As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust (Flavia de Luce, #7)

by Alan Bradley and C Alan Bradley

Banished from her home at Buckshaw for her recent indiscretions, Flavia is shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Toronto, her mother's alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide. No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.

• ISBN10: 0345539931
• ISBN13: 9780345539939
• Publish Date: 6 January 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Imprint: Delacorte Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Fond of:

After having read A Study in Scarlet I was reminded of Sherlock Holmes as Flavia has a bit of arrogance with an "Elementary my dear Watson" air to her. It may seem like a criticism but I really enjoy seeing that side of her
While we only got to see them for a short time I liked meeting the new characters from Miss Brodycote's Female Academy, I mean seriously how many people can die in Bishop's Lacey? Although I much preferred the teachers over the pupils. The pupils just seemed a little too similar. They all seemed to have a monologue of asking for pheasant sandwiches and for the most part, eventually become annoyed with Flavia. The adults seemed to have a little more dimension.
The Rainsmiths were the kind of grown-ups any child would be suspicious of and reminded me of Walter Neff and Phyllis Dietrichson.
Miss Fawlthorne the strict Headmaster who is almost as good at holding back information as Flavia. If she had been a little more laid back I could see her as a grown-up Flavia.
Mrs. Bannerman, acquitted of poisoning her husband was very Chicago Roxie Hart. She was very interesting but I wish they had given a little more back story for her character, a little Cell Block Tango.
Until the end I wasn't quite sure what to make of Miss Moate and her wheelchair, but we must never underestimate the disabled, she is the dark horse of the novel.

Not Fond of:

As much as I enjoyed the new characters I missed the old. It was very similar to the children's so "make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold." I wish we had a little more influence from Buckshaw, especially from her father. I simply would have liked a little more interaction than a letter from Dogger.

Final Thoughts:
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust was another original Flavia de Luce mystery with a maze of an ending, but I'm not sure if I'd say it was one of my favorites, as I didn't think the supporting cast was as strong as in previous novels. Perhaps I prefer the familiar. In any event, I look forward to returning to Buckshaw just as much as Flavia de Luce.

[Beth C.]

Flavia de Luce is, well, different. She's not into girlie things, and occasionally just *might* contemplate doing someone in when they cross her path in a way she doesn't like. In fact, she's already at it within a few pages of the story opening. This time, Flavia is not in her beloved hometown, but on a ship heading for Canada.

Having been a huge fan of the Flavia de Luce series this far, it was a bit disappointing to read this one. The writing is as it has always been, but the story seems almost like it should have been set outside of the series as a whole. Part of the problem seems to be that Alan Bradley has made Bishop's Lacey and Buckshaw, where all the prior novels were set, characters within their own right. There is a sense of missing those presences which is somewhat jarring. In addition, the ending seems a bit...implausible. Granted, the whole series could be termed that, at least to a degree. However, it has been fairly easy to set that aside in the past, whereas this just didn't work quite the same.

Having said all of that, there is little doubt that Flavia remains a whirlwind and a force to be reckoned with, and the next book in the series will still be eagerly awaited.