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Harvest/Harcourt, Brace & Co (1962), Paperback
Description
While ringing in the New Year, Lord Peter stumbles into an ominous country mystery Lord Peter Wimsey and his manservant Bunter are halfway across the wild flatlands of East Anglia when they make a wrong turn, straight into a ditch. They scramble over the rough country to the nearest church, where they find hospitality, dinner, and an invitation to go bell-ringing. This ancient art is steeped in mathematical complexities, and tonight the rector and his friends plan to embark on a 9-hour marathon session to welcome the New Year. Lord Peter joins them, taking a step into a society whose cheerful exterior hides a dark, deadly past. During their stay in this unfamiliar countryside, Lord Peter and Bunter encounter murder, a mutilated corpse, and a decades-old jewel theft for which locals continue to die. In this land where bells toll for the dead, the ancient chimes never seem to stop.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member BenBennetts
This, the ninth of Sayers’s eleven full length Wimsey novels, is the one that lifts her above the category of twentieth-century female detective novelist, and places her among the literary greats.
It is a thoroughly satisfying mystery – sophisticated, complex, intellectually challenging.
It is Sayers, so there is more than just a plot. The characters have a depth and realism far beyond the caricatures of Agatha Christie. They have individuality and weaknesses and baggage and unexpected strength in the face of adversity. They are, in short, people.
Wimsey himself appears more relaxed in this than in most of the other books. A far cry from the self-conscious man-about-town of 'Whose Body?' or the nervy war veteran of 'The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club', this is the Wimsey hinted at in 'Five Red Herrings': the born and bred countryman, at ease with himself, almost classless at times, an incomer who at once instinctively understands and is accepted by this tiny community.
The community itself is minutely and deftly drawn too – partly through its supporting characters, partly through Sayers’s own narrative voice, stronger and more distinctive in this book than in the others, and often taking on the cadence and the overtones of a local character to remarkable effect.
And then there are the most powerful and enduring characters of all: the bells of Fenchurch St Paul and the place itself. The Nine Tailors is to the Fens what 'The Return of the Native' is to the heathlands of Dorset. It is a work of art, a tone-poem, a sonorous evocation of place and time, a symphony of words and images that endure in the mind long after the last page is turned. (For more on the power of language in The Nine Tailors, I refer you to my recent essay on The Art of Reading.)
Much attention is given in literary circles to the ‘great American novel’; little, if any, is given to the novel that depicts England. Yet The Nine Tailors, for all that it is set in an obscure and bleak corner of the countryside, is as intimate and accurate a portrait of inter-war rural Englishness as anything ever written – and an enduring one at that.
~~~
One must then turn, with the utmost reluctance and distaste, to the current sub-standard UK paperback edition of this masterpiece (978-0-450-00100-0). It appears to have been typeset and proof-read by persons with little knowledge of, and less interest in, either the English language or the basic rules of punctuation. It is further encumbered with an arch and self-congratulatory introduction by Elizabeth George, which adds little to one’s appreciation of the work, and which – to add insult to injury – is inserted between Sayers’s own foreword and the first chapter, thus breaking the rhythm of the author’s original text. (No doubt the same vandalism has been committed in the latest impression of 'Gaudy Night', where any interruption between the Foreword and Chapter 1 would be even more obtrusive. Fortunately I still have my 1988 paperback of that work.)
A minor point, but a further niggle in light of these graver shortcomings, is the faintly 1970s typography employed for the section headings.
In summary, this edition gives the unfortunate impression of having been brought to press by an editor who neither recognised nor valued the calibre and significance of the book. I have now placed my 2011 paperback in the recycling bin and ordered a second-hand hardback. On the grounds of the punctuation errors alone, I would urge anyone who wishes to read what Miss Sayers actually wrote, to eschew the current UK paperback edition in favour of any other second-hand copy available.
It is a thoroughly satisfying mystery – sophisticated, complex, intellectually challenging.
