secrets."
These authors' works have the subjects "child detectives," "eleven-year-old girls," and "death of fathers."
These authors' works have the appeal factors witty and intricately plotted, and they have the genres "historical mysteries" and "cozy mysteries."
These authors' works have the genres "mysteries" and "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation" and "murder."
These authors' works have the appeal factors upbeat, amusing, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation," "murder," and "murder suspects."
These authors' works have the appeal factors witty, well-crafted dialogue, and intricately plotted, and they have the genre "historical mysteries"; and the subjects "murder investigation" and "fathers and daughters."
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Bradley, A., & Entwistle, J. (2009). The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Unabridged). Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Bradley, Alan and Jayne Entwistle. 2009. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie. Books on Tape.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Bradley, Alan and Jayne Entwistle. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie Books on Tape, 2009.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Bradley, A. and Entwistle, J. (2009). The sweetness at the bottom of the pie. Unabridged Books on Tape.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Bradley, Alan, and Jayne Entwistle. The Sweetness At the Bottom of the Pie Unabridged, Books on Tape, 2009.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
Copy Details
| Collection | Owned | Available | Number of Holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Libby | 2 | 0 | 0 |
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