Gaudy Night, Dorothy L. Sayers
Gaudy Night, Dorothy L. Sayers
7 Rating(s)
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

Gaudy Night

Author: Dorothy L. Sayers

Narrator: Ian Carmichael

Unabridged: 15 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/05/2019


Synopsis

When Harriet Vane attends her Oxford reunion, known as the “Gaudy,” the prim academic setting is haunted by a rash of bizarre pranks: scrawled obscenities, burnt effigies, and poison-pen letters—including one that says, “Ask your boyfriend with the title if he likes arsenic in his soup.”Some of the notes threaten murder and one of them involves a long Latin quotation, which makes Harriet suspect that the perpetrator is probably a member of the Senior Common Room. But which of the apparently rational, respectable dons could be committing such crazed acts? When a desperate undergraduate, at her wits’ end after receiving a series of particularly savage letters, attempts to drown herself, Harriet decides that it is time to ask Lord Peter Wimsey for help. And when the mystery is finally solved, she is faced with an agonizing decision: Should she, after five years of rejecting his proposals, finally agree to marry Lord Peter?

About Dorothy L. Sayers

Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957) was an English-born author of novels, short stories, poetry, essays, reviews, and translations. She is best known for her detective fiction, considered among the classics of the genre, and for her amateur detective character, Lord Peter Wimsey.

About Ian Carmichael

Ian Carmichael (1920–2010) appeared in a vast number of television productions, including The Importance of Being Earnest and the outstandingly successful The World of Wooster series for BBC TV. He portrayed Lord Peter Wimsey in several series for television and starred in two seasons of Strathblair. His film appearances included Lucky Jim, The Lady Vanishes, and Heaven’s Above.


Reviews

Goodreads review by James on April 29, 2023

Book Review 4 of 5 stars to Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers, a strong and talented writer of detective mysteries in their Golden Age of publication. This was truly an excellent book. Upon finishing my third year at college, I'd taken all the required courses and a variety of electives t......more

Goodreads review by Jaline on July 17, 2018

Published in 1936, this 12th novel in the Lord Peter Wimsey Series is a big story. Dorothy L. Sayers created an entire women’s college (called Shrewsbury) in the large complex known as Oxford University. It is near an associate college called Queen’s and also near Balliol College, which is where Lor......more

Goodreads review by EveStar91 on March 30, 2025

Gaudy Night successfully breaks barriers of mainstream genres with Harriet's (Dorothy's) musings on academic life and life after academia for women ringing true. The book is set in a fictional college with an ambitious number of female academics, yet the central battle between careers and marriage s......more

Goodreads review by Francesc on August 16, 2019

Abandonado al 22%. Muy bien escrito, sí. Y la trama es secundaria, sí. Lo que pretende es retratar las vicisitudes en un "college" como el de Oxford, sí. Pero, por favor, cuatro togas quemadas y tres notitas obscenas? En 1935 estoy seguro que pasaban cosas más interesantes. Basta con leer a Agatha C......more


Quotes

“I admire her novels…she has great fertility of invention, ingenuity and a wonderful eye for detail.” Ruth Rendell, praise for the author

“She brought to the detective novel originality, intelligence, energy and wit.” P.D. James, praise for the author

“Her books are English Literature at its best. Her plots are finely tuned and her Lord Peter Wimsey is delightful.”  Times (London)

“Narrator Carmichael is an excellent choice to read this mystery…he  brings a sly sensibility to his portrayal of the dons of the college and assorted alums.” Booklist