ceraphimfalls's Reviews (319)

I read this in middle school and loved it so much, I immediately went out and bought it with the little pocket money I had. I've probably read it about 5 times over the years, as that worn paperback will attest to, and it never gets old. The villains are always as dastardly as can be, the hopelessness in parts is palpable in ways that are seldom captured. It's a triumph of a fantasy that's barely a fantasy. Maybe that's why it works so well- the magic is never bombastic or out of place. It just IS.

I adore this crew of pensioners. Enough that I ordered the next book, and then painfully slowed my reading of this installment so I didn't have to be without them for too long. Osman is clearly growing as a writer and has moved from strength to strength here. Now if you'll excuse me, the mail is here with my next book...

The best of the lot by a country mile! The gang is such a joy to read about, but these new characters, including Alan the dog, just make my heart sing. I don't really like mysteries because I can figure things out far before the author wants you to and that ruins a bit of the fun. But here, even though I'm still ruining the fun for myself, I don't mind! I still audibly said "oh no" when someone died. And the humor! Good lord, was this funny! Can't recommend it enough.

Despite being juttery and jumpy by design, each character had their own unique voice, and our narrator appropriately sounds exactly like Richard Osman. It's a difficult thing to capture voice so clearly. Certainly worth celebrating. Even though it had more endings that "Return of the King", each ending serves its part and didn't overstay its welcome. It felt like a whole and complete book which, sadly, isn't so common these days. I am not a fan of cozy mysteries, or mysteries in general really, but I adored this. I'm glad there's more to come.

There's a kindness to this book and a humanity to its characters that I feel is often lost in pandemic novels. It's almost like we forgot how people talk to each other- wonder why. But you fall for each of the characters, head-over-heels. Libby is balanced, but her blurred edges are by design. And of course, who wouldn't fall in love with Frank? The villains of the piece aren't irredeemable or brutish- they are simply broken and flawed human beings like the rest of us, but they won't admit it. There's accountability here and the hope that comes with it. That's incredibly refreshing.

There's some melodrama here that is highly unenjoyable, and not nearly enough food spotlight. And the translation continues to be lacking. BUT! We do get to meet the best character (from the anime at least), Mr. Nobunaga!

The translation on this one was pretty bad. But again, the food saves the day here. I want to get into bread baking now.

The food descriptions are so damn good. Aoi has her first real damsel in distress moment here, and it isn't dwelled upon or used to diminish her as a character. The creation is good but the writing/translation could use some work.

Getting more of Aoi coming through here. She's a good heroine for a manga like this. She's competent and self-assured, stern without being mean, and can be a good shoulder for support. The hallmarks of Shoujo heroines are toned down significantly (clumsiness, dotty behavior, etc), and it does a lot to make her actually endearing.

We're starting to get recipes in these books, handed down much like they would be from grandma. Just the idea of what to add, but not in what quantities. Any enticing way to learn flavors, really.