| Title | : | The Transcendental Murder (Homer Kelly, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0140148523 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780140148527 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 360 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1964 |
The Transcendental Murder (Homer Kelly, #1) Reviews
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Published in 1964 and still in print, this is the first of Jane Langton's Homer Kelly mysteries. This has a multitude of characters, each distinct and memorable, as is the setting in Concord, Massachusetts. I usually have a low tolerance for 'travelogue' mysteries, where the author does a cursory tourist description of the setting, but Langton's deep love and knowledge of New England gives this book authenticity. The descriptions are gorgeous. I learned more about Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and Ralph Waldo Emerson from this book than I did in my miserable high school and I enjoyed every minute. And it's very very funny.
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She was a servant of the old school, eager to please. But she had one well-known flaw. Gwen beheld Mrs. Bewley sticking the sugar tongs coyly into her bosom, the dear old kleptomaniac. It was just a habit she had. She didn't mean anything by it. Mrs. Goss always frisked her sternly before she went home. Mrs. Bewley never seemed to mind at all. "WHY, HOW DID THAT GET THERE. OH, TAKE IT, TAKE IT," she would say nobly, when the frying pan turned up in her shirtfront.
Synopsis: Northern New England scandal and murder, involving dead Transcendentalists, librarians, horses, islands, quotes and an elderly woman who wears squirrels and keeps chickens in her living room. Quite simply lovely.
The tiny town of Concord, Mass., continues to cheerfully live in the past. Specifically, the inhabitants revel in the fact that Concord was a hotbed of Transcendentalism, the 19th century American literary movement where Ralph Waldo Emerson considered himself to be a giant transparent eyeball, bouncing merrily across the green. Needless to say, his spiritual descendents are themselves a little different.
There's the guy who believes he might possibly be Thoreau reincarnated, and who holds his ragged clothes together with staples. There's Ernest Goss, a mean old man who delights in tricking his eldest son into shooting the younger. There's a bonafide sex maniac.
And there's Homer Kelly, a police detective who happens to dabble in Emersonian scholarship when not solving crimes. Both these skills come in handy when someone offs the 'orrible Mr. Goss and Kelly falls hard for the local spinster, Mary Morgan, who spends most of her time in the 19th century.
It's fantastic.
It's a book I'd term "fluff" of the nicest sort. The sentences are all neat and very, very precise:
"A noisy flock of grackles had filled the elm tree like a convention of Shriners using up all the available hotels. The sky was blowing away like a silk scarf caught in the branches."
"In Monument Hall the Lions were struggling heroically with a fantastic bottleneck in the shape of a tide of hungry people and one small grill."
"Everything seemed to fit the image of the woman Elizabeth Goss had been before she had gone out of her mind."
I could go on and on.
The characters, all quirky and appealing, overrun the murder plot, and in the last third of the book, when the whole thing performs a spectacular faceplant, you don't really care, because at that point you're just rooting for Mary to get organized and realize Homer's in love with her. And then we can get back to hearing about the assorted strange townspeople. And that's a good thing, because as a murder mystery, it really does come terrifically apart.
Nonetheless, Langton has a way with place and the people who inhabit it, and for me, that's a perfect fit. I wouldn't say this book was as good as her seminal lovesong to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Murder at the Gardner, but it's darn close. I'll definitely be keeping this around to re-read. -
One would think as an English major I would have been enthralled with all the transcendental Emerson and Emily Dickinson references sprinkled—is too light of word—probably smashed into the novel. The Emerson story is almost, if it were a TV script would be the B story, but sometimes it overshadows the actual murder investigation. There were a few times the story drug. The murder was interesting in itself. I'm not sure I'm going to read any more of these books or not. It didn't move quick enough for me and sometimes it got a little pedantic with just so much Emerson references. I would have to wonder if a non-English major would be as interested in those references or even understand them because there's not a lot of context given. You're expected to know that what a transcendentalist was before you read this novel. I do appreciate that the author doesn't try to info dump this information too much and really make the story boring. But I'm not sure people who haven't studied the transcendentalists writers would know what’s going on. The other problem, or maybe the biggest problem, is the number of characters who come and go throughout the story and don't have much cohesion. I think the author needs to limit their characters POV and stick to one or two to tell the story which might make it a little more effective. I mean having a dozen characters who we get to see their perspective kind of hides to the real murderer, but in the end when it's solved it's not satisfying. I'll be honest writing this review about 3 hours after I finished the book I can't even remember who the murderer was, just that big Emily Dickinson might be my grandmother ending.