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Everything in the plot is there for a reason; and the final explanation is ingenious and unexpected. It is Sayers, so there is more than just a plot. The characters have a depth and realism far beyond the caricatures of Agatha Christie. They have individuality and weaknesses and baggage and unexpected strength in the face of adversity. They are, in short, people.
Wimsey himself appears more relaxed in this than in most of the other books. A far cry from the self-conscious man-about-town of 'Whose Body?' or the nervy war veteran of 'The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club', this is the Wimsey hinted at in 'Five Red Herrings': the born and bred countryman, at ease with himself, almost classless at times, an incomer who at once instinctively understands and is accepted by this tiny community.
The community itself is minutely and deftly drawn too – partly through its supporting characters, partly through Sayers’s own narrative voice, stronger and more distinctive in this book than in the others, and often taking on the cadence and the overtones of a local character to remarkable effect.
And then there are the most powerful and enduring characters of all: the bells of Fenchurch St Paul and the place itself. The Nine Tailors is to the Fens what 'The Return of the Native' is to the heathlands of Dorset. It is a work of art, a tone-poem, a sonorous evocation of place and time, a symphony of words and images that endure in the mind long after the last page is turned. (For more on the power of language in The Nine Tailors, I refer you to my recent essay on The Art of Reading.)
Much attention is given in literary circles to the ‘great American novel’; little, if any, is given to the novel that depicts England. Yet The Nine Tailors, for all that it is set in an obscure and bleak corner of the countryside, is as intimate and accurate a portrait of inter-war rural Englishness as anything ever written – and an enduring one at that.
~~~
One must then turn, with the utmost reluctance and distaste, to the current sub-standard UK paperback edition of this masterpiece (978-0-450-00100-0). It appears to have been typeset and proof-read by persons with little knowledge of, and less interest in, either the English language or the basic rules of punctuation. It is further encumbered with an arch and self-congratulatory introduction by Elizabeth George, which adds little to one’s appreciation of the work, and which – to add insult to injury – is inserted between Sayers’s own foreword and the first chapter, thus breaking the rhythm of the author’s original text. (No doubt the same vandalism has been committed in the latest impression of 'Gaudy Night', where any interruption between the Foreword and Chapter 1 would be even more obtrusive. Fortunately I still have my 1988 paperback of that work.)
A minor point, but a further niggle in light of these graver shortcomings, is the faintly 1970s typography employed for the section headings.
In summary, this edition gives the unfortunate impression of having been brought to press by an editor who neither recognised nor valued the calibre and significance of the book. I have now placed my 2011 paperback in the recycling bin and ordered a second-hand hardback. On the grounds of the punctuation errors alone, I would urge anyone who wishes to read what Miss Sayers actually wrote, to eschew the current UK paperback edition in favour of any other second-hand copy available.
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LibraryThing member phoebesmum
We’ve been having a bit of a Peter Wimsey orgy of late – hey, there are worse ways to spend your time – partly due to getting the boxed set of Ian Carmichael’s Wimsey for Christmas, and partly because heck, why not? I went back to this particular title because the Carmichael version devotes
Wimsey and Bunter are stranded in a remote Fenland village in a snowstorm on New Year’s Eve. They are rescued by the Rector, who gives them a bed for the night; Wimsey goes some way toward repaying his kindness by standing in for a sick villager to take part in a record-breaking round of bell-ringing. Three months later, the Rector contacts Wimsey in some distress: a disfigured body has been found in the graveyard. Wimsey returns to the village, makes his enquiries, and gets to the heart of the matter – not with entirely happy results or consequences.
This is one of Sayers’s later Wimseys, and shows her at her full strength as a novelist – and Wimsey at his full strength as a character. That it’s a detective story, albeit a far from conventional one, is almost by the way; it’s a beautifully detailed portrait of a village community between the Wars, steeped in the mythology of the Church of England, detailed and intricate and unforgettable.
