Customer Reviews

Clairvoyant Countess

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I adored this book. This was the first book of Ms. Gilman's that I have read and I can't wait to get my hands on some others soon. I thought that The Clairvoyant Countess was truly well written and wonderfully entertaining.

While this is not your average mystery as the book is more about the interaction between Madame Karitska and Detective Pruden than it is about the mysteries that they solve - it is still a great read for mystery lovers.

At the start of the book the readers are introduced to the clairvoyant Countess Madame Kartiska. We learn about her gift and how she uses it, we meet some of her clients and through this we learn of their fates. The reader becomes intimately involved with some of her clients as through one of them, we also meet Detective Pruden who comes across the countess' name during an investigation.

She helps him in several different ways, she aids him in solving several crimes and she introduces him to a side of himself that he never knew. We also have the opportunity to meet several other clients that she introduces to one another and we can watch their relationships grow.

There are several mysteries woven in through the plot and the reader discovers that who dunnit isn't always the reason to read on.

The Clairvoyant Countess won't appeal to every mystery lover but for those who take the plunge it is very refreshing and highly enjoyable. IT is really a shame that Ms. Gilman has not made this into a series as well as her Mrs. Polifax series as I would love to continue to watch these characters grow.

Not exactly a series of short stores nor yet exactly a novel, this book is the story of a clairvoyant and the way she worked with one particular policeman, Lieutenant Pruden (prudent=sensible=skeptical?), who doesn't know exactly how much he believes her, but is willing to work with her to get results. The small series of mysteries they work on overflow outside one chapter apiece, but there is no one overarching plot, hence the classification difficulty. Once again Gilman has created if not believable (i choose to see as fictional this kind of clairvoyance) at least very attractive and readable characters.

ive only read this book about 10+ times, on the the other hand ive read everything dorothy gilman has written, several many times. i have always liked the clairvoyant countess and wondered many times why no sequels? there are some movies,books,plays that can be enjoyed many times over and this is one. a cold day, a fire place, cup of tea, afgan and a good book how good it is.

I couldn't put this one down...although it's more of a group of mysteries strung together,rather than just one, I still found it very entertaining. A nice, light read.

Neat story about a woman who is clairvoyant and the people she meets. Great little detective/adventure story in a deceptivly small book. For lovers of Mrs. Pollifax, Mrs. Gilman has invented Madame Karistka, another irrespressible woman with tons of style and savvy.

I love Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax series (particularly the early books -- through and including Mrs. Pollifax on Safari, although I still eagerly read all of them as soon as they're published), and adored A Nun in the Closet. Although I hadn't expected to like this one, I was very pleasantly surprised. It is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable -- one of the few mysteries I've saved to reread.

This book is the first of two dealing with the same people. A nice read.....not difficult to keep track of the characters, but still entertaining. A book to read for fun.
The next book is called "Kaleidoscope" and I have recently purchased it. Just as nice and recommended if you liked the well developed characters in "Countess."

Some people complain that these two books are more like several short stories, but I did not see them that way as there is a thread that travels from first to last page.
These two books are especially nice if purchased in paper back......read in bed and not as heavy as the hard covers. Enjoy...

The author of the Mrs Pollifax mysteries creates another mature woman, this one with psychic powers and a fascinating international past, who solves big and small crimes in the imaqinary Trafton, NY, a city large enough to have unsavory neighborhoods, organized crime, etc. The great thing about Dorothy Gilman's works is that she can create interesting characters and settings in a light, easy-to-read book. Lots of romance, varying ethnicities, interesting characters. I can't wait to read the sequel, "Kaleidoscope". While it's written and set in
the 70s, it didn't feel dated.

I just finished reading this for the second time. I loved it!!! It is a bit dated, it was written in 1975, but it's how Madame Karitska, a clairvoyant, helps the police with some neighborhood issues. Too short!!! I could have read twice as many pages. Sure, there wasn't a lot of development of the characters, I'll give that one to a previous reviewer, but there was something so heartwarming about how Madame K. helped people so generously, so humbly and so effectively, I just loved it, just loved it! The second, and only other, book about Madame K, Kaleidescope, I remember to be quite good as well. I'm getting ready to reread it now.

This book makes the assumption that Extra Sensory Perception is something that one has a predisposition for, and, given that strange quirk in the brain, ESP can be "trained." Whatever you believe about ESP, you're sure to enjoy this book.