The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley: Book Review

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley. We were first introduced to Flavia de Luce in April 2009 by Delacorte Press. It was nominated for multiple awards, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction and Mystery/Thriller and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is set in Bishop’s Lacey, England, in 1950. It stars Flavia de Luce, an 11-year-old chemistry wiz, and her sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, her father and the property handyman, Dogger.

Synopsis

It’s Summer 1950 at Buckshaw, the family home of the de Luce family. A small war wages inside, a war between sisters Ophelia, Daphne, and Flavia. Nothing out of the ordinary, as the girls are constantly playing pranks on each other.

Then one day, a dead bird with its beak pierced through a stamp is discovered just outside the kitchen door. Flavia is curious, but the Colonel takes the stamp and tells Mrs. Mullet to dispose of the bird. While she’s disappointed, she has other things to do, like concoct a potion to get revenge on Ophelia.

That evening, Flavia hears voices in her father’s study. She was caught eavesdropping and sent to bed. A few hours later, she is awake and decides to go outside. On her way out, she trips. Upon further examination, she finds a dying man lying in the cucumber patch. It was the man she saw with her father in his study. But who is he? How did he get in the garden? Did her father kill him?

Positives

I find it exciting when I stumble across a new detective. While Flavia is only 11, she seems to be wise beyond her years. Yes, at times, she is a bit single-minded, but she’s just a child.

I was saddened to learn that Bishop’s Lacey was not an actual place, as the description was so well written. Boo! I want to walk along High Street. I want to see Buckshaw. And, I want to visit the library that used to be a car dealership. Sadly, the only way I can do that is through the books.

Negatives

I disagreed with the way the Colonel and Dogger were described/presented. Both had served in the war a few years prior. And thus, understandably, were suffering from some mental anguish. Add to that; the Colonel lost his loving wife at some point before the book’s opening. Maybe it is a fact I’m looking at this from 21st-century eyes, but both men required some help with their mental health. Yes, Flavia tried to help Dogger after he had his “episodes.” But no one seemed to say or do anything about the Colonel and his almost obsessive behavior about his stamp collection or the fact he was pushing his daughters away in his grief.

Another negative in the book were the scenes told through flashback about a magic trick that the Colonel had learned as a young boy in school. The scenes reference the “character” of an old Asian man who could bring someone back from the dead. It includes many stereotypes present in the era the story was set, and some people find it offensive. I am sure there could have been a better way to set up or explain the trick than the author did.

My Opinions

It is always a treat to find a new detective. And it is even better when they are so young. Given that the book’s main character is only eleven, I am sure that the books will not contain too many horrible gory scenes even though there is death and murder in each.

Some people take exception because Flavia is eleven and seems to be focused on chemistry and poisons. Let’s not forget that every child has something they are passionate about. Add to that the fact that she is relatively unsupervised, and I’m surprised she hasn’t done damage to herself or the family estate. And honestly, Ophelia, with her sole focus on being the beauty queen and Daphne with her nose buried in books, isn’t really any different.

I enjoyed reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.