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"The Transcendental Murder" - written by Jane Langton and published in 1964 by Harper & Row. "In the elm tree a hoarse-throated bird had sprung a leak in his kettle and was dripping rusty splashes of song on the lawn." Quaint descriptive writing like this goes a long way with me and helped get me through this ho hum mystery written by one of my favorite authors. The novel is packed with references to the transcendental writers who lived in the Concord and Cambridge, Massachusetts area where the story takes place and I only have a thin veneer of understanding there, so it was mostly lost on me. There's a murder mystery too, intertwined with some newly introduced letters possibly written by Dickinson, or Thoreau or Emerson, and a young lady upon who the story turns. Langton continued writing this series (Homer Kelly) for many years and it wouldn't hurt to try some more recent ones, but I would also strongly recommend her children's series, the Hall Family Chronicles.
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The sentences are ridiculous. I forced myself to get through fifty pages and stopped.
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What strikes me about this first entry in Jane Langton's Homer Kelly mysteries is how very little it's dated over the years. True, there's a single mention of a mysterious object called a 'typewriter' that I'm going to pretend I'm too young to understand, but otherwise this portrayal of small-town life in Concord, freed from other references to technology, seems almost suspended in time, and almost could have been written in any of the last six decades.
I love the Homer Kelly mysteries. I began reading them with my mother as a kid; for at least books two through ten of the series we'd reserve each new entry as soon as it hit the library, and fight to be the first to read it. The Transcendental Murder is a bit of an oddity, though; the murder promised in the title seems a long time coming, and its setup and resolution is grandiose in a way that none of Langton's subsequent mysteries are. Further, Langton's librarian protagonist, Mary indulges in so many whimsical flights of fancy that the novel's first half sometimes takes on a surreal quality.
By the time a second killing happens, the courtship between Homer and Mary begins to heat up, the book finds its footing and becomes a charming portrait at small-town eccentrics...and one small-town murderer. The Transcendental Murder isn't the best of the Homer Kelly mysteries, but as an introduction to Homer and Mary, and even as an introduction to the Transcendental writers to my younger self, it managed to reel me in. -
The mystery solution was too convoluted to warrant the fifth star, but the historical fiction won me over. I learned and became curious about transcendentalists in literature and history, and the peek into the difficulties of being a professional/academic woman in the mid-20th century was humbling and enlightening. The love story was believable and despite the trope of the the protagonist's ambivalence (justifiably) I found myself rooting for the couple. It also awakened me to the beauty of the setting, Concord, Massachusetts. The locale was displayed in several settings, and Langton was able to show us how the specific character of the land and the expressions of nature lent themselves to the historical figures' embrace of utopian dreams; these figures are vivid enough to reach the stature of characters in their own right--perhaps more interesting that the people the story is about. Which is part of Langton's achievement: we learn that the people who enlivened the past are still alive, and we still have to know them if we want to fully understand ourselves. As convoluted as the details of the crime turn out to be, it's amazing that Langdon convinces us that the motive is believably located in the perceived characters (in both senses) of the figures of the past, and the meaning of their legacy.
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3.5 STARS | Jane Langton is an artist as well as writer, so her books have long beckoned to me. What I didn't realize is how much of a scholar she is. Reading this novel, I felt lacking in my knowledge of Thoreau, Emerson, Dickinson and the Alcotts, however it wasn't off-putting, but fun and done with humor. Set in Concord, Mass, where the famous Minuteman statue stands in the square, the mystery revolves around secret love letters supposedly written within that small circle of 19th century Transcendentalists. A murder occurs during the annual Patriot Day celebration. The only things that kept me from giving this 4 stars were the lengthy descriptions which slowed down the story, but equally added atmosphere and a strong sense of place. Most of Langton's Homer Kelly (scholar/lawyer/detective) mysteries include her own line drawings, however this first in the series did not. I think English majors and American history buffs will be drawn to her books. I will certainly read more.
