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

by Leonie Swann

Series: Miss Maple (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
2,4641336,202 (3.58)168
A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd.On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, the members of the flock gather around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George has cared for the sheep, reading them a plethora of books every night. The daily exposure to literature has made them far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George' s killer.The A-team of investigators includes Othello, the "bad-boy" black ram; Mopple the Whale, a merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a pensive, black-faced ewe with a weakness for abysses. Joined by other members of the richly talented flock, they engage in nightlong discussions about the crime and wild metaphysical speculations, and they embark on reconnaissance missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. There' s Ham, the terrifying butcher; Rebecca, a village newcomer with a secret and a scheme; Gabriel, the shady shepherd of a very odd flock; and Father Will, a sinister priest. Along the way, the sheep confront their own all-too-human struggles with guilt, misdeeds, and unrequited love.Three Bags Full is already an international hit. Funny, fresh, and endearing, it introduces a wonderful breed of detectives to American audiences.… (more)
Member:ogingero
Title:Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story
Authors:Leonie Swann
Info:Flying Dolphin Press (2005), Hardcover, 344 pages
Collections:Your library, Wishlist, Currently reading, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
Rating:
Tags:want-to-buy, goodreads

Work Information

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (2005)

  1. 00
    MELMOTH EL ERRABUNDO VOL I by Charles Robert Maturin (themulhern)
    themulhern: No doubt the name of the wandering sheep is taken from the protagonist of this long tale by an Irish friend of Bram Stoker's.
  2. 44
    Watership Down by Richard Adams (Bcteagirl)
    Bcteagirl: Adventure from the point of view of animals written for adults! A group of sheep discover that their shepherd has been murdered and decide they will have to find the culprit themselves. I loved this book :)
  3. 00
    Garou by Leonie Swann (chwiggy)
  4. 00
    The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams (themulhern)
    themulhern: Animals interpreting as best they can the actions of the humans. Sometimes the effect is humorous.
  5. 01
    Anteater of Death by Betty Webb (infiniteletters)
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» See also 168 mentions

English (111)  German (13)  Spanish (2)  French (2)  Catalan (2)  Dutch (1)  Hungarian (1)  Swedish (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (134)
Showing 1-5 of 111 (next | show all)
Shaun the Sheep meets Midsomer Murders. Absolutely delightful. This is told from the point of view of a flock of very clever sheep. They find their beloved shepherd murdered, and are determined to find the culprit, despite a less-than-complete understanding of humans. The book has a silly premise, but is very cleverly executed. The sheep are delightful characters, and it is fun observing humans through their eyes and understanding more than the sheep do about what they are watching. ( )
  Gwendydd | Jan 13, 2024 |
Audiobook version. I chose this book based on recommendations I read on Good Reads. The premise sounded intersting, and I think the story has promise. I might even try again sometime with the print version. The audio version was so badly performed that I gave up after about half an hour. Perhaps the reader was attempting to emulate the bleating of sheep or something. I'm not sure, only that I was sorry I wasted one of my Audible credits on it.
  Doodlebug34 | Jan 1, 2024 |
A flock of sheep investigates the circumstances around the death of their shepherd.

Good book, but difficult to get into. The sheepy point-of-view doesn't give us a clear picture of what's going on, which sets up an interesting "unreliable narrator" puzzle. ( )
  yarmando | Nov 25, 2023 |
The herd's shepherd is murdered and the flock take it upon themselves to solve the crime. Charming, funny, and really interesting to see a sheep's-eye-view of the world. ( )
  wisemetis | Jan 14, 2023 |
A shepherd gets shanked with a shovel one night in his flock's pasture and his sheep decide to solve the mystery of who their keeper's murderer is. The flawed narrative is from the flock's point of view as they bumble through the strange events after the murder, trying to suss out what the clues all mean.

I have had this book on my list for literally *years* and I was so excited finally to read it. I wanted to - and expected to - love it. I...did not. I didn't like any of the characters, human or ovine, and the schtick of the sheep misunderstanding pretty much everything that happened all while having an accidental deep understanding of human nature, which I suspect was meant to be an absolutely clever delight to the reader throughout, was fun for the first maybe five pages and then got super old super quickly. ( )
  electrascaife | Aug 27, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 111 (next | show all)
Three Bags Full is ponderous, slow, involved and pedestrian, but it is also genuinely odd and affecting, and without a doubt the best sheep detective novel you're going to read this year.
added by DouglasAtEik | editThe Guardian, Ian Sansom (Jul 22, 2006)
 
Das wäre so weit einfach nur nett und nicht weiter bemerkenswert, würde die Autorin nicht obendrein furchtlosen Umgang mit literarischen Versatzstücken betreiben. Man kann "Glennkill" als Krimi-Persiflage lesen, man kann sich aber auch ein Vergnügen daraus machen, die Anspielungen und ironischen Zitate zu entdecken.
 
Und an Tiefe mangelt es auch. Auffallend ist einzig die infantile Liebheit, auf deren Niveau sich Amüsement und Unterhaltung bewegen.
 
Originellt, rart och väldigt roligt är det hur som helst.
 

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Swann, Leonieprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bell, AntheaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Díez, María JoséTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Moster, HelenTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nyman, KarinTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Canonical title
Original title
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Epigraph
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
The trail wound here and there
as the sheep had willed in the making of it.

Stephen Crane: Tales of Adventure
Dedication
Für M., ohne den es nie herausgekommen wäre.
For M., without whom the whole story would never have come out
First words
"He was healthy yesterday," said Maude. Her ears twitched nervously.
Quotations
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Kein Schaf darf die Herde verlassen. Außer, es kommt wieder zurück.
Last words
Disambiguation notice
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Original language
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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Wikipedia in English (2)

A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd.On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, the members of the flock gather around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George has cared for the sheep, reading them a plethora of books every night. The daily exposure to literature has made them far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George' s killer.The A-team of investigators includes Othello, the "bad-boy" black ram; Mopple the Whale, a merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a pensive, black-faced ewe with a weakness for abysses. Joined by other members of the richly talented flock, they engage in nightlong discussions about the crime and wild metaphysical speculations, and they embark on reconnaissance missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. There' s Ham, the terrifying butcher; Rebecca, a village newcomer with a secret and a scheme; Gabriel, the shady shepherd of a very odd flock; and Father Will, a sinister priest. Along the way, the sheep confront their own all-too-human struggles with guilt, misdeeds, and unrequited love.Three Bags Full is already an international hit. Funny, fresh, and endearing, it introduces a wonderful breed of detectives to American audiences.

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Book description
A shepherd is murdered and his flock of sheep investigate the murder.
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