I must admit I am not loving Strong Poison quite as TOTALLY as I thought I would, because I had v high expectations and also because I thought there would be more Harriet. I love Harriet, just the mentions of her, with her lovely exotic dark smudgey smokey eyes. Theda Bara! Or Kiki. But she actually doesn't show up very often.
On the other hand, the book has some of the best flights of Wimsey-whimsey ever, which is really saying something, as his emotional shell is soundly cracked and he begins wildly overcompensating and everyone else in the book is like "Peter, you are even more highly strung up and verbose than usual, what?"
(I am so with Harriet. The only reason anyone would put up with him is to hear that glorious flood of piffle all day. Imagine! When you woke up, there would be piffle! That would be jolly. And at night there would be piffle, in bed, that'd be jolly too....)
I just wonder about Harriet -- what does she think of this guy
obviously infatuated with her, from first sight, showing up day after
day, to amuse and entertain and save her? After the one disastrous romance
in her life, which led directly to her life depending on men -- the
judge, the lawyers, Peter himself? Does she trust him and tell herself
not to? What is she thinking?
in fine, looking forward to Gaudy Night, YESSSSS
descensus Averno facilis est