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the entire first episode to depicting the crime that, whilst being at the heart of the novel, takes place twenty years before. The attempt by the 1970s BBC make-up department to transform Carmichael who, at fiftysomething, was already too old for the role, into a 24-year-old Wimsey on the eve of the Great War really has to be seen to be believed. But I digress.Wimsey and Bunter are stranded in a remote Fenland village in a snowstorm on New Year’s Eve. They are rescued by the Rector, who gives them a bed for the night; Wimsey goes some way toward repaying his kindness by standing in for a sick villager to take part in a record-breaking round of bell-ringing. Three months later, the Rector contacts Wimsey in some distress: a disfigured body has been found in the graveyard. Wimsey returns to the village, makes his enquiries, and gets to the heart of the matter – not with entirely happy results or consequences.
This is one of Sayers’s later Wimseys, and shows her at her full strength as a novelist – and Wimsey at his full strength as a character. That it’s a detective story, albeit a far from conventional one, is almost by the way; it’s a beautifully detailed portrait of a village community between the Wars, steeped in the mythology of the Church of England, detailed and intricate and unforgettable.
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LibraryThing member Linda_22003
This is easily the best of the fine Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries. Its evocative style, memorable characters, and satisfying plot will keep you entertained on the proverbial Dark and Stormy Night. New Year's Eve, when most of the action in this book takes place, is an overrated night out; instead,
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put a log on the fire, pour a tot of brandy, and spend the evening indulging in the wild weather and deep mysteries of Fenchurch St. Paul. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Dorothy Sayers wrote this book having intimate knowledge of the fens and of bell ringing. Her father was a rector at a church there. Her love comes through in the atmosphere of this story. Her humorous, yet loving descriptions of the local villagers and especially Reverend Venables and his wife are
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fun to read. The details of change-ringing may still be a mystery to me, but I enjoy them. The bells truly become characters with their own personalities. This is one of my favorite Lord Peter mysteries. Show Less
LibraryThing member JaneSteen
Where I got the book; from my bookshelf.
The Nine Tailors, I have noticed, is the book people often mention in connection with Dorothy L. Sayers. It's a perennial favorite, mostly, I suspect, because of the solution to the mystery of Geoffrey Deacon's murder--(view spoiler)--but as murder mysteries
As a novel, however, it's a great read. I love it because of the setting; the flat, watery fens (every time Wimsey's outside I can feel the damp wind whistling past my ears), the isolated little villages, the nexus of classic English village life--the pub, the church, the big house where many of the villagers work as servants, the blacksmith and the smallholders scratching a living from poorly-run farms. Sayers' father was a clergyman, and I suspect that this life was something she knew well; she certainly understood the ins and outs of the Rector's life, with his constant concern for visiting the sick, his efforts toward improving conditions of life in the village, and his officially disapproving yet privately understanding attitude toward the sins of the flesh. If we all came under the care of pastors like that, I suspect more people would turn up at church on Sunday.
I also find the story wonderfully enjoyable and clever, despite my reservations about the murder mystery itself. By "the story" I mean the tale of the missing emeralds (DLS seems to have a thing about emeralds) that forms a background to the mystery and still resonates in the lives of the villagers. Right to the end the story keeps moving at a fast pace, never allowing for a dull moment. Even the decrypting of the Letter That Gives It All Away (second time DLS uses this device in short order) moves swiftly; lessons have been learned from the overlong scene in Have His Carcase.
And the characters...love 'em. The Rector and his wife, Potty Peake, Hezekiah Lavender and Superintendent Blundell are little gems of sharp characterization in few words. And does anyone else think that Hilary Thorpe is another depiction of DLS, this time a youthful version? It seems to me that Strong Poison opened the floodgates to the writer inhabiting her own work, to the point where she pretty much takes over in Busman's Honeymoon.
The most memorable image, of course, is the bells. I don't think any reader can quite look at church bells the same way again after this. There's a Norman church in Rye, East Sussex, with a bell tower you can climb, and I've been doing so since I was in my teens. The climb up the belfry ladder always, always makes me think of this book and shiver.
