| Plot Summary of Shroud for a Nightingale |
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"
P.D. James relies heavily upon her own personal knowledge for this book, “Shroud for a
Nightingale” (James was a nurse during the War). Here, we find two student nurses dead
and the terror is just beginning! Set in the hospital nursing school of Nightingale House,
James gets set to explore quite a few themes besides terror and murder: deadly secrets,
sexual misbehavior, guilt, scandal. Enter Adam Dalgleish, James' poet Chief
Superintendent of Scotland Yard and is a man not to be fooled by (or with!) all the
colateral clues. Something is rotten in the state of the hospital and Dalgleish delights in the
pursuit. This is an early James--quite sound, quite lucid, quite exciting--and one not to be
missed.
"
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
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"As in all her other novels, James begins Shroud for a Nightingale by sketching out the setting – a district training school for nurses. Beneath is the mental setting – a walled-in, all-female atmosphere where sexual escapades and passions, however shrouded they may be, prevail. There is subservience of nurses to doctors, students to their teachers, of women to men.
The first murder is that of a student nurse during a demonstration. Even as the cause of the death is still a point of discussion and speculations on whether it was an accident, suicide, murder or a practical joke-gone-wrong, are doing the rounds, another student is murdered. It's time for Adam Dalgliesh, James' tall, sullen, perceptive hero, to investigate.
"
Ramani Moses, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Shroud for a Nightingale |
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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 - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- Dry-cynical
How difficult to spot villain?
- Difficult, but some clues given
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1960's-1970's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 80%
Murder of certain profession?
- doctors/patients
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- cooped up in spooky house
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, American
- british mystery (I say!)
- police procedural, British
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- feelings of fear/loss/inadequacy
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- seduction/blackmail
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Who's the criminal enemy here?
- finding a known killer
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- can read emotions
- is very quick
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
- doctor
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- can read emotions
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- an above average amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
The antagonists are:
- nazis
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- hostile, like Gomer Pyle on steroids
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- impregnation/reproduction
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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