I Am Half-Sick of Shadows

A Flavia de Luce Novel

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight.

©2011 Alan Bradley (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

"If ever there was a sleuth who’s bold, brilliant, and yes, adorable, it’s Flavia de Luce.” ( USA Today)

wonderful , entertaining, great listen for kids,

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes

Who was your favorite character and why?

flavia

What about Jayne Entwistle’s performance did you like?

good voice not grinding or annoyingperfect for the characters

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

made me laugh, sad, joy, i cant wait for the next one

More Flavia DeLuce

I adore this series and the narrator is perfect. I'm waiting for the next one to come out.

Flavia is at it again to her peril.

More Buckshaw, more Harriet and Father and sisters, and perhaps a bit too much more danger. This one really pushes the limits of what Captain Deluce would likely put up with in terms of the danger Flavia puts herself in. But it’s Flavia—how can a listener resist?

Domestic life in post WWII England & a murder.

This is the fourth book in the series but the first that I listened to on Audible. I read the first 3 books and had a different "voice" in my head of what Flavia sounded like, which made it hard for me to listen to the narrator at first. However, she won me over completely with her reading.

The weakest part of the book for me was the story. I felt the mystery was not as well constructed as the previous 3 books. At the same time, I appreciated that the book managed to tie up some loose story lines from the previous books and gave further insights in to Flavia's family dynamics. The back and forth between Flavia's father and her sister's new boyfriend was hilarious.

5 stars for the narrator, 4 stars for the story.

The best book in the series...so far!

I wasn’t drawn at first to these recordings. I found the narrator somewhat annoying, but the story was so interesting I couldn’t stay away.
How happy I am that I didn’t!
I’ve listened to almost all the books and enjoyed each one for different reasons. They are like Michael Crichton’s books, entertaining, unique and educational as well!
This book stands out as the one in which the characters are fully and vibrantly realized!!
I recommend it and all the preceding books whole heartedly!
You will be enthralled with Flavia’s voice and personality, her intellect and grit and sensitivity!
I am a fan. In spades!
Yahroo!

I'm back into Flavia!

The review I wrote for the previous Flavia de Luce novel was "I'm Flaviaed out". Well I took a break from Flavia , came back and found myself in love again. Although these novels are mysteries it is not the mystery that keeps you interested, Its the characters in Flavia's world that grab you. There is always humor and the narration is spot on!
The timeline to me is frustrating that the first 4 books happen while she is eternally "11" . I'm hoping she makes 12 in a future book. If you can get passed the fact that she has been involved in witnessing and investigating 4+ murder mysteries at her house all in the same year then these books are delightful. I am going to take a break before downloading the next one but I am looking forward to it.

the perfect Christmas "cozy"

Would you consider the audio edition of I Am Half-Sick of Shadows to be better than the print version?

the narrator does a superb job of conveying the precocious eleven-year-old protagonist, Flavia. the plot was predictable, rather like vintage Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew, but the setting in a mouldering English country house and the first-person narration by the exasperating and delightful Flavia made this a captivating bit of holiday escapism.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely. Almost did.

A Flavian Fan

Any additional comments?

Ok, I admit I am a Flavia de Luce fan! She is a remarkable 11 year old girl who uses her powers of observation and love of chemistry to solve crimes. The narrator does a great job presenting Flavia's quirkiness. I hope there will be more Flavia stories--I'll download them as soon as they are available!

Absolutely marvelous !!!

Brilliantly written , such imaginative , surprising
Images , thoughts.
I ADORED this book and can’t wait to read the next one , and narrator Jayne Entwhistle is
perfect!

Movie Star and Precocious Child

Any additional comments?

Flavia is the precocious youngest daughter of the family de Luce and lives in a large manor house with a long history. The death duties from her mother's death ten years earlier are having a deleterious effect of the family's resources in this novel just after WWII. Her father, the Colonel, decides to rent out the house to a film crew. The film's star, Phyllis Wyvern is a bright star of film and everyone is excited.

In the meantime, Flavia is trying to disprove her two older sisters' assertion that Father Christmas is made-up. Using her chemistry lab, she has concocted an elaborate trap on the roof.

The commotion of the film crew grows when the Vicar cons the two movie stars to enact the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet as a fundraiser for the church roof. The whole village attends and, alas, gets snowed in.

Late that night, Phyllis Wyvern is brutally murdered and Flavia discovers the body. With her curiosity, annoying persistence, she and the police solve the case with an exciting and stunning conclusion. I am always amused at the discussion between the police inspector and Flavia. Each gets it almost-right and when they put their theories together, each one thinks they solved it!

Another delicious audio book with flawless and terrific narration.
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