Death in the Garden
by Elizabeth Ironside
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Book Reviews of Death in the Garden
Book Review: Clever, Not Engrossing
Summary: 3 Stars
"Death in the Garden" has many virtues, beginning with its tantalizing epigraph and continuing all the way to the solution of the intricate mystery in the final pages. Elizabeth Ironside is a careful and talented writer, and she has created an ingenious and complex conundrum in the tradition of the English Country House mystery.
The complexity of the plot structure, however, takes over the book and becomes the chief source of interest, eclipsing any investment one might have either in the characters or the puzzle to be solved. The murder, as many other reviewers here have noted, occurs sixty years before it must finally be solved by the niece (by marriage) of the accused. The crime is thus seen from a multitude of perspectives and angles. The book includes excerpts from a putative crime book ("Passionate Crimes," by Lewis J. Buckherd), from the diary of the "Great-aunt," interviews with elderly survivors of an earlier day, glimpses of her life provided by the unlikely Dr. Ananda Ramasubramaniam, adopted son of her best friend and chief rival, and a host of contemporary relatives and their wives with their own parallel problems.
What are all these characters doing in this book? Merely serving as mouthpieces for the different perspectives that Ironside is trying to show us. They all sound the same, and all they do is talk, talk, talk. By the end of the novel, I was long past caring about them or about what happened to them -- especially about something as mundane as whether the protagonist (Helena) would decide to keep her aunt's house, Ingthorpe, or whether her relationship with the completely absent Robert would work out. Good grief!
I felt that I was being set up simply to admire the book's clever structure. Well, I did, so the author got what she wanted. Unlike some of the other reviewers here, however, I did not wish the book to be one page longer than it was.
Book Review: A doozy of a story!
Summary: 4 Stars
this book came to me via an online book club I belong to. Ironside's book is the quintessential British mystery, set in the time just after WWI and before WWII, as well as today. The first sentence begins, "Today at 2pm, I was acquitted of murdering my husband". Hello! That should make you sit up and take notice. The story begins with Diana Pollexfen-Fox describing her 30th birthday celebration weekend at her country house, where friends gathered for whatever fun rich Brits did in the early 1920s. Diana's pompous husband George was found dead at the end of that weekend, after having a very public fight with his wife, and after coming to the conclusion (wrongly) that his wife has been having an affair with one of the male guests. Diana, a photographer, is put on trial for George's murder, after it was discovered he was poisoned with photography chemicals lacing his scotch. Diana was acquitted and then changed her name, her son's name, and the name of her home, virtually dropping out of sight. She re-married late in life, and it is through her great niece Helena that the story skips to the present, when an aged Diana Fox dies and leaves everything to her nieces and nephews, namely Helena. A single woman also approaching her 30th birthday, Helena finds her great aunt's diaries and begins the onerous task of trying to find out who really killed George Pollexfen, since the real murderer was never caught. Helena, an attorney who devotes endless hours to her career, also has a secret: for years she has been the mistress of a local politician, a secret that eventually becomes a non-secret with a surprising twist. Helena does find out who the real killer is, and the methods employed by Ironside are solid. There were places where the plot dragged a bit, and Ironside's stilted writing style was at times aggravating, but the overall story was a doozy. Recommended.Book Review: DEATH A DROP AT A TIME
Summary: 3 Stars
Elizabeth Ironside populates her DEATH IN THE GARDEN with memorable and complex characters, all of whom have needs, desires conflicts, and secrets. Her delivery of information about these characters is akin to watching a languid, methodical strip-tease in which the observer is tantalized as each layer is slowly removed to reveal yet another layer before the subject is, so to speak, finally laid bare. So it goes with this story as each layer of the puzzle is peeled away.
Cleverly navigating between two eras we watch as the descendents of a primary player in the tale investigate the circumstances surrounding a sixty-five year old murder via journals, letters and art work. Beginning with a murder committed in the decade succeeding WW1 and culminating over a half a century later, this is less a murder mystery and more an exploration into the realms of loyalty, friendship, marriage, and personal freedom, or lack thereof.
Although the characters were interesting, each in their own right, none possessed admirable qualities any of us would choose to emulate. Ms. Ironside knows how to turn an elegant phrase and although she has lain a good foundation for her story there is just something missing. As a reader you never really feel connected to the characters or their plights. Instead you are more like an uninvolved observer casually watching events unfold but not really caring about the outcome. This was my first trip into Ironside country and I don't believe I'll be booking another passage anytime soon.
Book Review: Excellent structure, beautiful language
Summary: 5 Stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by Elizabeth Ironside (aka Lady Catherine Manning). The multiple points of view, expressed in different forms--ie straight narrative, fictional excerpts from books, diaries, and genuine dialogue--made for a lovely novel which I read slowly to savor both the characters and the language. In time, the novel takes place in the mid 20s, at the home and in the world of Diana Pollexfen then moves to present day London and the life of solicitor Helena Fox, who ends up investigating Diana Pollexfen's life and the murder that occurred at her house. The trauma and shell shock of World War I and the Russian Revolution impact all the 20s characters while socialism, feminism, and adultery color the views of the present day character and bias their judgments of the past. With approach of a sensitive historian (ie multiple sources & acknowledgment of bias), Ironside brings great observational skill and humane compassion and understanding to her characters, thus, to her novel.Book Review: I loved this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoy British psychological fiction. Have for years. But I'd never heard of Eliz Ironside before this title. After reading Death in the Garden, I'm a huge fan of Ironside's.
This book takes place in the present and during the early adulthood of the main character's great aunt. The aunt travels among the beautiful people. At the same time she's an independent woman - something her husband and most of society at the time doesn't care for. She surrounds herself with artists and contemporary literati.
Our focal character is contemporary, hard working, interesting and unhappy.
Great combination. The current great niece explores the independent and fascinating great aunt's past, a past that includes - among the parties - murder.
I can't say much more because I want you to enjoy it as much as I did.
Read this book. I promise you'll have fun and feel like you've spent your hours among the most fascinating characters.