The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

A Flavia de Luce Mystery

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison.

It is the summer of 1950 - and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life".

To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: Full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story - of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower 30 years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: Her father is innocent of murder - but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse...

An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions - and a rich literary delight.

©2009 Alan Bradley (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Brilliant, irresistible and incorrigible, Flavia has a long future ahead of her...Bradley's mystery debut is a standout." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Fun for the reader.... Fans of Louise Fitzhugh's iconic Harriet the Spy will welcome 11-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce, the heroine of...Bradley's rollicking debut." (Publishers Weekly)

"While Flavia De Luce is winning your heart, she may also be poisoning your tea. She's the most wickedly funny sleuth in years, brilliant, unpredictable, unflappable - and only eleven. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie offers the freshest new voice in mystery yet." (Charles Todd, author of The Ian Rutledge series)

Fun!

The voice of this book is perfect. Enjoyed the story a great deal. The heroine is really spunky.

A Ten Hour Smile

Any additional comments?

I've not yet reviewed a book but I feel that everybody should know what a joy this one is. Even stuck in traffic for two hours couldn't bring me down while listening to this 11 year old girl close the case. Flavia gets a solid ten in my book.

I'll definitely use the necessary credits to listen to the rest of this series and investigate the readings of Jayne Entwistle. She brought every character to life perfectly. Give it a go. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Adorable and fun

Joyful read. An absolute joy and left me wanting to read the rest of her adventures.

Enjoyable Pie.

First Audible book I have listened too. I really enjoyed the narrator. I started reading the book myself, but it was hard and seemed dry and boring. I then located it on Audible. Having it read to me made it a much better story which I enjoyed.

Fun

This is a light Murder mystery adding fun with confusion. The principal agent is an 11 year old girl .

Wednesday Addams meets chemistry and cottagecore

One of the best books I’ve ever read, it actually surprised me how good it was and just how much I enjoyed it. Flavia is an adorably lovable character who you just can’t help but root for. She’s sassy and impressively smart, but not unrealistically enough to enter “Mary Sue” territory. Honestly good mystery on top of it all, and it kept my interest the whole time.

You’ll grow to love chemistry as well, and the whole story brings the breeze of the English countryside into your home. It helped me escape for a while.

Can’t recommend enough, for both kids and adults. Would make a lovely gift for any avid reader looking for something new.

Brilliantly written & narrated mystery series!

I was sceptical about these stories, which are told from the perspective of an 11-year-old, but on the recommendation of a friend (thanks Julie Baker) decided to try it. The first audiobook hooked me. I am loving this series, which is definitely not for children! They are brilliantly written and narrated, with complex characters and a subplot which emerges as the series progresses. I heartily recommend it to any mystery lover!

What fun!

Beautifully read, charming story set in 1950’s England. A heroine for the ages with a bicycle named Gladys.

Not my cup of tea

This book was a huge bestseller, so I wanted to listen to it and I'm glad I did. There are a lot of things to recommend it including the time period, which is 1950 England, and a rather intriguing mystery.
What I didn't like was the protagonist. She is obviously supposed to be a delightfully precocious 11-year-old, but to me she was just a self-centered know-it-all. And as she is the narrator, the reader (or listener) is stuck with this girl for the whole story.
One of my friends said that she approached the book as a fantasy, since no 11-year-old could know or do the things that Flavia does. Once I heard that, I could enjoy the book more. Let go of reality and go along with it, the way you would with a Harry Potter book.
Obviously there are other people (quite a lot of them) who really enjoyed this book and I'm glad they did. Not every book is for every one.
I thought this reader did a very good job of capturing Flavia's personality. I just wish it had been a nicer more believable personality to capture.

Very enjoyable

Very entertaining 'who done it'. Entwistle IS Flavia and she makes the whole thing so enjoyable with her performance... I don't think I would have liked this book nearly as much if I had read it instead of listened.