The Nine Tailors, I have noticed, is the book people often mention in connection with Dorothy L. Sayers. It's a perennial favorite, mostly, I suspect, because of the solution to the mystery of Geoffrey Deacon's murder--(view spoiler)--but as murder mysteries
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go, I find it unsatisfactory.As a novel, however, it's a great read. I love it because of the setting; the flat, watery fens (every time Wimsey's outside I can feel the damp wind whistling past my ears), the isolated little villages, the nexus of classic English village life--the pub, the church, the big house where many of the villagers work as servants, the blacksmith and the smallholders scratching a living from poorly-run farms. Sayers' father was a clergyman, and I suspect that this life was something she knew well; she certainly understood the ins and outs of the Rector's life, with his constant concern for visiting the sick, his efforts toward improving conditions of life in the village, and his officially disapproving yet privately understanding attitude toward the sins of the flesh. If we all came under the care of pastors like that, I suspect more people would turn up at church on Sunday.
I also find the story wonderfully enjoyable and clever, despite my reservations about the murder mystery itself. By "the story" I mean the tale of the missing emeralds (DLS seems to have a thing about emeralds) that forms a background to the mystery and still resonates in the lives of the villagers. Right to the end the story keeps moving at a fast pace, never allowing for a dull moment. Even the decrypting of the Letter That Gives It All Away (second time DLS uses this device in short order) moves swiftly; lessons have been learned from the overlong scene in Have His Carcase.
And the characters...love 'em. The Rector and his wife, Potty Peake, Hezekiah Lavender and Superintendent Blundell are little gems of sharp characterization in few words. And does anyone else think that Hilary Thorpe is another depiction of DLS, this time a youthful version? It seems to me that Strong Poison opened the floodgates to the writer inhabiting her own work, to the point where she pretty much takes over in Busman's Honeymoon.
The most memorable image, of course, is the bells. I don't think any reader can quite look at church bells the same way again after this. There's a Norman church in Rye, East Sussex, with a bell tower you can climb, and I've been doing so since I was in my teens. The climb up the belfry ladder always, always makes me think of this book and shiver.
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LibraryThing member Smiley
Excellent. Best Sayers Wimsey mystery I've read. Whodunit to the last couple of pages. Wonderful sense of place and an introduction to that very British hobby, change ringing as an added treat.
LibraryThing member Kasthu
On New Year's Eve, Lord Peter Wimsey is driving through the East Anglia countryside, when a flat tire causes him to stop in a local village. The village bell ringers are about to perform, and Wimsey fills in for one of the ringers who can come down with the flu. The nine tailors of the title are
When a local man dies several months later, and his grave is dug, it's discovered that there's already a dead body in that grave--the body of an unknown man who was seen tramping about the countryside in January by Lord Peter himself. Who is the strange man? How is he connected to the theft of some emeralds that took place in 1914?
It's a mystery that stumps even Lord Peter, and it's pretty ingenious--read it and see for yourself. Dorothy Sayers's novels are such a treat because she really knew how to pull a mystery together--she won't kill off one of her characters simply because she can. There's a backstory to everything, and Sayers leaves no stone unturned in this book. The Nine Tailors is as perfect a murder mystery as you're going to get.
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the nine bells that are rung upon someone's death. When a local man dies several months later, and his grave is dug, it's discovered that there's already a dead body in that grave--the body of an unknown man who was seen tramping about the countryside in January by Lord Peter himself. Who is the strange man? How is he connected to the theft of some emeralds that took place in 1914?
It's a mystery that stumps even Lord Peter, and it's pretty ingenious--read it and see for yourself. Dorothy Sayers's novels are such a treat because she really knew how to pull a mystery together--she won't kill off one of her characters simply because she can. There's a backstory to everything, and Sayers leaves no stone unturned in this book. The Nine Tailors is as perfect a murder mystery as you're going to get.
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LibraryThing member maggie1944
I just read The Nine Tailors and enjoyed it greatly. The main reason I do not read mysteries, as a favorite genre, is because I can't be "bothered" to try to second guess the author and come to "who did it" before the end of the book; however, in this book's case, I did guess the answer to the
Firstly, it is a wonderful period piece which describes life in a small English village and some of the Characters who live there perfectly. Not that I've ever lived in one, but based on other books, movies, and other sources of impression, I think Dorothy L. Sayers got it just right! The rector of the village church and his wife were a perfect pair, he a bit absent minded but totally a kind and giving man, she spot on the admistrator of all things organized in their home, and in the church. I fell completely in love with them.
