Aunt Dimity Digs In
A reader from Flint Hills of Kansas , April 29, 1999
Excellent
I just found these books and I really enjoyed them. I do think that
Aunt Dimity and the Duke should be first in the series, because I was looking
for Lori Shepherd when I got to the 2nd in the series, but then she and
Bill were back in 3 and 4 and all was right with the world. So I recommend
reading them 2, 1, 3 and then 4 and hopefully twenty or thirty more before
the series is done.
Most of my friends won't enjoy the supernatural element supplied by
Dear Aunt Dimity, Reginald, and all of the wonderful characters, but they
don't know what they are missing.
I recommend these for a rainy day curled up on the couch with a cup
of tea, an afghan and a cat or two purring away.
Get the whole series and enjoy!
A. Marina Fournier <AriadneM@Sasquatch.com> from
Santa Cruz CA USA , March 26, 1999
Actual human/3D characters grow on you, and in themselves
So call me cryptic. I think the feeling that remained with me after
I finished this book last week was that Atherton's Dimity series shows
us human nature--not pasteboard icons, for the most part--and honest characters.
She does *not* rely on stereotypes, unless she's pitting them against each
other to see what will happen.
In most of her books in this series, I see actual character development
and growth--characters learning from their mistakes and human failings.
In many of the books, you see people who've been hurt in some way: some
of them get stuck in a victim role, and wallow in their hate/fear, and
others triumph over their pain, and choose to love and to live. Without
being preachy, she quietly demonstrates that you don't have to wallow,
but that you can choose to leave the past pain behind and make a new path.
When you are caught in the grips of a major depression, it's a beacon,
a demonstration that it can be done when the time is right.
Enough of that. This was a ripping good read. I don't know where Ms.
Atherton did her research on the plight of the Modern Mother in Western
Civilization, but she sure has the isolation in a crowd aspect down right.
I adored learning more about the village in this book; I can't speak for
the archaeology, but the witch felt right (speaking from experience), and
the idea that this was a traditional village of ... incomers hoping to
find a home of their own, well, that was really sweet and unexpected.
I had a lot of fun watching events play out, plots get more complicated
and then resolved, and you really ought to stop reading this and order
it.
I continue to enjoy the way Aunt Dimity manages to communicate, and
while I don't think I ever had a similar relationship with any of *my*
stuffed animals (what few I had--I was an odd child), I see that relationship
in my son and his toys/substitute siblings (his brother is a T. Rex, you
know (and glad I am not to have carried THAT to term!)). I also enjoy the
culinary overtones in the book.
I look forward to the next one; and to being able to share impressions
with other F2F friends who've read it.
s7925@Prodigy.net from Ohio, USA , June 30, 1998
Wonderful
I began reading the Aunt Dimity books by accident. They are wonderful
- I've read each of them in approximately 2 nights. I find myself being
part of these books - very relaxed - sipping tea! I do not want to part
with these stories - I could read them over and over. Perfect books to
take your mind away and get caught up in an almost soap opera like story
line - where you want to know everything about everyone. I certainly hope
that this author writes for a long, long time!!!
harrietklausner@paintedrock.com , January 20, 1998
Simply the best and most beautiful cozy series in the world
Finch is an isolated village in the English Cotswold area. The village
is a place where magic is an everyday occurrence because of the benevolent
spirit of Aunt Dimitry. No one is more grateful to Aunt Dimitry than Lori
Shepard, who married her Prince Charming due to the matchmaking skills
of the kind otherworldly being. Currently, Lori is the proud mother of
twin four month old boys. Aunt Dimity helps arrange for the perfect nanny
to help with the kids and allow Lori to reclaim part of her former lifestyle.
When a document is stolen from the local vicarage, Lori indulges in
her favorite pastime: sleuthing. The villagers are divided over whether
they should pursue turning their remote town into a tourist spot. The stolen
document proves the hamlet is not a prime archeological locale and, in
fact, a deliberate fraud has been committed. The vicar wants the strife
to end, but someone else has different plans for the village.
AUNT DIMITRY DIGS IN, like the other books in the series, is the quintessential
cozy that adds some supernatural elements to soothe the soul while delighting
its fans with magic. The cast of continual characters from both sides of
the beyond are charming and add much to the serenity of the novel. Nancy
Atherton is clearly a talented story teller, who has the ability to get
her readers to believe that the world can be a better place for you and
me if everyone only tries. Any fan of English cozies who has not tried
this series is depriving themselves of some of the sub-genre’s best works.
Harriet Klausner