4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not well knit unlike akunins other books, October 24, 2009
This was a major disapointment. maybe my expectations were set too high by Akunins other great books. way too much irrelevant violence and a silly ending.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Spiritual mayhem, August 16, 2009
This review is from: Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel: A Novel (Mortalis) (Paperback)
I'm a big fan of Sister Pelagia, having followed her cases in two earlier books. A redheaded Russian nun in the late nineteenth century, Pelagia has a knack for detection and a penchant for disguising herself as a beautiful socialite.
In this book Sister Pelagia is on a steamship with her spiritual father, Bishop Mitrofanii, when a gruesome murder takes place. Peeking through a window, she discovers the body of the leader of The Foundlings, a curious sect of Russian Christians who have embraced Judaism.
Pelagia's talent for figuring things out results in endangering her life, and the bishop sends her on a long journey to lay low. But the incurably curious nun chooses the Holy Land as her holiday destination, knowing full well that she's investigating further, not hiding out.
If you don't have a head for detail, you may have trouble navigating her adventures among Russian officials, Zionists, Arabs, Ashkenazi Jews, Foundlings, sodomites and holy fathers. I got lost more than once. But the colorful characters and exuberant prose compensate for the sometimes-daunting complexities of the plot.
The author permits some of my favorite characters to be murdered, which I resented a bit. But there's an undercurrent of wry humor throughout that reminds you this is fiction after all.
This is my least favorite in the Sister Pelagia series, though it has a zany appeal of its own. I recommend reading the earlier books first, starting with SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG, followed by SISTER PELAGIA AND THE BLACK MONK.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
super historical amateur sleuth, August 15, 2009
This review is from: Sister Pelagia and the Red Cockerel: A Novel (Mortalis) (Paperback)
St. Petersburg's Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod is outraged with the behavior of Sister Pelagia; he questions whether she should be allowed to wear the veil. Not long after her censuring, Sister Palagia is sailing on the steamboat Sturgeon when someone kills Manuila, the messianic leader of the Jewish sect Foundlings. Though she knows she should keep her opinions to herself she offers advice to the Inspector Dolinin.
Not long after Manuila was murdered, someone tries to kill Sister Palagia several times before she flees Russia and heads to the Holy land where she continues to investigate the homicide on board the Sturgeon. While she is in Palestine, back in Russia friends and foes debate the merit of Sister Pelagia who continues her sleuthing instead of doing her sisterly duties as befitting a bride of Jesus.
The third Sister Pelagia amateur sleuth (see SISTER PELAGIA AND THE WHITE BULLDOG and SISTER PELAGIA AND THE BLACK MONK) is a super historical although there is a lot less detecting than in the previous entries. The story line is fast-paced as the heroine has to get out of "Dodge" (at least St. Petersburg) because she is unable to investigate freely why someone wants her dead and the church leadership wants her banished. Her adventures in the Holy Land continue as Sister Palagia cannot resist a mystery. Fans of the saga will relish Boris Akunin third late nineteenth century thriller as Tsarist Russia and Palestine come alive though the beleaguered nun's eyes.
Harriet Klausner
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