Busman's Honeymoon, by Dorothy L. Sayers

I find that I’m having a little trouble articulating my thoughts on Busman’s Honeymoon. I do know that it’s a book I highly enjoyed, and it’s a book that I will carry around inside of me. There is humor (the conversations can be quite witty) and pathos, and, of course, mystery.

It’s a beautiful story with characters that “leap off the page”. It was immensely satisfying to see Harriet and Peter finally work out their relationship and mature into some of the richest characters I’ve ever read about, and I was thrilled to have Bunter and the Dowager Duchess play such large roles. I love to read the Duchess’s wise meanderings, and I adore that she gets along with Harriet so well. Bunter has always been a favorite of mine, and it was nice that he wasn’t pushed off to the side. After all, the reader has known him longer than (I think) any other character, including Harriet. I liked seeing him adjusting (with Peter) to the life of a householder, and it was moving to read a more detailed account of his history with Peter.

A minor character that I appreciated very much was Kirk, the policeman. Sometimes I get a bit lost in all the allusions present in Harriet and especially Peter’s conversations, so it was nice to have a character helpfully point out what works they were from.

One thing that was a bit of a frustration was the sprinkling of French throughout the novel. I know no French at all, and it bugged to not understand some of the things they said to one another. I understand that at the time it was written, many (most?) readers would’ve had a passing knowledge of French, but I don’t think it’s asking too much of a modern copy to provide a translation.

That was my biggest quibble, which is a testament to how much I enjoyed the book. That and Gaudy Night are definitely going on the “favorites” list. They are both satisfying in every way, both on a character-based level and as mysteries.