Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)
by Dorothy L. Sayers
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Book Summary Information
Author: Dorothy L. SayersEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1995-04-01
ISBN: 0061043494
Number of pages: 512
Publisher: HarperTorch
Book Reviews of Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)
Book Review: Stunning, literally
Summary: 5 Stars
Every time I read this book, and I have read it many, many times, I find myself discovering some new nugget of truth or insight to mull over. I cannot rest until I finish it ("When I am gone from it, I am dead till I be with it") and when I have I feel like I've been hit over the head with a saucepan. There is simply so much matter in this book, psychological, romantic, intellectual, human, and more, that one would expect it to be quite horrifically overwhelming. However, the fact that it is engrossing and, intriguing, and above all, thoroughly enjoyable is the mark of a truly brilliant writer.
I have found that the main objections to this book are that it is falsely advertised as a mystery and that Lord Peter sails in at the last to reveal all, thus contradicting much of the message of the previous chapters. In my opinion, though, these are two of the features that make the book so utterly fascinating. It is, admittedly, not your average mystery. In fact, simply because it is part of a series of murder mysteries, readers assume that it will be like the others. I, on the other hand, find the contrast unbelievably refreshing. One must accept that this was to be the last Lord Peter novel, and was written to resolve the stories of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, the two main protagonists. In accepting this, one opens the mind to the thrilling personal quandaries raised by this book. Moreover, the fact that Lord Peter comes in at the end and somehow miraculously fixes everything is not contradictory, it simply shows how Harriet's feelings toward Peter and her psychological tangle at that time prevent her from properly dealing with the mystery. This is also shown in her work, when she has trouble "humanizing" one of her main characters, simply because she is too close to that kind of problem in real life. It is easily seen that, if one is willing to read deeply enough, this book addresses eternal conflicts and questions, which makes all accusations of its being dated null and void.
So, my biggest piece of advice is to know what you are getting into. Almost all people who are dissatisfied with this book are unhappy because it did not follow the pattern they expected it to follow. One must approach it as one approaches any new book, dispassionately (as Lord Peter says) and with and open mind. Do not pick up this book if you are looking for a thrilling murder mystery. For that, I would suggest "Unnatural Death" or "Murder Must Advertise," both by Dorothy L. Sayers. What you have in "Gaudy Night" is a psychological thriller, which is in some ways even more fascinating than a murder would have been. The plain fact that "Gaudy Night" is the only one of Sayers' mysteries that does not abide by the rules of fair play detection shows it to be a totally separate entity from the rest of the series. This is a novel about love, internal conflict, and principles. Read and read often.
Summary of Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery)
When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the "Gaudy," the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obsentities, burnt effigies and poison-pen letters -- including one that says, "Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup."Some of the notes threaten murder; all are perfectly ghastly; yet in spite of their scurrilous nature, all are perfectly worded. And Harriet finds herself ensnared in a nightmare of romance and terror, with only the tiniest shreds of clues to challenge her powers of detection, and those of her paramour, Lord Peter Wimsey.Sayers, Dorothy L. Books
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