Secondly, all of the potential criminals were drawn carefully to not be too, too evil and thereby were totally believable people. Both clever, and not so clever, these folks had all of the weaknesses and foibles of country folk read about since the English novel threw light on villiage life. I was happy with the outcome.
So, I recommend this book to readers who like mysteries, who like English village life, and who like good writing without some of the more modern tricks.
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mystery which I think most readers probably would. But I clearly did not enjoy the book the less for the obviousness of the solution to the mystery. The book has many, many additional charms.Firstly, it is a wonderful period piece which describes life in a small English village and some of the Characters who live there perfectly. Not that I've ever lived in one, but based on other books, movies, and other sources of impression, I think Dorothy L. Sayers got it just right! The rector of the village church and his wife were a perfect pair, he a bit absent minded but totally a kind and giving man, she spot on the admistrator of all things organized in their home, and in the church. I fell completely in love with them.
Secondly, all of the potential criminals were drawn carefully to not be too, too evil and thereby were totally believable people. Both clever, and not so clever, these folks had all of the weaknesses and foibles of country folk read about since the English novel threw light on villiage life. I was happy with the outcome.
So, I recommend this book to readers who like mysteries, who like English village life, and who like good writing without some of the more modern tricks.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
Synopsis: This is a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery that takes place in the fens and involves bell changing (ringing) and has nothing to do with tailors.
I’ve read three Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries now and this is my favorite. I give in 4 stars for enjoyment but this is not a favorite for many and some
What I likes: I liked learning about the bells. I liked that the author seemed very knowledgeable about the subject of bell ringing. The story is set in the time period between the wars and mentions the influenza outbreak that did kill a lot of people. It touches on an environmental topic of what happens when man decides to change the course of nature. (draining the fen). The bells were used to announce a death. In these small communities people would no by the telling; thus the name “teller Paul” Paul being the largest (tenor) dedicated to St. Paul, and tailor being the dialect for teller.
The mystery and death is original. I am sure that is the reason that this was included in the 1001 books. It did win the Rusty Dagger award for best crime novel of the 1930s, British Crime Writers Association, 1999.
I also sometimes like a book because I like details about the author. Dorothy Sayer was the daughter of a Rector and grew up on the Fens at Blutisham. She was famous for being a playwright, writing Christian essay and she is mostly known for her status as one of the women mystery writers of the Golden Age. She started to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy and she considered it her best work but died before completion.
I’ve read three Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries now and this is my favorite. I give in 4 stars for enjoyment but this is not a favorite for many and some
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feel the story is too slow. The details of the bells is a little complicated and probably results in people losing interest. What I likes: I liked learning about the bells. I liked that the author seemed very knowledgeable about the subject of bell ringing. The story is set in the time period between the wars and mentions the influenza outbreak that did kill a lot of people. It touches on an environmental topic of what happens when man decides to change the course of nature. (draining the fen). The bells were used to announce a death. In these small communities people would no by the telling; thus the name “teller Paul” Paul being the largest (tenor) dedicated to St. Paul, and tailor being the dialect for teller.
The mystery and death is original. I am sure that is the reason that this was included in the 1001 books. It did win the Rusty Dagger award for best crime novel of the 1930s, British Crime Writers Association, 1999.
I also sometimes like a book because I like details about the author. Dorothy Sayer was the daughter of a Rector and grew up on the Fens at Blutisham. She was famous for being a playwright, writing Christian essay and she is mostly known for her status as one of the women mystery writers of the Golden Age. She started to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy and she considered it her best work but died before completion.