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I'm surprised (given how much I loved the Langton family series) that these books should be so "meh" for me. I read a later one, and reviewers mentioned it had lost some of its earlier sparkle, so I went back to the beginning, and still, "meh." (Less than "meh," really). None of the characters engaged, there seemed to be no plot to speak of (in the first 1/5 of the book, which ought to be enough to get things going), and it only came alive in one sequence when a gullible dupe began quoting forged letters from literary luminaries--not enough to save it for me.
On to other books--there's no shortage of them!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve! -
The Homer Kelly mysteries are set in Concord, Massachusetts and its surrounding area, steeped in the history of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott, and especially Henry David Thoreau. There are plenty of small town "characters", some of whom want to protect the history and natural beauty Thoreau wrote about. Other people want to exploit the Camden area for commercial and tourist purposes, and to line their own pockets. These books move slowly and are filled with literary references, but they are entertaining. If you are a patient reader with some interest in New England history and nature, try one. I've read three now, and will go back for more. -
This cozy mystery will be of much more appeal to students or fans of the New England transcendentalists (including Thoreau, Dickinson, Emerson) than it was to me. The love story between librarian Mary and historian Homer Kelly--who pair up to find the book's murderer--is cute and well-drawn. But the mystery plot is a real stretch, even though the characters are your usual bunch of typically quant and idiosyncratic folks you usually find in mysteries like this.
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I'd give this one 2.5 stars. I enjoyed the quotes that opened each chapter. However, these characters are not ones I want to spend time with. Mary is inexplicably weak and emotionally volatile. Homer is confusingly learned and crude in turns.
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Dated, but I was charmed and would read more in the series! Enjoyed the descriptions of a familiar setting.
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Having read several of Langton's Homer Kelly books before, I was delighted to discover that this was the first one, where Homer meets Mary for the first time. When a Concord, Massachusetts man is killed shortly after the celebration of Patriot's Day, Homer Kelly, a former policeman and current scholar, is asked to help the locals. Mary is a local librarian, to whom Homer is instantly attracted, but she finds him a bit of an oaf at first. A boy scout has witnessed the murderer fleeing on a horse, dressed in costume, but is unable to identify him, since he only saw his back. The costume belongs to the murdered man's son, who played the part in the previous celebration. His brother is also suspected, but has an alibi and does nothing to back up his brother. Their mother loses her mind from shock. The plot gets a bit convoluted, bringing in letters the dead man claimed to be genuine, which appear to show the famous Transcendentalists' love lives, greatly shocking the community which holds them (Thoreau, Emerson, Dickinson, Alcott, et al) in reverence. Another murder shocks them further, and Mary herself ends up in danger when she tries to help a man trapped on an island during a hurricane. There is a great deal about the Transcendentalists, old guns, and Concord history which you would think would bog things down, but the characters and the current events keep the story moving. I didn't even try to figure out who did it, not that I would have guessed correctly anyway; fortunately Homer gives an exposition at the end explaining everything.
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At first, I was charmed by this book's quirky characters and the tentative romance of Homer and Mary. And having recently finished the monster biography
The Life of Emily Dickinson I loved the references to her and the epigraphs that were often snippets of her poetry. But somewhere around the halfway point, I felt like the story began to drag. The author is fond of super-short chapters—which I found distracting—and a lot of extraneous details and characters. (For instance, what was the point of Roland Granville-What's his name? He was so superfluous to the story, I can't even remember his ridiculous name.) By the time we got to the solution of the mystery, I'd pretty much forgotten the details imparted at the beginning of the story that pointed to the murderer. (But that might just be my lousy memory.) Overall, though, I was entertained enough by the story that I will definitely read the second book in the series. -
I listened to the audio version of this book, I enjoyed the Narrator’s voice very much. A great job on switching out the accents and just a pleasant voice to listen too
Truthfully, when I first requested this book from my Library, apparently I didn’t look to much into the genre and thought this was non fiction and HOW could I not have heard of a Transcendental Murder in a town I adore and the time period of history I love??? Oops. FICTION !! lol
I kept on listening because again, it’s an area in my Hometown that we visit often and also involves the mention of many famous people of the time period and of my State.
