Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

by Alan Bradley

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Flavia de Luce (8)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
1,186	105	16,586	(3.82)	154
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Hailed as "a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes" by The Boston Globe, Flavia de Luce returns in a Christmas mystery from award-winning author Alan Bradley. In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia's blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty--and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar's wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man's body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It's amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one's spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core. Praise for Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd "Mystery fans seeking novels of wit, an immersive English countryside setting, and rich characterizations will be rewarded with this newest entry in the award-winning series."--Library Journal (starred review) "There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief brought on by sheer outlandish charm, and that's what Alan] Bradley and some delicious writing have tapped."--London Free Press "Flavia's first-person narration reveals her precocious intellect as well as her youthful vulnerability."--Shelf Awareness "Flavia is once again a fun, science-loving protagonist. . . . This series entry ends on a note that begs for the next story."--Library Reads "An eleven-year-old prodigy with an astonishing mind for chemistry and a particular interest in poisons."--The Strand Magazine (Five of the Best Historical Heroines) "Bradley's preteen heroine comes through in the end with a series of deductions so clever she wants to hug herself. So will you."--Kirkus Reviews… (more)

all members

▾Members

Recently added by

prengel90, teenybeanie25, emspk, charliesierra, ntntnt, hiimvicky, michaelgreer

▾Tags

▾LibraryThing Recommendations

▾Member recommendations

03
The Parasites by Daphne Du Maurier (ElizaJane)
ElizaJane: mentioned in text
04
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens (ElizaJane)
ElizaJane: mentioned n text

▾Lists

Books Read in 2016 (509)

Books Read in 2017 (256)

Witchy Fiction (142)

» 1 more

Animals in the Title (358)

▾Will you like it?

▾Conversations (About links)

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 154 mentions

▾Member reviews

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 105 (next | show all)

I enjoyed it a lot, but also feel a bit manipulated. Is it so necessary that Flavia be bereft ? I undertsand that it added a nice tone to the stories to have her feeling a bit estranged from the rest of the family and to always be wondering about her mother, but no sooner is that resolved, than we are hit with the death of her father. Who next? Mrs. Mullet, Dogger, the inspector? (

)

cspiwak | Mar 6, 2024 |

If Wednesday Addams was a Detective
Review of the Doubleday Canada hardcover edition (September 20, 2016)

FIRST WITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.
SECOND WITCH. Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whin’d.
THIRD WITCH. Harpier cries:—’Tis time, ’tis time.
FIRST WITCH. Round about the cauldron go; - The opening of Shakespeare's Macbeth Act IV Scene 1.

Sorry to the Flavia fans out there, but the charms of the 12-year old morbid chemist and child detective are lost on me. The 'case,' such as it is, involves Flavia finding a local wood sculptor bound upside down and dead in a wooden contraption attached to a door of his house. She proceeds to meddle and sneak around and discovers a tie-in to a well-known children's author who disappeared. A neighbour 'witch' attempts to discourage her investigation, but all is revealed in the end in what can only be tagged with an Unsatisfactory Ending Alert™.

Although this takes place around Christmas time, there is no joy in it and a Deceptive Cover Alert™ is also warranted. There is a cat (can't remember if it was striped) that appears twice and Flavia does get scratched by a holly bush. Feline and/or Christmas fans will be disappointed by those brief cameos.

Trivia and Link
Without giving too much away, there is somewhat of parallel between the fictional author in this book to the real-life author A.A. Milne, the writer of the original Winnie the Pooh stories. (

)

alanteder | Dec 12, 2023 |

With this eighth volume, Flavia de Luce is back in England just before Christmas and at a loose end, worrying about her father who is seriously ill in hospital and whom she is not allowed to visit. To distract herself, she asks her friend the vicar's wife if she wants any errands run and when she cycles off on her trusty 'steed' Gladys, runs smack bam into another murder mystery.

