Book Review: Kerry Greenwood's "Away With the Fairies"
REVIEW BY HELEN KRUMMENACKER This is one of the Phryne Fisher novels, a mystery set in Australia. These deal not only with solving crimes-- in this case, looking into the suspicious death of an eccentric writer of fairy stories-- but also the social structures of the times they are set in. It’s 1928, and the aftermath of the Great War is still felt in everything from the growth of women’s career options to international politics. For Miss Fisher, the international politics has turned her personal life on end, because her Chinese boyfriend is in danger just trying to handle his family’s import business while China is in crisis. As for the mystery, most of the suspects living as neighbors to the deceased were also her co-workers through a women’s magazine. And what a women’s magazine it is! While there are columns on child-raising and fashion, the magazine is full of how-to information on building your own radio and fixing your car, as well as health and gardening advice. ...