Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Several years ago, I read Leonie Swann's Three Bags Full, and although I enjoyed it, it felt as though some undefinable thing were missing. I've had this happen before with other authors. Every once in a while, I come across a writer who comes up with ideas that delight me and grab my imagination, yet there's something lacking in the finished product. After reading The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp, I feel the same way about Leonie Swann; however, in her case, my problem may lie in the fact that humor doesn't always translate well into other languages.
Agnes Sharp has gathered together an interesting group of people with various skill sets that will ultimately help them find the killer of Duck End despite their individual infirmities. (One is blind, another is in a wheelchair, Agnes won't take her meds, etc.) She did this so that they could all be independent yet not die alone, which is an admirable aim indeed.
They find themselves in all sorts of predicaments, including babysitting a grandson, and Agnes herself goes undercover in a nursing home. I think my favorite part of the book was when one of them drugged and locked a police officer in the cellar. I didn't expect that to be so amusing, but it was.
But as the story unfolded, I began to wonder just how reliable Agnes was as a narrator, especially since she refused to take some very important medication. In addition, the story had so many twists and turns that I began to get confused. As I sorted everything out, I began to visualize a tapestry with many loose, tangled, and knotted threads, and that's a reading experience I don't enjoy.
Leonie Swann's The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp has a surprising cast of lively old hippies... and a tortoise named Hettie who likes hands bearing lettuce. I may not want to sit down to tea with them, but I do admire their persistence and inventiveness.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
Agnes Sharp has gathered together an interesting group of people with various skill sets that will ultimately help them find the killer of Duck End despite their individual infirmities. (One is blind, another is in a wheelchair, Agnes won't take her meds, etc.) She did this so that they could all be independent yet not die alone, which is an admirable aim indeed.
They find themselves in all sorts of predicaments, including babysitting a grandson, and Agnes herself goes undercover in a nursing home. I think my favorite part of the book was when one of them drugged and locked a police officer in the cellar. I didn't expect that to be so amusing, but it was.
But as the story unfolded, I began to wonder just how reliable Agnes was as a narrator, especially since she refused to take some very important medication. In addition, the story had so many twists and turns that I began to get confused. As I sorted everything out, I began to visualize a tapestry with many loose, tangled, and knotted threads, and that's a reading experience I don't enjoy.
Leonie Swann's The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp has a surprising cast of lively old hippies... and a tortoise named Hettie who likes hands bearing lettuce. I may not want to sit down to tea with them, but I do admire their persistence and inventiveness.
(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)
