Customer Reviews

Busman's Honeymoon: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Drama (BBC Audio Collection: Crime)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a favorite of mine and I looked forward to listening to Peter and Harriet wrangle out their new marriage and solve a murder while I am suffering in commuter traffic. Sayers orginally wrote Busman's Honeymoon as a play and later fleshed it out to a novel, so it can stand alone without the exposition, relying on sparkling dialogue to keep listeners entertained. If I didn't know the novel so well, I might not miss the omitted bits. The gossipy letters among society ladies that set up the marriage are gone, and the listener jumps immediately into the newlyweds' late night arrival at Talboys with no preamble. Small scenes of country life are jettisoned in favor of speeding the murder investigation. All the actors are excellent, and I enjoy listening to Ian Carmichael without having to look at him - he was not the best physical embodiment of Peter Wimsey, in my opinion. Not sorry I bought it, only wish the script writers had made different choices on what to keep.

The title "Busman's Honeymoon" is sort of a play on words. Look up busman's holiday in the dictionary. In fact it was a play that was also made into a movie "Hunted Honeymoon" (1940) starring Robert Montgomery and Constance Cummings. There are still some short stories and a novel finished by someone else; however Busman's Honeymoon is the last of the novel series containing Harriet Vane. Some of the short stories are "The Haunted Policeman" and "Talboys."

The book starts off with a series of letters from well-known friends of the couple, described previous in Dorothy L. Sayers' novels. They bring you up to date while describing the wedding of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Some of the charters are just referenced yes it ought on and you will have to have read the previous novels for fuller detail.

The primary thrust of this novel is the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. With exquisite descriptions of their life and the English environment in which they live. Oh yes, there is also a mystery. However the mystery does not overshadow the rest of the story.

One of the most important overlooked items in most descriptions of this book is the expanded explanation of the history and relationship of Bunter to Lord Peter.

Very fasted paced mystery ......Very good storytelling ..........and good voice on reader, sometimes no matter how good the story the readers voice just doesn't fit the story.. Well not in this case storyline strong reader excellent.

What can I say? Busman's Honeymoon is definitely one of Dorothy L. Sayers's finest! I like her all of her Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries, and I like the ones where he and Harriet collaborate most.

and I do wish this one had also been produced for TV as the prior stores about Lord Peter and Harriet Vane were done.
However, this was certainly an enjoyable production. I listened while driving to the Bay area (Livermore, CA) during my Christmas visit to family. It made the trip seem much shorter than the six hours (with a couple of stops) I spent on the road, especially in areas where the radio content leaves much to be desired.
The BBC did this one right and I would like to hear more so will be checking to see what other productions are available in audiobooks.

For anyone who is a fan of the "cozy" mystery, this is a good one. I know there are many fans of Lord Peter Wimsey and of the series in which Ian Carmichael recreated Dorthy L. Sayers' iconic sleuth, and any fan of those should be more than satisfied with this production.