This book is a whirlwind, beginning in a retirement community in Florida and ending in a little cafe in Hungary. Mrs. Plansky is a delight, and there could easily be an entire series dedicated to her adventures. It’s refreshing to see plots centered on characters who aren’t in the ‘prime’ of their lives (ie Richard Osman’s dynamic group in the Thursday Murder Club).
The reader is shortchanged, however, by all of the gaps throughout the plot. The book is very front-heavy, which does introduce us very well to Mrs. Plansky, but leaves the rest of the plot rushed. Some of the characters feel more like caricatures, particularly the Romanian characters, and I think that does the book a disservice. There’s a romance that similarly felt rushed and was probably unnecessary.
That being said, a second Mrs. Plansky would happily have a place on my bookshelf. Maybe, just like the main character herself, this is a series that could become better with time.
The reader is shortchanged, however, by all of the gaps throughout the plot. The book is very front-heavy, which does introduce us very well to Mrs. Plansky, but leaves the rest of the plot rushed. Some of the characters feel more like caricatures, particularly the Romanian characters, and I think that does the book a disservice. There’s a romance that similarly felt rushed and was probably unnecessary.
That being said, a second Mrs. Plansky would happily have a place on my bookshelf. Maybe, just like the main character herself, this is a series that could become better with time.