Dorothy L Sayers remains an interesting mystery writer with Lord Peter Wimsey jumping into the chaos to bring order and resolution in a murder investigation. As his sidekick, Harriet Vane, falters between accepting Peter’s many proposals of marriage. But, I could not enter this tedious foray of college life in this lengthy tale. The chapters drone on and on, and the publisher printed the book in such small print. If the language did not bore a reader to sleepiness then the constant insertion of Latin phrases drove the reader to fatigue and longing for the story to end. Not one of the books I would recommend to be read. ( )

Dorothy L. Sayers was a snob of the highest order, and not at all my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with authors who are antiquated in style (Proust, one of my homeboys) or problematic (Woody Allen's comedy) or indeed high-and-mighty, antiquated, and problematic (my bookshelf is a shrine to Lawrence Durrell) but something about Sayers puts me off.

Is it her half-page epigraphs at the commencement of each chapter? Her rambling style? Her characters' proclivity to burst into Latin without a footnote, even in a modern edition (not necessarily a problem for a classicist such as myself, but still annoying)? Or the sheer audacity of a 520-page mystery novel? I mean, even at their best, these things - whether by Christie, Marsh, Tey, or Innes - were designed to be amusements to pass the time, not Tolstoy. Perhaps it's Harriet Vane's unwillingness to really get involved in solving the mystery, and leaving it up to her bf.

Either way, I didn't enjoy Sayers in highschool and I still don't care for Gaudy Night but I appreciate that - much like my willingness to get lost in Pym or Zola - for some, Sayers fits their heart and soul specifically. I'll stick to the other Golden Age crime writers, thanks. (Delectable speech by the non-murderer at the end, though!) ( )

A beautifully crafted story, weaving together Sayers trademark mystery writing with the love story of Peter and Harriet, a deep understanding of Oxford, and insights into the role of women in society. It feels like it was the book Sayers was waiting to write, more personal than her earlier mystery novels. ( )

A very intellectually dense mystery. The author includes many references to Latin, Greek and British literature within the witty banter regarding a "poison pen" at Oxford.
While interesting, it made for slow reading. The references did not move the story along, rather the opposite. It did prove that a) The author was an intellectual snob, b) so were her characters.
That being said, it did make a case for early feminism, via the "Life of the Mind".....a brilliant mind is worth developing, even if it resides in a female (or other less respected human being).
Although it was considered very progressive for the time,it hasn't aged well. ( )

This was my first Dorothy Sayers novel, and I have to say I am a bit in love with Lord Peter Whimsey. What I found very interesting about this novel was its treatment of men and women, and the insightful ways that Sayers explores their thoughts and actions. Peter Whimsey is one of a few token males in this book, and the rest of the characters are mostly women of academic standing at a college in Oxford. They are all developed very well, as is the heroine Harriet Vane. I don't know that I have ever met another character who is as clear headed, emotionally aware, and downright savage as Harriet Vane. If you're going to read it, I recommend starting with Strong Poison and Have His Carcase. ( )