Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story (original 2005; edition 2008)

I stumbled across this book quite by accident while shelf-reading in our large-print section, and I thought it sounded like fun.

And fun it was. One morning a flock of sheep awake to find their shepherd dead in the field with a shovel pinning him to the ground. These Irish sheep are clever and understand some human words and concepts because their shepherd used to read to them each day. The cleverest one of them all, Miss Maple, decides that they must find out who killed their shepherd.

I loved the way in which the sheep remained sheep. They think (I am guessing) like sheep and they act like sheep, not like people. It was a wonderful look at the human world through the eyes of someone who doesn't quite understand the multiplicity of concepts and layers of meanings that humans take quite as a matter of course. It is almost Zen-like because the sheep don't understand everything the way we would and so they come to the truth of the matter more quickly. Some quite deep concepts are dealt with - such as death, suicide, the will to live, the need for a community, aging, justice, fear and courage. But they are dealt with slowly and simply.

This is not a fast-paced book. If you need action, it probably isn't the read for you. This is about a death in rural Ireland, where the pace of life is slower. Each of the sheep in the flock has a real strength and a real personality. The character development of each of the sheep is strong and is as carefully done as if the main characters were people. You get to feel you know each animal; you get to laugh at their silliness; and you get to be amazed at the truths they see.

This book is translated from the original German. I hope that her next book with these dear sheep will also become available in English as I would really like to read it. ( )

When a shepherd is mysteriously killed, his sheep take it upon themselves to solve the case. But, being sheep, they have some unusual and sometimes mistaken perceptions of the things they see and hear. (They're a lot better with the things they can smell, though.)

This is kind of a strange book. I don't know why that surprises me, since it's about sheep attempting to solve a murder. But somehow it does, anyway. I think maybe it's because it's such an odd mixture of humor and attempted seriousness. The humor, I will say, is often quite funny in a nicely subtle way. The less humorous stuff might have worked better if I didn't have problems taking the whole sheep thing seriously enough. I don't know why that was an issue for me; I didn't have that problem with the rabbits in Watership Down. Maybe I just have more trouble relating to sheep. I also had some trouble getting into the mystery plot; I never did work up any real interest in the question of whodunnit. Still, there was a certain charm about it all, and I can't help thinking that I really should have enjoyed it a lot more than I did. I suspect that I just wasn't in quite the right mood for it. ( )

Read the original german edition: Glennkill. Great. ( )

Probably the best novel ever written about a detective who is a sheep specifically a ewe (feminist stuff). Sharp, well written,satiric, and funny, often because the reader and the sheep think so differently.
Also probably the only novel every written about a sheep detective -- until Swann wrote another one.

I picked up this book because of the Carl Hiassen blurb on the front cover. I was a little hesitant on doing that as I had been burned int he past by a great author blurb only to find the actual book the blurb as on to be terrible. No so with this one, not so at all. *phew!* My thought at buying this book was, "Carl Hiaasen woudn't steer us wrong, would he?" apparently not, the book was great. A tangled mystery with a surprise ending told by the flock of sheep owned by the shepherd that was murdered. The sheep characters are rich and well developed with personalities that endear them to the reader immediately. The language and dialogue is fast easy reading but not without thoughtful poetic moments.
I laughed (a lot), I cried (a little) and twards the end of the book when the mystery wrapped up, I didn't want the tale to end.
Superb story, cleverly written and highly reccomended. ( )

Interesting murder mystery, with a flock of sheep as the detectives. Unlike many "animal detective" books I've read, the author makes a point of making the sheep be (as much as possible) SHEEP- not little humans in fur coats. The pace is slow but reasonable, and it's an interesting look into what a group-mind (in some ways) might be like in the flock.

Recommended, if this sounds intriguing. ( )

This was originally written in German. It is the story of a flock of sheep whose shepherd is killed. The sheep are as dull as...sheep. And while the story has its dull moments...I was still able to finish it.

At times the story dragged a bit. I mean, this is a book in which the sheep are narrating the action. Thankfully there is a chart at the beginning of the book that lists the sheep's names and their major characteristics so that one may try to keep things straight.