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
Peter and Bunter end up in Fenchurch St Paul after Peter drives his car into the ditch in a snow storm. Taken in by the Rector and his wife (the delightful Rev and Mrs Venables), Peter is persuaded to take the place of a sick bell-ringer in a planned nine hour marathon bell ringing session. (Is
Sadly no Harriet, although Hilary seemed to be a teenage version of her. A bit more of Bunter and, indeed, my favourite moment was Bunter claiming Peter to be his flirtatious chauffeur. I made no attempt to understand the intricacies of bell-ringing and it made no difference. I likewise paid little attention to the pages about drainage on the fens, but maybe I ought to have done! This one was just OK for me - none of the characters really called to me and Peter was just a bit more superficial than in others in the series.
The story made clear the role played by a conscientious minister and his wife in their parish at the time of writing and I liked the touch about the Thodays feeling obliged to skip communion, but being able to face matins.
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there nothing he cannot do?) Months later he is asked to help the police out with the case of the handless body found in some one else's grave. The whole case unfolds over months and months with a noticeable lack of urgency, although the story ends with a dramatic flooding disaster.Sadly no Harriet, although Hilary seemed to be a teenage version of her. A bit more of Bunter and, indeed, my favourite moment was Bunter claiming Peter to be his flirtatious chauffeur. I made no attempt to understand the intricacies of bell-ringing and it made no difference. I likewise paid little attention to the pages about drainage on the fens, but maybe I ought to have done! This one was just OK for me - none of the characters really called to me and Peter was just a bit more superficial than in others in the series.
The story made clear the role played by a conscientious minister and his wife in their parish at the time of writing and I liked the touch about the Thodays feeling obliged to skip communion, but being able to face matins.
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LibraryThing member Helenliz
A re-read again. It takes a while for the body to make an appearance, but the story in the interim all starts to make sense as the story progresses. The story has, as an integral part, the very English hobby of bellringing. As a ringer, I like the detail and the way the ringing is so important
It's an inventive mystery, with a lovely interplay between Peter and the policeman, and the villagers are a lovely character study. There's a lot to like about this, and I do like it every time.
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(although I can see the slight errors, for the weight of bells, that New year's peal would be a lot longer than 9 hours). I like the terminology of the chapter titles and how they are largely ringing terminology. The mystery itself is two that are embrangled. There's a missing emerald necklace that has caused a lot of trouble, then a body turns up, with it's face smashed in and hands missing - presumably to prevent identification and a significant portion of the second mystery revolves round trying to answer that question. It's an inventive mystery, with a lovely interplay between Peter and the policeman, and the villagers are a lovely character study. There's a lot to like about this, and I do like it every time.
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LibraryThing member raschneid
A pretty good mystery, but definitely heavy on the info dumps about British church bells. Lots of Bunter, though! I love me some Bunter. And the ending was very good. Also, a very classic premise - everyone loves a jewel hunt.
Definitely figured out the ending as soon as we got the requisite
Definitely figured out the ending as soon as we got the requisite
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information, yet our detective was still confused; I shake my head at you, Peter Wimsey. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Despite the title, The Nine Tailors has nothing to do with sewing. It is, in fact, about change-ringing, that particularly British form of campanology in which church bells are rung, not to make a tune, but in mathematical patterns. The title refers to the nine strokes of the tenor bell for a man's
While this book is as enjoyable as many of the entries in the series, it is not one of my favorites. Too much technical talk about change-ringing, not enough Bunter, and absolutely no Harriet Vane. On the other hand, the minor characters are interesting (the rector and his wife are lovely and fun), and the solution to the mystery is novel. For fans of the series, it's certainly worth a read.
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death. In this book, Lord Peter is stranded in a small town on New Year's Eve, when the change-ringers at the local church are preparing for a nine-hour peal to ring in the New Year. When one of the ringers falls ill and is unable to participate, Lord Peter steps in, having done change-ringing in his youth. When, not long after that night, a crime is discovered to have been committed in that same small town, the rector of the church writes to Lord Peter for assistance.While this book is as enjoyable as many of the entries in the series, it is not one of my favorites. Too much technical talk about change-ringing, not enough Bunter, and absolutely no Harriet Vane. On the other hand, the minor characters are interesting (the rector and his wife are lovely and fun), and the solution to the mystery is novel. For fans of the series, it's certainly worth a read.
