Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

A Flavia de Luce Novel

By: Alan Bradley

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Hailed as "a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes" by The Boston Globe, Flavia de Luce returns in a much anticipated new Christmas mystery from award-winning and New York Times best-selling author Alan Bradley.

In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, 12-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia's blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty - and not empty enough.

Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar's wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man's body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It's amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one's spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core.

©2016 Alan Bradley (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Jayne Entwistle is rousing in this eighth Flavia de Luce novel.... Entwistle's Flavia is unruffled, while her inner dialogue is fascinating as she searches for clues. Entwistle artfully captures Dogger, Mr. de Luce's servant and Flavia's great friend, and Mrs. Bannerman, with her warm Canadian accent, as she helps Flavia research her theories. Audio is the perfect format." ( AudioFile)

Jayne Entwistle Brings Flavia to Life

These are excellent audio books with Jayne Entwistle giving voice to Flavia in the way Jim Dale gives voice to Harry Potter. I can't hear it any other way. This was another fine addition to the series but I highly recommend starting with the first, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Set in post World War II England, the highly intelligent 11-year-old Flavia de Luce solves crimes in her community. Where precocious children can get on my last nerve in stories, Flavia never does. I thoroughly enjoy her exploits and investigations. Highly recommended.

Maybe the best yet

In a way this is a stronger story than the earlier (delightful) books in the series.
Flavia has been an archetypal childish heroine, a British Anne of Green Gables who could hold her own with Tom Sawyer.
In The Brinded Cat she is growing up, but in a way true to her character. She has flashes of insight into her own motivations and those of others that we haven't seen in the earlier books. She is just as amusing (and auto-amused) as always, and the story follows a similar trajectory--discovery of a corpse, detection, resolution--but there's more to this book, and in the end we begin to see where the story may lead.
The combination of Alan Bradley's storytelling and Jayne Entwistle's performance is perfect. (Entwhistle does a pretty fair North American accent, a humorous bonus.)
Just two criticisms.
Thomas the cat must be Thomasina or a very rare mosaic, if feline coat color genetics are to be believed.
And I'd like a better-explained wrapup of the author-turned-woodcarver mystery.
But given the quality of the whole, I'm happy to settle for less.

Flavia is finally back home

Oh it was so good to have Audible's version of this Deluce story to immerse myself in jolly old England (from Flavia's point of view.) I adore these tales and again Jayne's theatrical voices swept me away. She makes Alan Bradley's characters come to life! I always feel smarter after listening to this witty young woman.

Another fabulous book with a great narrator

Tears! Enough about the end.

I love Flavia. So this new book is a welcome glimpse into her life. The writing is fantastic and Flavia's actions, even if a bit much for a 12-year old, are a delight to read.

Dogger is a joy, the interaction between sisters is always interesting, and the new characters are well written.

The other wondrous part of this series is the narrator. Jayne Entwistle is the best for these books!

Love love love these books

Alan Bradley is just Brilliant. I love these books as much if not more then Harry Potter . They are just so cleaver and I laugh out loud . Can't wait for the next book . PS. Jayne Entwistle is perfect . A great performance.

Not My Favorite

I found this latest chapter of Flavia's life to be confusing and much too sad. I miss the joyful Flavia of the first few books.

Flavia Flavia I love Flavia

If you could sum up Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, smart, literary

Who was your favorite character and why?

Flavia and her relationship with herself and her town and family. She is a precocious, but not unbelievable 12 year old. (I have an 12 year old in my family who could be Flavia.)

Have you listened to any of Jayne Entwistle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I can't recall if I have.

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

Yes. I put my earbuds in, my iPhone in my pocket, and we spent many happy hours together with this book.

Any additional comments?

Glad to see Flavia and family back and strong. The last book was a bit disappointing. But this is another goody!

cant wait long for the next saga!!!

I always the flavia. I love watching her grow up. Abnd know she must preserver.

So disappointed in this dark, depressing book

I have been a big fan of the Flavia De Luce series by Alan Bradley. After reading "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie", I was hooked. I loved the feisty prodigy and her portrayal by Jayne Entwistle was spot on. I have listened to all 7 and while not every one was as good as the first, at least I could say they were good.

With this latest book, I can say it was not good. It deals with the subject of child abuse. And this is a tricky subject to handle well. It has been apparent from the start that Flavia is able to overcome her dysfunctional family by dint of her unique personality and her superior intelligence. But this book is so disconnected, the story line so dark, frightening, and horrific, the resolution so incomplete, the writing so uneven, and the reader so unself-aware and far removed from the realities around her, that I cannot recommend it. Here you have a child taking care of all the dysfunctional adults around her. It made me sad and depressed to have lived through the book. The writing is at times very good. At others, I felt the author was told to pad the text by adding strings of cliques all saying the same thing. Or maybe he could not choose the best among different similes. But to leave so many plot lines incomplete, to leave Flavia in such a sad, lonely, and hopeless place is just not acceptable. I cannot imagine what was going on in the author's mind. If he wants us to understand child abuse at a visceral, realistic level, he has succeeded. Still, it does not make for a pleasant listening experience.

One would wish for a happier outcome for our heroine or even some resolution to this the horrors we the listeners have endured. But Mr. Bradley has decided not to give us even those few crumbs.

I have now put this series in my "do not go there" again list.

Dark not fun

Flavia seems to have lost her childlike good humor in this confusing episode. I found the lengthy time she spent with the dead body very unsuitable. It is as if she went from being Nancy Drew to being Dupin in The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Can we ever go back? I will likely try one more because I like Flavia so much. I do appreciate that she felt some remorse for treating her young cousin in the same shameful way her sisters treat her.