In my ongoing search for books set in academia (because, you know, I don't spend enough of my time thinking about it), someone recommended Amanda Cross. So far, I'm a fan. While the mystery didn't grip me, and there were some sections of prose that seemed a bit heavy/overwritten, the pros outweigh the cons. This series appears to be super short and easy to read - nice for reading during 10 minute breaks from work. Plus, the books contain quotes like these:"The dissertation examination was not, in fact, scheduled for another hour. Kate wandered back toward her office, not hurrying, because no sooner would she reach Baldwin Hall... than she would be immediately accosted, put on five more committees, asked to examine some aspect of the curriculum about which she knew nothing (like the language requirement for medieval studies), and to settle the problems of endlessly waiting students concerning, likely as not, questions not only of poetry and political polarization, but of pot and the pill as well. Kate strolled along in the sort of trance to which she had by now grown accustomed. It was the result of fatigue, mental indigestion, a sense of insecurity which resembled being tossed constantly in a blanket as much as it resembled anything, and, strangest of all, a love for the University which was as irrational as it was unrewarded." That showed up on pg. 18, and I was hooked. And, just for fun, one more:"Higgenbothom agreed to come and see her at four, relieved and mystified to learn that his dissertation would not be the subject under discussion. Having arranged that matter, Kate settled down to the reading of some student papers, and was soon lost in wonder at the inability of highly intelligent students to construct a sentence." (118)So, I appear to now be choosing books obsessed with the same things I'm obsessed with. I imagine (hope) this will stop once I have more time to think about things aside from work... but for now, I suppose I'll just accept it. :)
I am continuing to enjoy these books, watching Cross develop as a writer, watching Kate Fansler develop as a human being in a tumultuous time. The dialogue is still rather stilted, but improving, the mystery is reasonable although as with the 2nd book the actual crime does not occur until most of the way through; a lot of set-up, a little investigating and resolution. But I find the set-up, which takes place in a university during the late 1960s, fascinating, especially as it is written from the perspective of the establishment who is being protested against. Reading for social history itself is not satisfying, but a good story, characters who I find interesting, occasionally felicitous prose, and an angle on the world which I had not considered before are an excellent combination.(view spoiler)[I read these ten years ago, the first six or eight, and I remember them being intensely feminist - but so far, they are not, which makes me curious as to whether or not the novels change as they go on, or if I have changed so much that one seemed on one end of a continuum to me in my late twenties now looks like it is on the other side. I am able to appreciate them much more now, certainly, and Kate's struggles with career and relationship, although somewhat understated so far, mean something more personal to me than they did at the time. And looking at the student uprisings of the 60s from the perspective of the professors -- and Kate in particular being angry at the uproar but then finding herself in troubled sympathy, seeing the flaws of the university but at the same time pushing hard against ideas that I now take for granted such as post-colonial literature or studying turgid Victorians... as someone who hopes one day to teach English at a college, I like the point of view. (hide spoiler)]
Do You like book Poetic Justice (2001)?
This paperback on the "read and return" rack at the library sounded promising. The armature sleuth, Kate Fansler, is a college professor who teaches Victorian Literature but is also interested in the work of W.H. Auden. Auden poems start each chapter and Auden references pop up throughout the book. The set-up seemed like it would be a fun way to learn a bit about Auden while enjoying a campus intrigue mystery, but I could not get traction on the story and gave up at page 48. Admittedly no one had been murdered by that time so perhaps it got a lot better after that. I read the W.H. Auden entry on Wikipedia so at least it pushed me to open that door.
—Nancy
Having read the first Kate Fansler novel, I wanted to get to know her better. So I tracked down "Poetic Justice." I love this book for so many reasons. The academia - it takes guts to spend so much time quoting Auden in a mystery. The fact that the murder doesn't occur until page 94, and the book is only 169 pages long! (And it's not even as if there's a suspenseful buildup to the murder.) And I love Kate, who is not forced to be independent and quirky, but just is independent and quirky, unlike so many female mystery protagonists created these days. The novel opens on a university campus in New York following a season of student riots. The discord at the heart of the novel is whether or not the extension university should be allowed to continue, and if so, what its official value should be. Because the book was written in 1970, this is a fascinating look at how higher education was viewed as a privilege, for the privileged, at that time. As for the murder, I can't believe it, but I can't remember who did it or why. I only know that I don't care, because I enjoyed what I suppose would be called the subplot, and because Kate is compelling in such an unobtrusive way.
—Kim Fay
In this third novel in my Kate Fansler mystery series we find our heroine involve in the students revolution of the late 60's early 70's in universities and colleges around the USA. This plot focuses on the struggle of the Adult College to stay open and the relevance of the poetry of W.H. Auden. A thin plot but written with style. Cross' novels are rarely up beat, action driven plot. Here we have more a study of characters and motivation culminating in the reveal of the culprit but like an afterthought. Still interesting but less powerful than the first two novels.
—Writerlibrarian
