More proof that just because "everyone" likes a book it doesn't mean I will. I'm sure there are plenty of people who find Flavia charming, who loved the story, and who can't wait for the next book to come out. I'm not one of them. The only thing I enjoyed was...well...hm. Tough call. By the time I'd reached my 50 page "love it or leave it" test, I was more than ready to leave it.

Really fantastic first novel of the series. I loved Flavia and her penchant for finding her way right to the middle of the mystery. What a smart little heroine Alan Bradley has created!

not bad but not as good as the reviews lead me to believe... found it hard to get into and frustrating while reading it... liked the protagonist but not as much as others... but enough to read the second one in the series (which I liked MUCH better)...

Very enjoyable. A perfect vacation read. I look forward to reading the other books in the series. The plucky and wry Flavia is a most appealing character.

A terrific, quick, amusing read. A great vacation read. Very enjoyable. Loved Flavia, the main character. She's young, bright, brave and curious. And her love of chemistry and in particular, poisons, is oddly endearing. Recommended.

I don't know if I didn't like this book because it took me so long to read (started it 3 times over more than a year), or if it took me a long time to read because I didn't like it. Regardless, I was disappointed. This book seemed to offer many of the trappings I enjoy: crime, weird details about miscellaneous things (here, chemistry), slang or period language, interesting characters, appealing binding. But it was also trite and cliche, too Deus-ex-machina throughout, violent towards a child, and either hard to follow or not forthcoming with important details. Some sentences made me rolls eyes, and things happened "suddenly" too often. Ramble: Why the title? The saying was referenced a few times, but never tied to the story. And who smuggles birds in pies, anyway? Wouldn't it be easier to hide it in a shoe? Or bring it in to the country live and dispense with it after? I really want to like this series, though, hence 2 stars instead of 1. Also, I think I'll read the next one, because the binding/cover keeps me hopeful.

The characters are a self-consciously wacky, and, for the connoisseur of the classic whodunnit, the solution of the mystery is not particularly clever. Nevertheless, Flavia de Luce and co. are good company. Of interest to readers of Ngaio Marsh, Nancy Drew, or the Mitford girls.

No rating for this book. I can’t say it is awful as lots of people seem to just love it. However it is not to my taste. Too slow and too mild. If you like Agatha Cristie village crime books with her little old lady, then you will like this with a young girl. I am always looking for a new author to follow and I was so disappointed that this one is not to be…for me. I do think it should be classified as a Young Readers book.

This is a fun book, full of interesting details - enjoyed it very much! Quick and engaging read and made me look forward to the rest of the series (which I'd already put on hold, thanks to a positive review of the latest). Flavia is quite the amazing 11-year-old - I wish I had half her confidence and pluck!

Flavia, Flavia, Flavia - the youngest of the 3 daughters of Mr. De Luce. The story takes place in the 1950s in English countryside. She is one firecracker with a scientific mind. Follow her as she discovers a dying man in the cucumber patch and how her father lands in jail, only for her to find the culprit on her adventures with Gladys (her bike). I enjoyed this book, as the character reminded me a bit of Nancy Drew.