I enjoyed most of this fairly short, by the standards of other volumes in the series, story but had a few niggles which prevented me from awarding a full rating. Flavia is perhaps a bit too cold blooded with her discovery of the crime scene. And I never really 'got' the reason behind the behaviour of a certain person - why would the famous author want to change identities?. That was never really explained - the how, yes, but not the why. I didn't mind that Flavia is maturing a bit and occasionally using tact and showing some compassion: that's not a bad thing. I did rather anticipate the ending though, especially when she began to make certain plans - that is always a clue of how badly things will turn out, in my experience. So a respectable 4-star rating.. (

)

kitsune_reader | Nov 23, 2023 |

In this installment of the Flavia de Luce chronicles, Flavia has returned from her Canadian banishment to find her father gravely ill and confined to hospital. She is very distressed by this news, but luckily she stumbles over a dead body, which distracts her from her family distress. The murder mystery involves identities obvious and secret, and figures literary and otherwise. Flavia roams the neighbouring villages with impunity as no authority figure is present to check her, piecing the mystery together, and indeed she feels most independent and mature after enduring her adventure in The Colonies. She does still succumb to the fears and unexpected reactions of a normal girl of her age, from time to time, which is reassuring, as otherwise she would be indiscernible from any adult detective. The story ends on a cliffhanger, so I won’t wait long to pick up the final (so far?) volume of the series. (

)

karenchase | Jun 14, 2023 |

Wouldn't you know it? While on an errand for the vicar's wife, Flavia de Luce discovers the body of a local woodcarver. And so commences twelve-year-old Flavia's eighth murder mystery. For this reader, this installment wasn't quite as charming and satisfying as some of her previous adventures, but it was still a welcome palate cleanser to enjoy in between heavier and thought-intensive works. (

)

ryner | Mar 4, 2023 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 105 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (10 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Alan Bradley	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Aldred, Sophie	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Entwistle, Jayne	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Heikinheimo, Maija	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Montgomery, Joe	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Flavia de Luce (8)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Bloody Words Light Mystery Award (Nominee – 2017)

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Canonical title

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Original title

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Carla Sherrinford-Cameron

Carl Pendracka

(show all 13 items)

Important places

Buckshaw, Bishop's Lacey, England, UK

London, England, UK

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For Shirley - then, now, and always

First words

The winter rain slashes at my face like icy razor blades, but I don't care.

Quotations

1623, Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. — Shakespeare, ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’

I do not encourage early morning chirpiness, even in those whom I know and love. It is generally a sign of a sloppy mind, and is not to be encouraged.

He gave me the kind of skeptical look I expect to see from Saint Peter on Judgement Day.

Books make the soul float.

The world is going to Hell in a linguistic handbag.

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English

None

▾Book descriptions

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - Hailed as "a combination of Eloise and Sherlock Holmes" by The Boston Globe, Flavia de Luce returns in a Christmas mystery from award-winning author Alan Bradley. In spite of being ejected from Miss Bodycote's Female Academy in Canada, twelve-year-old Flavia de Luce is excited to be sailing home to England. But instead of a joyous homecoming, she is greeted on the docks with unfortunate news: Her father has fallen ill, and a hospital visit will have to wait while he rests. But with Flavia's blasted sisters and insufferable cousin underfoot, Buckshaw now seems both too empty--and not empty enough. Only too eager to run an errand for the vicar's wife, Flavia hops on her trusty bicycle, Gladys, to deliver a message to a reclusive wood-carver. Finding the front door ajar, Flavia enters and stumbles upon the poor man's body hanging upside down on the back of his bedroom door. The only living creature in the house is a feline that shows little interest in the disturbing scene. Curiosity may not kill this cat, but Flavia is energized at the prospect of a new investigation. It's amazing what the discovery of a corpse can do for one's spirits. But what awaits Flavia will shake her to the very core. Praise for Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd "Mystery fans seeking novels of wit, an immersive English countryside setting, and rich characterizations will be rewarded with this newest entry in the award-winning series."--Library Journal (starred review) "There is such a thing as willing suspension of disbelief brought on by sheer outlandish charm, and that's what Alan] Bradley and some delicious writing have tapped."--London Free Press "Flavia's first-person narration reveals her precocious intellect as well as her youthful vulnerability."--Shelf Awareness "Flavia is once again a fun, science-loving protagonist. . . . This series entry ends on a note that begs for the next story."--Library Reads "An eleven-year-old prodigy with an astonishing mind for chemistry and a particular interest in poisons."--The Strand Magazine (Five of the Best Historical Heroines) "Bradley's preteen heroine comes through in the end with a series of deductions so clever she wants to hug herself. So will you."--Kirkus Reviews

▾Library descriptions

No library descriptions found.

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary