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marta_correia 's review for:
The Body in the Garden
by Katharine Schellman
*Thank you to the editor Crooked Lane Books for providing an e-ARC copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was a really fun and engaging historical murder mystery!
Lily, our main character, is very interesting and likeable! She is a smart, intelligent, independent woman in a time when women weren't openly appreciated for those traits. I was happy to find that she wasn't the only female character with these traits as the story evolved. Despite their differences, the women portrayed in this novel are all given distinct characteristics, some more obviously rebellious, others preferring to use their strengths in more subtle ways - all of them so valid and, I think, realistic! I really appreciated how there was true female friendship, how they had their differences and quarrels, but talked about it and accepted each other's views and differences. Lily never puts down other women, on the contrary, and I find that invigorating!
We are also given a wide range of male characters beyond the misogynistic, dominant and controlling kind. We are given man that at first may be shocked with unusual behaviour from women at the time, but don't go on to trying to "put women in their place", they assimilate and accept those behaviours, coming to appreciate and value the exact traits that are considered unwanted by others. This is even more pleasant when one of the men is a military and another from the police - who are more often portrayed as stuck up and close minded people.
There is a representation of races and ethnicities that seem truthful to the times, which is always something of value and importance- I was delighted with the author's note about it, it shows how much care went into portraying it as accurately as possible.
The portrayal of grief is also present and well done in my opinion. Lily is going through a big loss and you can actually see her dealing with it and processing it, instead of just appearing when it's convenient to the story.
The mystery was interesting, compelling and complex enough. We discover things along with the characters and are given the opportunity to put the pieces together with them. Although I guessed the big reveal before it happened on the page, there were actually some twists and turns that had me thinking twice about it!
I liked the writing, it wasn't too modern nor to pretentious in style, it was a good middle ground between the time it's being written and time it writes about. I only found some issues with the pacing, I think the narrative dragged here and there, which took from the fluidity of the storytelling. But, overall, it was very much an enjoyable experience, I liked the time I spent with these characters and story. Will be definitely be keeping an eye out for the next instalment!
Recommend to people who like murder mysteries focused on the more brainy part of uncovering it, as opposed to a more scientific/forensic approach, with the wonderful backdrop of 1800 London!
This was a really fun and engaging historical murder mystery!
Lily, our main character, is very interesting and likeable! She is a smart, intelligent, independent woman in a time when women weren't openly appreciated for those traits. I was happy to find that she wasn't the only female character with these traits as the story evolved. Despite their differences, the women portrayed in this novel are all given distinct characteristics, some more obviously rebellious, others preferring to use their strengths in more subtle ways - all of them so valid and, I think, realistic! I really appreciated how there was true female friendship, how they had their differences and quarrels, but talked about it and accepted each other's views and differences. Lily never puts down other women, on the contrary, and I find that invigorating!
We are also given a wide range of male characters beyond the misogynistic, dominant and controlling kind. We are given man that at first may be shocked with unusual behaviour from women at the time, but don't go on to trying to "put women in their place", they assimilate and accept those behaviours, coming to appreciate and value the exact traits that are considered unwanted by others. This is even more pleasant when one of the men is a military and another from the police - who are more often portrayed as stuck up and close minded people.
There is a representation of races and ethnicities that seem truthful to the times, which is always something of value and importance- I was delighted with the author's note about it, it shows how much care went into portraying it as accurately as possible.
The portrayal of grief is also present and well done in my opinion. Lily is going through a big loss and you can actually see her dealing with it and processing it, instead of just appearing when it's convenient to the story.
The mystery was interesting, compelling and complex enough. We discover things along with the characters and are given the opportunity to put the pieces together with them. Although I guessed the big reveal before it happened on the page, there were actually some twists and turns that had me thinking twice about it!
I liked the writing, it wasn't too modern nor to pretentious in style, it was a good middle ground between the time it's being written and time it writes about. I only found some issues with the pacing, I think the narrative dragged here and there, which took from the fluidity of the storytelling. But, overall, it was very much an enjoyable experience, I liked the time I spent with these characters and story. Will be definitely be keeping an eye out for the next instalment!
Recommend to people who like murder mysteries focused on the more brainy part of uncovering it, as opposed to a more scientific/forensic approach, with the wonderful backdrop of 1800 London!