Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 discussion

We begin our discussion of Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance: A Mystery.

As this is a mystery, please be careful with spoilers.
Try to remember to (view spoiler)[tag any major spoilers (hide spoiler)] until everyone is finished, and we are all ready to discuss who-dunnit!

great job Jeannette. I'll join you as soon as I finished "River God".

Jeannette on the ball as usual, thanks for getting this set up. Good point about the spoilers. All our discussion will be here instead of on our review threads, right?

What do you gals think of the covers for these? For some reason the wild, bright colors along with the graphics works for me.

Laura wrote: "great job Jeannette. I'll join you as soon as I finished "River God"."

The Wilber Smith story? Loved that! I won't be joining you for this one, but I will lurk.

Hayes wrote: "Laura wrote: "great job Jeannette. I'll join you as soon as I finished "River God"."

The Wilber Smith story? Loved that! I won't be joining you for this one, but I will lurk."

exactly!! and it's hard to put it down....

Starting this tonight! All lurkers welcome, we will do our best to avoid spoilers.

I loved River God, it was a very exciting read for me.

I am trying today to get this at my local library. If not, I will request it, but will probably have to join late.

Just got it from the library...yippee! Will start it this afternoon...

Yay! I'm hoping to start soon, too. I just can't force myself to finish my current read. :P

Oh good, Marialyce, so glad you were able to get it. I started last night but was just too tired so I only got the first chapter read, making it to page 11. I didn't get much of a start but I already have two quotes.

Jeannette, is it the Tey book you are struggling with? Is this the first of hers you've read? I've only read The Daughter of Time.

It's The Man in the Queue, my first, and I find it a bit boring, especially for a mystery.

???

I'll toss mine if you toss the boy.....

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "Oh good, Marialyce, so glad you were able to get it. I started last night but was just too tired so I only got the first chapter read, making it to page 11. I didn't get much of a start but I alrea..."

I have also marked two quotes from Oscar that are are wonderful. I have to wonder how much about him is true in this novel. So, of course, now I need a good biography of him. I do like him so in this book. He is coming off as a true "gentle" man.

Jeannette wrote: "I'll toss mine if you toss the boy....."

I've read 450 470 pages... I can't stop now!

I'm at 75%, so I'll give it one last push tonight when the hubby helps the girl with her studying later. Two more finals and she's through.

Marialyce, my understanding is this is based on fact. His friendship with both Robert Sherard and Arthur Conan Doyle are real, as well as the murder of Billy Wood and it being the inspiration behind The Picture of Dorian Gray. I think Brandreth is trying to keep close to the facts. You may find this interesting, from the author's website. http://www.oscarwildemurdermysteries.... I never heard about this before and would love to know how it got started. And here is a discussion of the first meeting with Doyle that is mentioned in the book. http://scotland.stv.tv/culture/litera...

We may have to add a biography of Poe, maybe one of Sherard's for next years challenge, unless we just can't wait that long. From what I understand, all proper biographies come from the information in Sherard's books, this according to Wilde's youngest son and the book he wrote about his father in 1960.

Jeannette, I could see how it could be dull, portions of The Daughter of Time were that way, which is why I haven't ventured into any of her other works. Maybe it is her style that didn't excite me.

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "Marialyce, my understanding is this is based on fact. His friendship with both Robert Sherard and Arthur Conan Doyle are real, as well as the murder of Billy Budd and it being the inspiration behin..."

Thanks...that makes this book even more intriguing...
It is a fascinating novel so far and I am so happy I signed on to read and discuss it.

I am 1/4 of the way into the book, and I think the author is trying a bit too hard to inject a lot of "historical/biographical" info into the story. I feel that he gets side-tracked, telling the reader about Huxley and Darwin, for instance, or insisting (repeatedly) that Wilde loved his wife. I hope this fades as the mystery is unravelled.

I like it just for the reasons you do not care for, Jeannette. I love the asides that give us a picture of Oscar and Robert. I am holding myself back from reading the whole book in a sitting. I do find the characters fascinating and think of the mystery part as an aside.

I know we all look at things, especially books differently and that is just great for I think we learn so much by looking at something through another's eyes.

I'm reading it as a mystery, so while I enjoy the asides, I feel they distract me a little from the main story. I keep wanting to look things up, and find out more, and that just won't do for me when there is a murder to be solved.

I read several books in a series with Jane Austen as the sleuth, but the author worked more from the assumption that the reader knew enough about Austen to enjoy the fantasy.