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LibraryThing member bookworm12
An amateur detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, is snowbound in a small English town on New Year's Eve. He helps the town's people ring in the new year on their church bells. Three months later Wimsey is called upon to solve the mystery of a dead body found in the churchyard. The 20-year-old theft of an
This is my first experience with Sayers and the infamous Wimsey. I really enjoyed it. It's a delicious English detective story, complete with polite inquiries and afternoon tea. It's certainly not fast-paced and can lag a bit as they toss ideas back and forth, but it pays off in the end. I'll have to pick up more of Sayers' work, but mysteries and other essays she's well known for.
"Bells are like cats and mirrors, always queer, doesn't do a thing to think too much about them."
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emerald necklace lies at the heart of the case. The book's title comes from a specific ringing of the church bells to note a death in the parish. This is my first experience with Sayers and the infamous Wimsey. I really enjoyed it. It's a delicious English detective story, complete with polite inquiries and afternoon tea. It's certainly not fast-paced and can lag a bit as they toss ideas back and forth, but it pays off in the end. I'll have to pick up more of Sayers' work, but mysteries and other essays she's well known for.
"Bells are like cats and mirrors, always queer, doesn't do a thing to think too much about them."
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LibraryThing member zeborah
(Reviewed from memory) I figured out the murder mechanism very early on, and I always enjoy feeling clever so much I didn't mind at all how long it took everyone else. I preferred my own theories of whodunnit to what actually turned out to be the case (which I felt was unnecessarily convoluted),
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but have now forgotten what my theories were anyway, so oh well. Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
Very vividly done fen country setting --the power of the floods reminds me of Der Schimmelreiter --and what I understand (not being a ringer myself) is very intelligent use of the ancient English tradition of change-ringing on church bells. Spoiler warning: in a sense, this is a variant of Roger
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Ackroyd, since the detective turns out to have taken part in the killing (not murder)quire innocently -- though there is in a sense a guilty party --though even he tried desperately to save his victim. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
I'm not original in calling this a masterpiece of the genre. Sayers' mysteries seem to bring in so many moral questions, the value of loyalty, community etc. This is certainly a gripping murder mystery but also gives much further food for thought.
LibraryThing member Figgles
One of my favourite Peter Wimsey novels, a novel, not just an exercise in detection, with the added attraction of a background of the fens in general and of bell ringing in particular. Well worth the read.
LibraryThing member starrysheen
A re-read of an old favorite. Great mystery; literary writing style; imparts un-useful but thorough knowledge about change-ringing of church bells.
LibraryThing member TadAD
This is one of Ms. Sayers' best. A good mystery, good characters, a wonderful backdrop of well-described England served up with great writing style.
LibraryThing member ben_a
Nine Tailors moves at a deliberate pace, and, like most good mysteries, is more notable for incidentals than for puzzle-box logic. A fine book, but it never became a page-turner (in the positive sense).
LibraryThing member horacewimsey
I love it when a novelist goes to the trouble of researching the setting of her novel. Here Sayers has given us a superb bit of detective fiction built on the science of changeringing.
LibraryThing member ds_61_12
Wimsey is asked by an old acquaintance to help with a corpse that has been found in the churchyard. The Nine Taylors from the title revere to the bells that are rung in the book, apparently an old tradition.
Great read, Lord Peter is still one of my favourite Golden Age characters.
Great read, Lord Peter is still one of my favourite Golden Age characters.
LibraryThing member LaurieRKing
Beautiful language, gloriously ridiculous plots, and the first to bring the emotional life of her characters into the fore of the mystery. (Even though she did insist on apologizing for it.)
LibraryThing member nohablo
There's a lean, clever detective story at the heart of Nine Tailors. Too bad Dorothy Sayers smothers it to death with page after page of obsessive minutiae about bell-ringing (EGH) and the British canal system?! Soggily paced and, in the end, limp and unsatisfying. BLAH.
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1934-01
ISBN
9781453262559
Local notes
Lord Peter, 11
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Sayers |
Other editions
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L. Sayers (Paperback)