I was very pleasantly surprised with how the story kept unfolding and enjoyed it immensely!
The ending of the story did have me wondering... could Emily really have loved .... and secretly born a child .... hmmmm
Very well done and glad that I mistook it for something else and found out about this Author -
First book in Langton's Homer Kelly series set in Concord, Massachusetts. Full of references to the local, early U.S. political and literary history. Many quotations from and mentions of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau. As can be the case in older books, some things don't age well. One of the main characters is being stalked and sexually harassed and this is not identified as an issue. Significant amount of derogatory language about women and others in the book. Homer Kelly was not that attractive a character in this book. Perhaps he warms up in the series.
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Been on my list for a long time. I absolutely loved the descriptions of Concord, with mentions of Acton, Lexington, Middlesex County, and Boston and Cambridge, of course. Landmarks including Walden Pond, the Alcott House, Old North Bridge, Assabet River, the Minute Man statue, the Bulfinch gold dome on the State House, are all so familiar. Very fun.
But I just didn't care about the characters. And the narrator for the audio book kept pronouncing "Concord" wrong - you would think they would want to get the main location right?
Will not reread, which is rare for me. So many other books and series to read. -
I was absolutely charmed by this mystery! I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up, but I ended up immensely enjoying this. I loved the portrayal of Concord, and I adored this cast of characters. I actually feel a bit sad to be finished--that's how fond I feel of this town & its quirky residents.
This book isn't perfect, by any means. There are a couple of minor plot holes, and there were a few times when Mary would get lost in a daydream that felt out of place. Other than that, I probably would have given this 5 stars.
I just really enjoyed this. It was written in a way that's perfect for slowing down & cozying up with a good story. The mystery kept me guessing, and I'm glad to report that I didn't figure it out. And even though having a bit of knowledge about the Transcendentalists (think Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, Dickinson) added to my enjoyment of this, I wouldn't say it's necessary.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised and charmed by this. It's a little dated, but that actually kind of added to the charm for me. I would love to continue reading this series! -
In spite of a slow/ weak beginning that nearly had me abandoning the whole reading endeavor....
and in spite of the book being seriously dated in gender and other ways, I do admit that this author was responsible for getting me to smile and even chuckle a few times.
Moreover, I enjoyed having the setting in a town I have visited.
So... my personal verdict: somewhat entertaining, meaning, I do not regret trying this author for the first time.
And I would certainly give other books by the author (who recently died) a try. -
This book is a quick read and the first in a series. I was drawn to it because of the setting, Concord Massachusetts and the impact the transcendentalists and their cronies still have on the community.
I was disappointed in the book for two reasons. The first is that the characters were not well drawn, their behaviors were often at odds with how the narrator describe them. The second reason is that there were elements of the plot that were either illogical or not explained. As much as I like the idea of this series, I doubt that I will read any of the other volumes. -
I read this many years ago and reread it after learning of Jane Langton's recent death. I love all her books, both the children's ones like Diamond in the Window and the adult mysteries. As someone who grew up in Concord, I really enjoyed this one (with the murder occurring on April 19) for all the local touches. So many of the descriptions bring back vivid childhood and young adult memories.
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Gawd, I thought it would never end. Tweedy and twee. The quotes which preceded every chapter added nothing. And since there were 61 long, boring and dull, monotonous paens to idyllic New England country life, there were also 61 twee quotes. Every stereotypical caricature of the lovable, salt of the earth character makes an appearance. Dated and not worth any more words.