I think we learn so much by looking at something through another's eyes. That's what I enjoy so much about book discussions, the often unexpected illumination of a scene in a way I might not see it myself.

Agreed! :)

In my opinion, the author knows to make a good "melange" between biographical data and detective work in such a way that's it's hard to put it down. More we learn about these famous historical characters, more I want to know what will happen next.

I finished and yes, Laura, I agree. The author has created a wonderful mystery and has presented Oscar Wilde in a humorous and heart warming way.

I'm at 77%, and I have to admit that I have started skimming. The book just didn't feel right to me. It's a mix of historical fiction, biographical fiction, and mystery, and I'm really impatient for the murder to be solved. If this had just been a novel about WIlde, with the murder, I might have enjoyed it more.

I am sorry you are not enjoying the book, Jeanette. I just thought it was lots of fun...well yes, there is that dark underside to it. I wonder if you will be surprised with who the murderer is.

I would love to talk about impressions of Wilde and really all the characters when you are done.

I am very curious about how the murder will be resolved. And, it should make for a good discussion, even if it isn't one of my favorites.

********SPOILER, of SORTS*********

Just up front: I do feel like Wilde has been a bit sanitized. The author brings the point home, over and over again, that Wilde was a benefactor, rather than a customer. Only once does Sherard admit that maybe WIlde did "succumb to the sins of the flesh...but that did not make him a corrupter of youth." I found it hard to agree with this. It seemed a nonchalant attitude towards these teens.

I do agree. He does make Wilde out to be charming I think and never quite gets to the point where we all know Wilde was. If put into a movie, I could just see Robert Downey Jr playing the role of Wilde.

I wonder what the author is trying to do/say? Is he creating a "better" Wilde who we might more easily relate to, or feel sympathetic to, or is he giving Wilde too much of a modern (2011) sensibility?

I found that he created an enchanting character in Wilde, while leaving it up to the reader to guess where Wilde was in his sexual appetites. He definitely created a better Wilde as I feel he himself admired the man Wilde was. I think you are probably right about the modern look to this character. Our sensibilities now are a whole lot different than those of Victorian England although those things went on big time then.

Especially when you think about the fact that Wilde's libel suit against his accuser is what landed him in jail. That Doyle and Fraser were "hinting" that he could be affected by the scandal (view spoiler)[that could result from investigating the murder (hide spoiler)], and Oscar rather casually denied it, rather than taking offense, seemed a bit out of character to me.

On the other hand, I did enjoy quite a lot about Oscar's character. I liked seeing him as a loyal friend and a generous soul.

Do you think the author in a small way hinted about Wilde being set up in the suit? I did google Wilde and it seemed as if there might have been some not quite legal goings on. Hard to make a judgement call though.

The author did strive to make Wilde very human and likeable. As I said I think he had some good impressions of Wilde which he has tried to convey to the reader.

Wilde was eccentric and flamboyant so he might have been easy prey.

He did say the witnesses were paid to testify against him. I'm just not convinced that Wilde was innocent of the charge. He took a big gamble filing the libel suit.

At least this mystery series makes me want to read more about Wilde. I've had De Profundis on my tbr list for some time now.

Apparently I am further behind everyone else being only at chapter 11, page 121. A sinus infection is making it a bit difficult to read. Also, today we had a meet and greet with a guy about adopting the 2 abandoned kittens from us and he has taken them home as a surprise for his 16 and 12 year old daughters.

So I sign in today and see the bulk of the topic being mystery versus history tidbits being discussed.
Jeannette mentioned "If this had just been a novel about WIlde, with the murder, I might have enjoyed it more." which is how I approached this book and most historical mysteries I read. The mystery is so far down on my list.
And Laura wrote: "In my opinion, the author knows to make a good "melange" between biographical data and detective work in such a way that's it's hard to put it down."
This is made all the more interesting considering my note from last night - "There is a lot of info dump about Wilde and Doyle, both their lives and careers, which interrupts the narrative. This may bother some but I enjoyed learning more about these two."

The one scene with the special delivery (view spoiler)[ of Billy Wood's head in a box (hide spoiler)] and then they end up chit chatting and drinking later at the club. Did that seem strange to anyone else?

I'm currently on page 232, going to put in my status updates now.

I wanted to include one of my favorite quotes so far and for obvious reasons it seems to fit rather well with this challenge. "We live for the promise of of delights only dreamt of, of sweets not yet savoured, of books as yet unwritten and unread."

