No Word from Winifred

When Kate Fansler’s niece Leighton becomes interested in the disappearance of a woman from her usual haunts, Kate agrees to look into the matter, especially as there is a connection to modern English writers. Tracing the woman’s path through her diaries and the novels of the author with whom she was associated, Kate is soon led into a tangle of intrigue, passion and the importance of the solitary life in the modern world….I had difficulty getting into this novel, the eighth in the Kate Fansler series, this time set around the mid-1980s. I’m not sure what put me off, but the story felt disconnected somehow, more a collection of anecdotal meetings and events than an integrated novel. The writing is as crisp and sharp as ever, show more however, and I will continue my quest to read the entire series; this one so far stands as my least favourite, unfortunately. show less

Loved it! I just love her writing, the dialogue, her ways of looking at life, relationships, academics, etc. If a reader isn't in it for those things, I could see that this book might not hold your attention. I happen to think the ending is perfect. Cross is usually giving us her views about various cultural phenomenon in the process of telling her story and I always find that aspect as if not more interesting than the story itself. In this case she reflects on friendships between women and between women and men. And it is always wonderful to read about strong, smart, independent women.

another precocious precious dialogue but with a refreshing character in what turns out not to be a murder mystery

This is probably my favorite Amanda Cross book, just because it ended so surprisingly. I grew to like Winifred through Kate.

It was like she could not come up with a reasonable ending. This one was not very good.

i finally finished this book. At the end I discovered that I could care less about Winifred. The book was boring.

okay