Library Journal Review
| It's morning in the seemingly bucolic Irish village of Glennkill, and a flock of sheep has just come across the murdered body of its shepherd. Initial consternation (there's a bit of panic about wolves, although the crime was clearly committed by a human) gives way to resolve--the flock will solve the murder. Led by the very smart Miss Maple, Othello, Melmoth, Mopple the Whale, and the rest of the group struggle to understand who killed George and why. The sheep are not cuddly sweet or highly anthropomorphized; they approach each problem in the investigation from a sheep's point of view, which makes for a fresh take on the mystery genre. The outsider perspective is reminiscent of that portrayed by Mark Haddon in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time--often amusing but frequently hinting at a much darker reality, unlike Jasper Fforde's lighter nursery crime mysteries. Swann peppers the text with literary allusions that add humor and lighten the existential gloom of both people and sheep. An international best seller, this quirky philosophical mystery is highly recommended for all public libraries.--Devon Thomas, DevIndexing, Chelsea, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Publishers Weekly Review
| The mysterious death of their shepherd has sent a flock of sheep into a frenzy trying to piece together "whodunit." Overcoming their "sheepish" ways, the members of the flock realize that they may be the only ones who can solve it. The more intelligent sheep, who have better retention or the intuition to ask the right questions, develop a list of potential suspects. As the investigation continues, the sheep quickly find the conspiracy is quite large, including a significant number of residents of Glennkill, Scotland. The delightful story is chock-full of metaphors and analogies about human behavior, interaction and memory that provide provocative insight. Bailey keeps an excellent pace and tone throughout in a light-almost benevolent-tone that keenly projects the slightly naive perspective of the sheep. She makes indisputably clear voices for all her characters, including male voices that most would be hard-pressed to discern as coming from a woman. Tantor Media conveniently includes a handy pamphlet that lists the numerous sheep integral to the story along with a brief description of them. Simultaneous release with the Doubleday/Flying Dolphin hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 9). (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved |
School Library Journal Review
| Adult/High School-Like smart sheep everywhere, those of Glennkill, Ireland, cherish their routines. They want their pasture time, their barn time, and their romance-novel time. Well, perhaps they are unique in that last desire-most sheep never develop a taste for the genre. But George's animals owe much of their understanding of the world, and particularly their knowledge of those strange human flocks that inhabit the nearby village and countryside, to his regular reading of the "Pamela novels." They are content in their world, and extra happy because they have a dream they share with their good shepherd: to go to Europe, where there are endless fields of fresh grass and orchards of ripe apples. Then the unimaginable happens. George is pinned to the ground with a spade. Their shepherd is dead. Outraged, his charges set their minds to finding his killer. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and perhaps the world) summon their considerable talents and, bit by bit, piece together the puzzle. First-time novelist Swann had tons of fun writing this, and all of it transfers seamlessly to readers. Teens will laugh out loud as the sheep decide who God is and what goes on in God's house. They also contemplate the nature of the Abyss, and Cloud Sheep, and why humans spend so much time, effort, and money hiding foul-tasting dried-up clumps of grass from one another. This lighthearted mystery is fresh, bold, engaging, and a joy to read.-Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
