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  • The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

  • By: Alan Bradley
  • Narrated by: Emilia Fox
  • Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (132 ratings)

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie cover art

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

By: Alan Bradley
Narrated by: Emilia Fox
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Summary

It is June 1950 and a sleepy English village is about to be awakened by the discovery of a dead body in Colonel de Luce's cucumber patch.

The police are baffled, and when a dead snipe is deposited on the Colonel's doorstep with a rare stamp impaled on its beak, they are baffled even more.

Only the Colonel's daughter, the precocious Flavia - when she's not plotting elaborate revenges against her nasty older sisters in her basement chemical laboratory, that is - has the ingenuity to follow the clues that reveal the victim's identity, and a conspiracy that reached back into the de Luce family's murky past.Flavia and her family are brilliant creations, a darkly playful and wonderfully atmospheric flavour to a plot of delightful ingenuity.

©2009 Alad Bradley (P)2010 Orion Publishing Group

What listeners say about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining story

I found it to be well paced and engaging. I enjoy a bit of perilous adventure, without the ugly gore. The lead character is likeable, and the mix of mischief, interesting scientific detail and kind hearted relationships between the flawed characters makes for a charming listen. Emelia Fox does a good job.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

fun and fanciful

The story line was very creative and I was sent back to my own youth and eager consumption of Bobbsy Twins and Nancy Drew mysteries.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

A little predictable but

Worth a listen, and I'm going to give the next in the series a go too, but although the overall plot was ingenious, too much was telegraphed. As far as classic whodunnits are concerned, the absence of red herrinngs etc was disappointing. I can think of others who would have written things up better. I enjoyed the narration though.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Surprising

Slow to start but totally drawn in! The characters are engaging and reading superb

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wholesome fun

Enjoyed this book which was entertaining from beginning to end. Well read by Emilia Fox. Naughty tomboy meets Miss Marple.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely read

A real breath of fresh air , a story with an eleven years old as the main character. Flavia de Luce is a wonderful and enlightening young lady - old beyond her years. i thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story , am disappointed that few are available on Audible.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sublime. Perfect in every way.

I never tire of this and the other stories, perfect in every way. Thank you.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!

Any additional comments?

5 Star Narrator! 5 Star Story! I loved it. My children loved it. I hope this will be made into a film!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • S
  • 23-12-12

Delicious Pie!

We bought this to keep ourselves, our two teenage boys and our eleven year old daughter occupied on a long car journey, and it did the job admirably. It's tricky finding something that appeals to everyone, but this was ideal, and had enough suspence to ensure they wanted to take it back up for the return journey. My teenage sons were initially a bit suspicious due to the rather odd title of the book, but it won them round once it got going. Good paced story and very well read by Emilia Fox.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great narration for a ripping yarn

I chose Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie because Emilia Fox is such a wonderful narrator. Lucky for me, the story she narrated was entertaining and even riveting.

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  • N. Campbell
  • 17-01-15

Love it

The first chapter in this book is an absolute corker!
Who can possibly resist Flavia de Luce?
I am a big fan of the paperbacks as well.
Fantastic narrator!

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