Gaudy Night: A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery with Harriet Vane

As much a dazzling rhetorical exercise as a work of fiction, Dorothy L. Sayers’s "Gaudy Night" (1935), book ten of the author’s Peter Wimsey series, is a mystery set at Oxford’s women’s college in post-Great War England. Oddly, it reminded me of another “mystery” I’d just completed, Anthony Doerr’s "All the Light We Cannot See" (2014). Both books almost eighty years apart are driven by conundrums that count, I think, far less than the words that surround them.In Sayers’s book, Wimsey plays the sleuth, but it’s Harriet Vane, Oxford graduate and writer of mysteries herself, who opens the tale to wide-ranging, occasionally long-winded, but genre-busting explorations of social and cultural issues, particularly as they relate to women. Sayers’s wit and eloquence keep the story afloat. Not an easy read, but rewarding in unexpected ways.

Gaudy Night was written in 1935, but its themes are timeless. On it, Harriet Vane and other women are plagued by nasty letters and graffiti as well as threats. No internet mob could be nastier than the perpetrator of these crimes. What is different about today is that the women who are victims at first stay silent and when they do reveal their plight, they are determined to find the culprit without help of the police for fear of a ruined reputation for themselves and the women’s college at Oxford.While working out her plot, Sayers explores themes such as mothers in the workplace, differences and inequity in social rules for men and women, capital punishment, Communism, socialism, and other issues pertinent to her time as well as ours. The story is mainly told from Harriet’s perspective. She often wonders how love and work can be balanced and almost gives up on love altogether because of its dangers to the mind as well as the heart. As the Harriet’s conflict is resolved and the reason for the perpetrator’s crimes is revealed, the reader is reminded that we must be fully committed to both truth and love so that both remain undamaged.Because of these weightier themes, the story is much more than a common detective story. Sayers’ prose is interesting and vivid. Her characters are fun and often funny. She writes beautifully. Her work deserves its place among the great pieces of literature of our time. I read it twice as a young woman, and recently, in middle age, I began listening to it on YouTube. Unfortunately, the story was incomplete and Audible did not have a copy. I was happy to be able to get the Kindle edition for $1!Having said this, I do not necessarily agree with all the criticisms lodged against women who leave their profession to serve their families. I personally was rather taken aback at Harriet’s selfishness at times which were written as if in order to be true to herself, she must only pursue her own intellectual passions. Because Sayers was a Christian, I think I can interject some Christian observation here without being unnecessarily preachy. As a Christians, when we look at Jesus, we see someone willing to serve others and sacrifice themselves for good of others (and I do mean good, not just so that others can pursue their own passions). It seems to me that the self-sacrifice of service is the element of love that was missing in this book. Self-sacrifice in the area of service for the true good of others is necessary of both men and women in order to make a family whole. It is not just expected of servant class but humbly modeled by the King of Kings, Jesus, as an example for all of us to follow. “He that wants to be the first should make himself the servant of all.” In spite of this, I found myself wrestling with some of the same issues as these ladies discussed and Harriet felt. For that reason and the others previously discussed, Gaudy Night stands a beautiful piece of literature which I have enjoyed enough to read or listened to three times and will probably return to should Audible remaster the wonderful narration of Ian Carmichael’s unabridged version.

My first Sayers and I must say, I really liked it. Witty, charming, intellectual and I really was all over the place as to the culprit. I can't wait to get my hands on more.

Yes, I know lord Peter is smart, but does he have to recite limitless poetry and talk in ways few understand? The beginning portion of “Busman’s Honeymoon” was the best part of this book! Written in a style we are all able to understand and enjoy, why couldn’t Gaudy Night be similarly written?

One of the most famous detectives of the British Golden Age of Mystery is not a policeman, but the brother of the (fictitious) Duke of Denver, Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey. He is wealthy enough to do what he wants with his life, and has devoted himself to oenology, bibliophily, and criminology, i.e. wine, antiquarian books, and murderers.Unfortunately, Lord Peter is out of England for most of "Gaudy Night" doing mysterious work for the British Foreign Office. Harriet Vane, whom he had rescued from the hangman's noose in Strong Poison (1931) narrates this tenth book in the series. She has reluctantly returned to Shrewsbury College (fictional), Oxford to attend a college reunion weekend called 'Gaudy Night.' She is afraid that her former teachers and classmates will shun her, even though she was declared innocent of poisoning her former lover. Much to her surprise, she is welcomed warmly, although a couple of anonymous letters strike a sour note to the festivities.A few months after the reunion, the Dean of Shrewsbury asks Harriet to return to her former college and do a bit of detecting. A poison pen/vandal has been making life miserable on campus, and the teachers and students are busy pointing fingers at each other. Harriet returns under the cover of researching a new book and attempts to locate the miscreant.The attacks gradually worsen, and when one of the more sensitive students attempts suicide after receiving a series of vicious letters, Harriet finally admits that she is stumped and calls for help, and Lord Peter comes flying back from Rome.This book is part mystery, but there are huge tracts of portentous sociological maundering on whether women should confine themselves to 'kinder kirche küche,' (very popular in the Germany of that era) or dedicate themselves to careers that involve the search for truth and intellectual rigor. Admittedly the topic is interesting and vigorously debated, but I wasn't fond of having it served up in the middle of a mystery. "Gaudy Night" is the least favorite of my entries in this wonderful mystery series.

This is one of Dorothy Sayers' great Lord Peter Wimsey stories and should be read after Strong Poison and before Busman's Honeymoon to get the full story. This version (ebook) is fine except for quite a lot of spelling mistakes. I have no idea how this type of ebook is produced but it clearly could benefit from some human editing. If you know the author and the story already it's easy to correct mentally as you go along, but I felt it was on the borderline!

I may understand why the price of this book, is lower than the average.The plot was absolutely not thrilling.I kept reading just to be honest in respect of Madam Sawyer.Boring and once again too honey on it.And calling it a "Lord Peter Wimsey mystery book" is a bit exaggerated.Him (Llrd Peter) appears just in the second half of the book and not constantly.

One of my favourite books BUT this edition is supposed to have an Introduction by Dame Harriet Walter & instead has the Introduction by Elizabeth George from an earlier edition of the book. Very disappointed as I have the EG intro already & wanted to read what Dame Harriet had to say about Lord Peter & Harriet Vane.

A brilliant book, the plot developing slowly but confidently without resorting to any red herring devices of misleading plethora of events. The ending was dragged out a bit and I got impatient to find out "who did it". The witty badinage between Wimsey and Harriet can often be skipped with little loss.

Muy recomendable, probablemente el mejor libro de Sayers. Va un poco más allá que una novela policíaca de la época, pero es tan divertida como la que más. Perfectamente ambientado.