Carina Burman

The Streets of Babylon was my first Victorian mystery. I certainly noticed a strong Victorian aura to this novel, and thought it was an extremely well-written introduction to the genre. Carina Burman has done extensive doctoral research in 18th and 19th century literature and that expertise shows through in this, her fifth novel.

Euthanasia Bondeson was an interesting character. An authoress and woman of independent means in an era where both were rare, she was strong-willed and audacious, show more often saying the wrong thing, or at best, too much and defying the Victorian strictures of the society in which she moved. She sees everything through the writer’s eye, and I felt great affinity for her when she said, '…whenever I have experienced anything, it does not become real for me until I have written it down, or at least spoken of it.'

The plot was interesting and well-paced. I was not sure who had kidnapped Euthanasia’s traveling companion Agnes until the author revealed the perpetrator’s identity. Likewise, I found myself wondering along with Euthanasia if Agnes was dead or alive.

There was also a romance element that kept me guessing. Euthanasia proclaimed, 'Men do not interest me greatly, and I have never regretted remaining single ...' but there were three attractive male characters in the book with whom the adventurous heroine did her fair share of chaste Victorian flirting. I found myself wondering if she would end up falling in love and into a romantic relationship after all.

I particularly enjoyed the fact that Euthanasia, though accepted into London's high society due to her stature as a world-famous author, preferred to explore the slums of the city and displayed a genuine concern for the underprivileged citizens she encountered there. The image of her standing on a dark and dirty street corner in a treacherous neighborhood with the silhouettes of the Tower and London Bridge in the background really stood out to me.

If you’re looking for a rapidly-paced thriller of a mystery, this may not be the book for you. However, if you enjoy genteel mysteries with impeccable period detail and just enough violence and irreverence to keep things interesting, you will likely find The Streets of Babylon a thoroughly entertaining read. show less

Euthanasia Bondeson is a Swedish author enticed to visit England by the spectacle known as the 1851 Great Exhibition, at least until her companion, Agnes, goes missing. Euthanasia is by no means a detective, but she teams up with inspector Owain Evans to find her friend before it’s too late.

I found this book highly amusing, which I’m not sure I’m supposed to feel in a mystery. I’m not sure - mysteries aren’t my genre, although historical fiction is. It wasn’t harrowing at all, show more probably thanks to Euthanasia’s infectious way of shrugging off the worst of things until going off into the thick of them. She does her share of spying and dressing up as a man to get into the seedy London underworld in an attempt to put the pieces together and find her missing friend. There are a lot of pieces, as numerous crimes are going on at the same time! In addition, the London underworld is depicted in some detail, which is definitely something that I enjoyed, and it’s easy to see why its denizens would shrug off the appearance of a woman dressed as a man.

Sometimes the wording in this novel is a bit awkward, but I think that’s due to the translation. The characters are all viewed through Euthanasia’s sometimes rose-colored glasses, particularly her favorite, Professor Devindra (who has a very long last name that I keep thinking is that of one of my professors). I think what this mystery best succeeds at is making a character out of Euthanasia. It’s entirely her tale, and she may not be entirely realistic, but she’s great company. As a minor note, I also love the way the chapter headings start with “In which”. It just helps to give the whole book a quirky feel.

I do have some reservations with the book - the plot is all over the place and hard to keep track of and like I mentioned before, no one ever seems to be in danger, although they’re all supposed to be. There’s very little suspense. I would probably still recommend this book, though, just because it’s a good time and pure escapism. Euthanasia is a great character and the plot is there, if a bit scattered. All in all, an entertaining read.

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Burman has in her first novel chosen to describe the life of women in several different times. Furthermore, she manages to get a mystery into it all – disguised as a research project – that actually is very exciting to follow.

The main character – Elisabet Gran – moves physically over large parts of Europe and mentally several hundred years back in time. The author succeeds in this rather well, but every now and then her craving for drama shines through. A detail on that matter that show more comes to me is the letters written about the disaster of Titanic. It feels like a flirt with the reader, to startle him and make him think “aha! I, too, know this!”. There are more examples like that, and it lowers the impression on the whole.

Though, in conclusion, a good approach, well written, and very educational reading, nicely wrapped.
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Burman har med sin debutroman valt att beskriva kvinnors liv i flera olika tidsepoker. Dessutom lyckas hon väva in ett mysterium - maskerat till ett forskningsprojekt - som faktiskt är väldigt spännande att följa.

Huvudpersonen - Elisabet Gran - rör sig fysiskt över stora delar av Europa och mentalt flera hundra år tillbaka i tiden. Författaren klarar detta tämligen väl, men titt som tätt kan något effektsökeri skönjas. En detalj som fallaer mig in är breven som skrivs om Titanics undergång. Det känns mer som en flirt med läsaren, att få densamme att hajja till och tänka "aha! Det där känner jag också till!". Fler sådana exempel finns, tycker jag, och det sänker helhetsintrycket.

Dock, som helhet, ett bra grepp, bra skrivet, och mycket lärorik läsning, snyggt förpackat. show less

Carina Burman writes about London of the year 1851. That’s what she wants to describe. And then, she puts in a detective story or two, perhaps to keep the reader interested. But, oh, it becomes artificial. And ay, how the author wants the descriptions of the surroundings to be only a way to enrich the mystery. But it is counter productive. The adventure becomes an excuse to paint a picture of old time London. It becomes too obvious, and the language is mostly dry and dull. The same can be show more said about the main character, the Swedish author Euthanasia Bondeson. Dry as sand.

The marks are defended by the fact that you actually do get a peek into how London could be experienced in the mid 1800s, but it is pulled down by the “detective stories” that borders to becoming silly.
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Carina Burman skriver om London 1851. Det vill hon beskriva. Så lägger hon in en eller ett par deckarhistorier, kanske för att göra läsaren intresserad. Men ack, vad det blir konstruerat. Och oj! vad författaren vill ge sken av att miljöbeskrivningarna bara tillför mysteriet kropp. Men det är tvärtom. Äventyret blir en ursäkt för att beskriva gamla tiders London. Det blir lite för uppenbart, och språket är långa stunder torrt och tråkigt. Detsamma gäller även huvudrollsfiguren, den svenska kända författarinnan Euthanasia Bondeson. Torr som fnöske.

Betygen försvaras trots allt av att man verkligan får en inblick i hur London kunde upplevas under mitten på 1800-talet, men det dras ner av de på gränsen till fåniga "deckarhistorierna". show less