Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog (2000)

transferring information from 2006 spreadsheet

Pelagia & the White Bulldog is the first novel of a series set in late 19th century Russia and introduces Sister Pelagia: “a fidgety, curious woman, undignified in her movements and not cut out to be a nun.” She is tasked by the Bishop of Zavolzhie to investigate a situation which is vexing his Aunt who claims that someone has tried to poison the last remaining examples of the the white bulldogs with brown ears that her husband had especially bred before his death. That is really all I can tell you about the plot without delving into action that does not take place until the half-way point of the novel. Although I suppose it is not spoiling things too much to add that there is a second (eventually intertwined) storyline relating to the appointment of Vladimir Lvovich Bubenstov as a representative of the Orthodox Church’s Holy Synod to investigate religious improprieties in the town.

I have to admit to struggling with this book and in some ways I shouldn’t have been surprised. One of the reasons I stopped a formal study of literature during my University days was that I couldn’t face reading what I came to think of as ‘another bloody Russian’ that the syllabus seemed to be full of. I don’t know if it is the original writing or the way the language is translated into English but the one thing the Russian fiction of my acquaintance has in common is an unwillingness to use 10 words when 200 (or 2000) are available. I found the flowery, long-winded prose of Tolstoy and Dostoyesvky dread-inducing all those years ago but I thought perhaps a less ‘worthy’, more recent title might be different. Alas I did not find it so. Amidst the interminably lengthy descriptions of nothing much at all there is a story, of sorts, here but not one that kept me particularly engaged (and not one that couldn’t have been told in one-third the word count). I teased out some interesting observations about the politics of the day but as a mystery the book left a lot to be desired in that the culprit for the crimes that were eventually described was obvious almost from the outset and the way in which Pelagia deduced the answer bordered on the inane.

I didn’t find the characters particularly enjoyable either. I thought I would like Pelagia’s quirkiness but she soon turned into a kind of reject from a Carry On movie what with knocking over fruit bowls and spilling tea in men’s crotches and whatnot. Slapstick has never been my humour of choice. The rest of the characters were all pretty formulaic for the intimate melodrama the book turned into, though the way Bubenstov hid is evilness was the most entertaining thing about the book for me.

I know there are readers who don’t share my admiration for brevity and conciseness and more who simply enjoy the kind of writing that Akunin has produced here. I am probably the poorer for not being able to appreciate this particular style but it can’t be helped. For me the hints of wry humour and mildly interesting plot were lost in the flowery, tangent-riddled prose that made me want to poke my own eyes out with one of the knitting needles that Pelagia carried everywhere. ( )

I wasn't that much impressed by this Sister because I was waiting something more like Erast Fandorin. Sorry for the dogs, though. ( )

Okay, so there are several things going on in this book, but it took me a little combing through the Russian history and long names, to get to them. You've got a mystery set in Tsarist Russia of the 1870s with a nun as heroine. Not your typical mystery series. She's not Brother CAdfael, but she's darn clever, and knits, to boot.

Sister Pelagia is sent by her Bishop to sort out a problem his great aunt is having. It seems the white bulldogs (with one brown ear) she is trying to establish as a breed are being killed, and she is distraught. (Never mind that she seems to like the bulldogs more than her family, and with good cause, I might add.)

To this is added a political mystery, which forces Sister Pelagia and her knitting needles to go under cover to get to the root of the matter, which she does.

I got occasionally lost while reading this, mostly because I'd read before bed, and would fall asleep, then have to sort out the next evening not only who was who again, but what I'd actually read already. But this was a problem of my own, not caused by the writing. ( )

Being sworn fan of Akunin I had picked this one with great expectations.
I thought it would be just as thrilling, fun and interesting as every single novel from the Fandorin series.
Far from it.
I just couldn't make myself like Sister Pelagia.
There is , however, still good old Fandorin style plot. so while I find the protagonist hardly convincing the overall impression of the book is not bad.
Still, I was used to something spectacular and here I was presented with a nice novel. Hence my disappointment. ( )