If you love mysteries or you love books written from the perspective of animals, you will likely enjoy this book. ( )

I read this book as an entertaining read during a weekend trip to Dublin, as the story plays in an imaginary part of Ireland. I guess it will fit in the genre of a cozy mystery. The shepherd of the sheep is found dead. The sheep are going to find out what happened. And they are smart, but misunderstand the people quite often. And they all have their own role, based on their chracteristics.
It's a funny read, and of course the mystery will be solved in the end.

http://boekenwijs.blogspot.com/2010/07/de-schapen-van-glennkill.html ( )

This is a charming story about a flock of sheep who try to solve the murder of their shepherd. They have the advantage of being able to listen in on private conversations (George, the shepherd, used to read to them every day, so they understand some quite complicated words) - but as you might imagine, they can't always understand the motivations of the humans who are speaking them. But bringing together their various skills, they manage to figure most of it out... if only they can get the message across.

I enjoyed this, although the fact that it's quite light-hearted doesn't mean you don't have to concentrate - the storyline is complicated (especially when filtered through the interpretation of a flock of sheep) that you need to make sure you know what's going on!

Sample: Miss Maple was the cleverest sheep in all Glennkill. Some even claimed that she was the cleverest sheep in the world, but no one could prove it. There was in fact an annual Smartest Sheep in Glennkill contest, but Maple's extraordinary intelligence showed in the very fact that she did not take part in such competitions. ( )

The title tells you what it's about, but not how it's done. How it's done is kind of like a collaboration between George Orwell, P.D. James, and Temple Grandin. That doesn't quite get at the humorous aspect though.The book's notions of what sheep understand and don't understand is really fascinating...not true, mind you, but it works in context. Of course there is much opportunity for analysis of human behavior from the perspective of a "non-human intelligence," so in that sense, the novel fits right into science fiction.The novel will please people who are widely read in English literature as well; there are many references. (In my opinion the sheep have the right idea about Wuthering Heights.)The narration by Josephine Bailey is excellent. She even manages to talk with a bit of a bleat in her voice at times (but not often enough that it becomes annoying).Translated from German. ( )

I had heard about this book when it came out, and at the time, it aroused my interest. A mystery in which a shepherd is killed and the sheep try to find the murderer - it seemed like a clever premise. But the book doesn't quite deliver.

There were a few things that I liked about the book. The sheep are incredibly interesting characters with distinct talents and personalities. Swann does a good job telling the story through their eyes, providing details (types of grass, different scents) that sheep would notice. And there are some pretty funny moments, mostly based on human-sheep misunderstandings.

But much of the plot was a bit fuzzy to me (pun intended). Perhaps that is because the story is being told from the perspective of sheep. Even so, it was difficult to piece together the story, and the whodunit seemed to come out of the blue. Most everyone in my book group was somewhat on the fence about this one. ( )

I HATED, HATED, HATED, THIS BOOK.....AGHHHH, WHAT A WASTE OF TIME.

This is a story about a flock of sheep who decide to find out who killed their sheperd. Now, bear with me, this may sound like the beginning of a bad book with hokey sheep but it's not.

For anyone who's read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time", this book is somewhat like that. The book is seen from the perspective of the sheep. Their ideas about humans are hilarious but true to the point.

This flock is led by Miss Maple, supposedly the smartest sheep in all of Glenkill (and possibly the world). Her name immediately brought Miss Marple to mind and some reviews even said it was as if Leonie was Agatha Christie writing Wind in the Willows).

What makes these sheep special is that their sheperd, George, used to read to them. They understand something of humans and murder. Each sheep has a quirky personality that helps in their 'investigation'. Mopple the Whale remembers everything he sees, Maude has a great sense of smell, Lane is the fastest sheep, etc.

Plus, it's funny. Who doesn't like a funny murder mystery? I found myself giggling through the whole book.

For example:

'"Then a whole lot of humans came streaming into the house all at once. They brought dogs with them, and other sheep, and a pig. And I had to go in too. There was a terrible racket, but the man in black talked above it. 'Welcome to the house of God!' he said. 'She stopped and looked thoughtful.'

"So his name is God," said Sir Ritchfield.

Othello mad a strange face. "God?"

"Could be," said Cloud uncertainly. "But after a while I worked it out that they were worshipping a special lamb, I though that was a nice idea. They called it 'the lord'. There was music, like on the radio...only not quite the same. I looked round a bit and got a nasty fright. There was a man hanging on the wall with no clothes on, and even though he was bleeding from lots of wounds you couldn't smell the blood.' She wouldn't say any more.'

