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Reading: Ruddy Gore
Mar. 20th, 2018 08:37 pmI was home alone the other day and looking for something untaxing to watch on Netflix, and ended up settling on the first episode of The Miss Fisher Mysteries. It was certainly very easy on the eye, though I was surprised by how many changes they had made from the books; Phryne in the TV series looks about ten years older than the Phryne in the books, while Dot looks so young that I found myself thinking I was watching Bugsy Malone. Dot's backstory is also tied in to the mystery plot of the first book rather than being entirely separate, Detective Inspector Jack Robinson is younger and clearly being set up as a potential romance for Phryne rather than being happily married, and they've given Phryne an elderly aunt and a Tragic Unresolved Crime backstory which I really didn't see the point of.
It didn't leave me feeling desperate to carry on and watch the rest of the series (and I wouldn't want to get ahead of where I am with the books), but it did make me pick up the next book. Having found the last one, Blood and Circuses, rather less enjoyable than the earlier books, Ruddy Gore felt like a return to form. This one sees Phryne engaged by the manager of a theatre after two actors collapse during a performance of (what else?) Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore, following a string of other unfortunate events. It felt less overtly feminist than some of the earlier books where Phryne's cases often ended up avenging abused and exploited women, but there is still some LBGTQ representation and this novel also tackles questions of race, thanks to Phyrne's developing relationship with a Chinese man which brings her face to face with the prejudices of those around her. A fun if not remotely challenging read.
It didn't leave me feeling desperate to carry on and watch the rest of the series (and I wouldn't want to get ahead of where I am with the books), but it did make me pick up the next book. Having found the last one, Blood and Circuses, rather less enjoyable than the earlier books, Ruddy Gore felt like a return to form. This one sees Phryne engaged by the manager of a theatre after two actors collapse during a performance of (what else?) Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore, following a string of other unfortunate events. It felt less overtly feminist than some of the earlier books where Phryne's cases often ended up avenging abused and exploited women, but there is still some LBGTQ representation and this novel also tackles questions of race, thanks to Phyrne's developing relationship with a Chinese man which brings her face to face with the prejudices of those around her. A fun if not remotely challenging read.