By strange I am sure you mean that it seemed like everyone just took it in their stride and it did not make much of an impression. Certainly (view spoiler)[ if I was at or giving a dinner party and a head rolled out onto the table, I certainly think my guests and myself would have a) passed out b) ran out of the room, and c) and screamed and yelled our heads off (hide spoiler)] I am not sure what the author was trying to convey there. Was it that the British are ever so stoic that whatever happens they face it with that stiff upper lip in tact?

I loved that quote too and found there were so many uttered by Wilde that I had to think of him as being quite witty, quick, and brillant.

Yes, Marialyce, both at the dinner and later at the club (view spoiler)[ still with the head sitting in the box on the Inspector's or Doyle's lap (hide spoiler)]. I would not be so calm or oblivious in either case. I'm not sure if Brandreth was showing the British stiff upper lip or that Oscar held such sway over people. It seems he presses this persuasiveness of Wilde regularly. Wilde was the wit of his age and still enthralls us today, so he has 'something' and I would imagine it was much stronger in person. We may just have to read a good biography on him to learn more about the man. I've got about 50 pages to go to finish it.

I've been enjoying so many of the quotes in this book as evidenced by my status updates http://www.goodreads.com/user_status/...

Can anyone explain the meaning of the last sentence on page 255? "For once the voice of Mercury will be sweet after the songs of Apollo."

Here's a quote I enjoyed:

"Oh, do hush, Oscar, please. Your never-ending witticisms can be quite wearisome at times." (Veronica Sutherland)

I've finished, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book. (view spoiler)[The ending had quite a lot of "squick" factor. I do have to say, I never saw it coming, but the explanation was believable. (hide spoiler)]

Wasn't that Veronica. I laughed when I read that. Maybe he was as magnetic a personality as presented here, if not he would drive me crazy in real life with his superior attitude. It's hard to fit in the same room with an ego like that, I have a friend like that which not many people like, including Ron. I got past his facade to see the real person but he doesn't let most in and comes off as a pompous, egotistical ass. I couldn't help seeing him as I read this.

I saw your rating but didn't want to read your review or anything yet since I still have 50 pages left to go. Are we all going to put up our ratings when we get done?

Sorry, Dawn, I had a stray less-than sign that messed up the formatting! I edited my post. :D

Jeannette wrote: "Here's a quote I enjoyed:

"Oh, do hush, Oscar, please. You're never-ending witticisms can be quite wearisome at times." (Veronica Sutherland)"

Shouldn't that be your instead of you're?

It is 'your' in my trade paperback version.

I had just the opposite reaction to Oscar. I would have loved to be in his company and heard the things coming out of his mouth. I think in his quickness and wittiness, he should how intelligent he was.

(view spoiler)[ As for out murderers, I think the jig was up early for the detective especially when he was so reticent about investigating the case. As for Veronica, she sort of gave herself away with her outburst about Billy Wood. She had kept herself so in control before, that I thought this was so out of character. (hide spoiler)]

I have marked a few of Oscar's witticisms that I will look up as soon as the sun comes up, :)

Dawn (& Ron) wrote: "It is 'your' in my trade paperback version."

It's my typo! Sorry about that.

Marialyce wrote: "I had just the opposite reaction to Oscar. I would have loved to be in his company and heard the things coming out of his mouth. I think in his quickness and wittiness, he should how intelligent he..."

I love the real Oscar. I just feel that the book's author tried too hard. And, Veronica's exasperation summed up the way I felt sometimes, too. Even poor Constance was worn out by the end of the book. Oscar was an amazing wit, a genius, but he must have been hard to live with on a daily basis, especially if he was almost always "on" as he was in the book.

Aidan and Veronica did both act out of character throughout the book. I didn't see the end coming. Veronica (view spoiler)[with the brains of a man, and the steel nerves of a man, killing that sleeping youth by cutting his throat. Aidan might hang, and he should consider himself lucky, if he escapes his fiance. (hide spoiler)]

I totally agree. Veronica was a (view spoiler)[ dastardly villain (hide spoiler)]

Do you know any good books about Oscar, Jeanette? I have read some of his works, but other than wiki and rumors for lack of a better word, do not know much about him.

I'm at the same place, Marialyce. I'll look around a bit among my friends' bookshelves.

I am going to the library today. I will ask there and let you know if they have any suggestions.

Hopefully something under 700 pages. I'm terrible at sticking with biographies. :(