Some of the sheep I felt weren't fleshed out enough to be part of the flock. As well, one of the sheep named on the back cover, Fosco, doesn't appear until the last 40 pages of the book. ( )

This is a delightful book! The author was very creative in seeing the world from sheep's point of view: "Mopple loved misty grass, clear-tasting as water, with all disturbing smells washed off it." or "Mopple looked crossly at the spade. Human tools belonged in toolsheds and not in the meadow. But this spade didn't smell at all the way human tools usually smell, of sweating hands, annoyance, and sharp things, There was only a faint memory of human scent left around this spade; apart from that it smelled as smooth and clean as a wet pebble." The language is a joy and a delight, and makes the whole book well worth reading.

The book is touted as "A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd." And in the end they do, although I thought the resolution was a bit underhanded, and left some of the other mysteries unsolved. ( )

Three Bags Full is a murder mystery told from the perspective of the sheep whose shepherd has been killed. A "Sheep Detective Story," if you will. Interesting, right? How could you go wrong? While the book *is* good and entertaining, it just hasn't managed to capture my attention -- or my imagination -- in the way I had hoped. Yes, the sheep's perspective of the world is just what it should be: new and different and a little off-kilter, but not necessarily in the ways you would hope. This is especially sad given then adorable flip-book pictures next to every page number! ( )

What rabbits are to WaterShip Down & cats are to The Warrior Series, this flock of sheep is to this story. Great character and situation descriptions. The story line was intriguing to the very end. ( )

I really enjoyed this story told from the sheep's point of view. They are trying to find out who murdered their shepherd. Hilarious and interesting. ( )

I fell in love with Three Bags Full in it's very first pages. It's a story about Irish sheep who set out on a mission to discover the murderer of their beloved shepherd, George, who has been stabbed through with a spade. It's a story fill with lovable characters; more to point, the sheep, and their thoughts on humans and the way the world works around them and their observations on it all. It's a comedy. It's a mystery. It's a little bit of everything, all rolled into a big, woolly yarn of a tale that is both in turns ingenious, funny and inspiring.

When George's flock discovers his body in the meadow one day, stabbed through with a spade, their initial reaction is panic. But to Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in all of Glennkill, this is something more than just the death of their shepherd: this is a murder mystery. So, she takes it upon herself to discover the murderer, and eventually she is able to convince the rest of the flock to partake in the mystery as well. George was a kind shepherd and took very good care of his sheep, even reading to them in the evenings, and so they take their knowledge of the human character as they have seen through their stories, and begin on a mission to bring justice to their dear, departed shepherd.

The village of Glennkill itself is inhabited by a colorful cast of characters, all whom we learn about through the eyes of the sheep. The sheep have a keen perspective on human nature and the character buildup of the members of the village. Through the course of their investigation, however, they do begin to see people in a new light, discovering that everyone may not be categorized into their initial, limited sheepish view of people. It's through these growing observations that the story really starts to take off, as the sheep themselves begin to view themselves differently as they learn to care for themselves without having a shepherd about.

The story does end on a rather serious note, going in a direction that I honestly did not expect at all. The book is for the most part a fun little story, humorous throughout (I mean, honestly, how can murder mystery solving sheep not be funny?), yet the story loops around and becomes a lesson learned on people and the solitude that they have in their life. Not that the story ends sadly, but it becomes more philosophical than funny at the end, really making the reader question the life of not only the sheep, but their beloved shepherd as well.

I would like to see Swann continue the story of the Glennkill sheep (and she obviously left the story open for more). I would greatly like to see their further adventures and watch them as they discover more mysteries to unravel. ( )

This book has a very clever premise: sheep, whose shepherd, George, is found dead on a hillside in Ireland, take it upon themselves to solve the mystery of his death. Since George had read books to them daily, including detective novels, they are quite familiar with the ways of men, and set out looking for clues.

The book begins with a “Dramatis Oves,” a list of all the sheep who appear in the story along with a brief description of each. Most notable is Miss Maple, “the cleverest sheep in the flock, maybe the cleverest sheep in Glennkill, quite possibly the cleverest sheep in the whole world.” I also grew quite fond of Mopple the Whale, "a very stout Merino ram ... almost always hungry."

