Review: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

Title and Author of book: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Fiction or non-fiction: Fiction
Genre: Adult literature/YA (I think it makes a great YA book!)
Where did I get the book: My public Library
Challenges that this fulfilled: none

Who recommended this book to me?: I've seen this one everywhere, but after Janel's great review I knew I needed to get this one read!!

Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending!
We're introduced to 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.”

What did you like most about this book? I loved the cheeky Flavia!! Her mind is faster and sharper than any eleven-year old I've ever met. I liked how she connected everything to Chemistry in some way and that she really had a very active imagination. especially when it came to poisons and how to kill/maim someone with them.

What did you like least? I have to say that there wasn't anything that I didn't like in this book, except for the fact that Flavia is much smarter than me!!!

Have you read any other books by this author? This is my first experience with Alan Bradley and I've heard around the grapevine that he's going to write several more book with Flavia!! (jumping up and down !!)


What about the ending? Perfect and everything was neatly wrapped up with a bow. I found this one to be extremely satisfying, and after finishing it, I wanted to grab book #2 in the Mary Russell series because I found these two English girls to be extremely engaging!!!

If you enjoy a good mystery, set in England, with a precocious, charming eleven-year old as the main character, then you will surely enjoy this one!!!
I highly recommend this book!!

Other Book lovers thoughts:

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea
Direct quote from review: "The first person narrative by this unconventional spunky protagonist works so well, it was hard to believe a seventy year old male could capture the character of this eleven year old detective so beautifully. I caught myself laughing at loud numerous times as Flavia worked to solve the mysteries."

Janel's Jumble
Direct quote from review: "I honestly haven't enjoyed a mystery this much in a long time. An eleven-year old girl is not a usual cozy main character, but I fell in love with Flavia anyway."