| Plot Summary of The Cruellest Month |
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"Journalist Sheila Malory is looking forward to being at Oxford again. She is bringing her son, Michael, there for his undergraduate studies, and will take the opportunity to do some research at the Bodleian Library. She is staying with an old friend, the mother of her godson, Tony. She is very fond of Tony and is dismayed that he seems upset about something. Wanting to help, she finds out that there has been a death at the Bodleian Library, where Tony also works, and that he was the one that found the body, that of a woman recently returned to Oxford after having been away for years. Probing a little more into why Tony is so upset, and the history of this woman, makes Sheila think it may have beem murder. Many people in the area have reason to dislike her, some even to get rid of her because of some of the things she has done, including blackmail.
Meanwhile, Sheila is also meeting old friends and some new friends, having a pleasant time with them and with her son, who is a very likeable young man with a loving sense of humour towards his mother's escapades. One of Sheila's escapades, scouting out someone's bedroom, leads her to a picture of a young man who looks rather familiar. Putting two and two together leads her to the killer, and solves the mystery of another tragic death that happened years ago."
Tena van't Foort, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Cruellest Month |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 40%
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Murder of certain profession?
- librarians/book industry
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings towards family/friends
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- journalist
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- scholar
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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