Welcome to Litsy!

I put this down sometime during the week of 15 December 2025 and at the same time misplaced the bookmark. I can't for the life of me remember where I was in the book, but the relatives of the murdered man were especially unpleasant, and I had zero interest in figuring out where I'd left off or whodunnit, so a bail it is.

I reaaaally don't rate Brand as highly as some people do. There's something so mean about her writing, I think. Not just the homophobia, but the way she writes about unattractive or less intelligent or poor women.

I'm not the biggest fan of Christianna Brand in general, but oof, the homophobia in this one. And I don't remember Charlesworth being quite such an ass in the other books he features in (though I don't like him).

Yeah, I'm mostly just reading this to be completionist.

Branding can be a nebulous concept even for seasoned graphic designers. Part philosophy, sociology, and psychology - creating a brand demands a broad range of disciplines. This book is the most exhaustive and comprehensive volume on the topic. Going step-by-step on the process, and then citing dozens of case studies, you can easily follow along and gain a better understanding of what it takes to create a successful brand.

Yeah... I should've DNFed that, that was dire. Brand's usually not *awful*, but this was all her most melodramatic tendencies, a stupid romance that doesn't work, and a whole bunch of incoherence. Maybe it was meant to be a parody but that doesn't make it bearable.

I can't tell if this is just *bad* or if I'm not in the mood, but wow I am not getting on with it. I'm not a huge fan of Christianna Brand, but normally I like her work better than this.

(And possibly it's meant to be parody but even that doesn't quite feel like it lands!)

I'm a bit stalled on this one. It did nicely evoke the Welsh weather, but I'm kinda meh about how... gothic it is? I think I see what's happening already, and the melodrama (and the main character getting humiliated) just isn't my jam. Brand isn't my favourite classic crime writer in any case, I've just never quite clicked with her stuff.

(I'm sorry about all the posts today! 😬 It's really catchup for most of the week, I suppose.)

Merry Christmas! Orange/cranberry Irish soda bread, coffee & a Jolabokaflod book from my son. Blessings to all those who cannot, do not celebrate.

This is not Brand's best book, but it has a lot to interest a social historian. She is great at exploring the group dynamics of working women and here she focuses on shop girls. Who she shows they are a more interesting group than their vapid stereotype.
She does not deal with her homosexual character as fairly and the homophobia is vile.
Mystery itself is ill-paced and mediocre.

I don‘t enjoy business books too often (I tend to find them dry and boring), but I am looking forward to this book being better than most!