The sheep overhear witnesses claiming “the Lord took George” and this throws them off at first. More confusing, some of the sheep have heard the Lord is a lamb, and others that the Lord is a shepherd. After a bit they decide the local pastor is the Lord, because they once heard him say “Welcome to the house of God!”

They also suspect the butcher, simply because they find him to be such a reprehensible fellow.

This book has such promise, but I found that reading about sheep can be, well, rather soporific. The pace is a bit slow, as the sheep are easily distracted by fragrant tufts of grass and clover. The humans in the book aren’t very interesting, except for George, who is dead.

My husband and I both read this book, and, as usual, we have two different evaluations:

Evaluation by Jill: Oh, how I wish this book were as cute as the idea behind it. But there’s a reason why counting sheep is recommended for insomnia. It isn’t a bad book, it just isn’t as engaging as I had hoped. Rating: 3/5

Evaluation by Jim: I enjoyed the book and give it a higher rating than my wife does. The author is quite clever in writing from the perspective of the sheep. For example, they learn a great deal from scent. At the same time, their worldview is extremely limited, all but two of them having spent all of their lives in the same pasture. The eventual solution to the murder is a bit contrived, but the resolution of the inter-ovine relationships seems genuine. Rating: 3.8/5 ( )

A pleasant read, but I can't see myself reading it a second time. The mystery itself is a bit shaky and I thought the ending was weak. Swann does a fine job with the sheep, but most of her human characters aren't all that interesting, and I often had trouble piecing together who knew whom and why. I realize we mostly see the humans through the sheep's eyes, and the sheep don't understand humans well, but I still found it jarring. That said, it is a nice story about sheep. ( )

Animal detectives have become very popular. Usually that means dogs or cats. In this case, it's a flock of sheep, who try to solve the murder of their shepherd.

The mystery is solved, but the true pleasure of this book is the sheep. ( )

In the rural village of Glennkill in Ireland, a flock of sheep are horrified to find their shepherd dead, with a spade stuck through him. The sheep decide that they must investigate the murder and work out who killed their beloved master, in order that justice can be done. Along the way, the encounter various obstacles, face their fears and learn a few lessons about life.

I thought this was an adorable book. The premise is unusual - a flock of sheep make for an unlikely detective squad. But these are no ordinary sheep! Their dead shepherd, George Glenn, had read to them every day of their lives and treated them as proper friends, holding conversations with them. As a result, they are able to think things through and make plans.

Each sheep has a distinct character. The main characters are Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in all Glennkill and maybe the world; Othello, a black ram with a mysterious past; Mopple the Whale, a sheep with an amazing memory and a seemingly inexhaustible appetite; Sir Ritchfield, the elderly lead ram; and Zora, a sheep with a head for heights.

If the reader can accept the premises of this unusual murder hunt, the book is very enjoyable. The flocks literal interpretation of human conversations and interactions make for some laugh-out-loud moments, and the secret of who killed George Glenn is kept until almost the very end.

Definitely a book I would recommend - heartwarming and amusing. However, it's put me off eating lamb chops for a while! ( )

I loved this book. It is rather quirky, after all, it's about sheep detectives(and for me the fact that it is about sheep detectives was enough reason to read it, whithout knowing anything else about it...)! But it is a lot of fun, and you genuinely care about what happens to the sheep while also getting caught up in the mystery. I would love to read anything else the author chooses to write! ( )

A reasonably amusing read. Sheep trying to solve the murder of a shepherd; but Watership Down it ain't. The idea is better than the book. Set in Ireland but with little local atmosphere. Somewhat disappointing as there was potential in the idea but it seemed to just miss the mark. Nevertheless it was an easy read with some chuckles and a few nice moment of sheep philosophy.

Flip the pages and the cartoon sheep jumps - sadly the best part. ( )

The basic story is a mystery: a shepherd is murdered and the book is told from the perspective of his sheep as they try to unravel who did it. It sounded lighthearted, perhaps a bit fluffy, but it might be fun...and, certainly, it has received positive reviews. In the end, I only found it fair. The personalities of the sheep were well done—human-like, but certainly not human—and I enjoyed them. However, the plot could not carry the story: disjointed, lacking in depth, and occasionally venturing off into the metaphysical, which didn't fit the book's type. ( )