Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
(Alan Bradley)

(Tansley Reads Rating: 55%)

Questions

1.               What is your favourite scene from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie?

2.               With her high level of knowledge and self-reliance, Flavia hardly seems your typical eleven-year –old girl.  Or does she?  Discuss Flavia and her personality, and how her character drives this novel.

Editorial Note:

(a)             Do you think the author gave a realistic portrayal of an eleven-year-old girl in 1950?  She knows way more than an eleven-year-old should – furniture in father’s room described as an old man and his mistress pg. 147, she understands about her mother’s pregnancy pg. 148, uses the term tableau vivant – describes actors in titillating poses pg. 150, and calls her piano teacher by his first name – Max.

3.               With her excessive interest in poison and revenge, it is no surprise that Flavia is fascinated, not scared, as she watches the stranger die in her garden.  In your view, is her dark matter-of-factness more refreshing or disturbing?

4.               Flavia reminds us often about Harriet, the mother she never knew, and has many keepsakes that help her imagine what she was like.  Do you think the real Harriet would have fit into Flavia’s mould?

5.               What other British detectives does Flavia remind you of and why?  Is Flavia a good detective?  Why or why not?

6.               Flavia’s distance from her father, the Colonel, is obvious, yet she loves him all the same.  Does their relationship change over the course of the novel in a lasting way?  Would Flavia want it to?

(Editorial Notes: 

(a)             Flavia and her father have an unusual relationship.  She feels unloved – pg. 156 “Who would care enough?” (to report her missing).  On page 191 after Flavia’s discussion with her father about the crime she says “And so we sat, Father and I, primly, like two old women at a parish tea.  It was not a perfect way to live one’s life, but it would have to do.”  Why do you think it is this way?

(b)             Why do you think her father suddenly started telling her the whole story when he never talked to her before?

(c)             On page 210 Flavia’s father finishes telling her the story of him and Bonepenny and he states “Silence is sometimes the most costly of commodities”.  When is this true?)

7.               If Flavia suspected either her father or Dogger had killed Bonepenny, why did she call the police?

8.               Starting on pg. 6, Flavia tells us about her family’s history of sibling rivalry/dissention.  Why do you think this is a theme of the de Luce’s?  She does not get along with her sisters.  Is this more than sibling rivalry?

9.               What do you think Dogger’s story is?  How does Dogger’s character provide a different dimension to the story?  Why is he so devoted to the Colonel?

10.            What does Flavia care about most in life?  How do the people around her compare to her chemistry lab and books?

11.            Like any scientist, Flavia expects her world to obey certain rules, and seems to be thrown off kilter when surprises occur.  How much does she rely on the predictability of those around her, like her father and sisters, in order to pursue her own interests (like solving the murder)?

12.            Is the postage stamp business totally credible?  Why do you think Dr. Kissing burned the stamp (pg. 284)?

13.            What twists in the plot surprised you the most?

14.            Discuss the meaning (meanings) of the title The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie?