Ruth Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 (edited) In the rural village of Glennkill in Ireland, a flock of sheep are horrified to find their shepherd dead, with a spade stuck through him. The sheep decide that they must investigate the murder and work out who killed their beloved master, in order that justice can be done. Along the way, the encounter various obstacles, face their fears and learn a few lessons about life. I thought this was an adorable book. The premise is unusual - a flock of sheep make for an unlikely detective squad. But these are no ordinary sheep! Their dead shepherd, George Glenn, had read to them every day of their lives and treated them as proper friends, holding conversations with them. As a result, they are able to think things through and make plans. Each sheep has a distinct character. The main characters are Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in all Glennkill and maybe the world; Othello, a black ram with a mysterious past; Mopple the Whale, a sheep with an amazing memory and a seemingly inexhaustible appetite; Sir Ritchfield, the elderly lead ram; and Zora, a sheep with a head for heights. If the reader can accept the premise of this unusual murder hunt, the book is very enjoyable. The flocks literal interpretation of human conversations and interactions make for some laugh-out-loud moments, and the secret of who killed George Glenn is kept until almost the very end. Definitely a book I would recommend - heartwarming and amusing. However, it's put me off eating lamb chops for a while! Edited June 12, 2009 by Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Oh this sounds brilliant, I must read it! Sheep are so inquisitive, I often wonder what they are thinking, or plotting. Added to my wishlist now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwemad Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I agree this book sounds like it would be a lovely read. However, I have to point out that sheep may appear inquisitive but they are, in fact, very, very stupid. I know these things..... I'm Welsh . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 A book about sheep detectives in Ireland. I don't know whether the author is Irish or not, but either way it says it all about Ireland. Adding to my wishlist, too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I've heard about this book before and I've already bought it. I'm thinking it'll be a great read! The setting of the story sounds so unique, and I've read a paragraph from here and there and I really like the style of the writing. I've been meaning to read it for ages but I'm always caught up with something else. Well, it's on my TBR and on my bookshelf as well so I'll definitely read it at some point. Thank you Ruth so much for the review, I appreciate your making this book known here on the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I read most of my mum's copy of this before having to give it back; I really need to get my own because I loved what I read, especially the sheep's unique wolly logic (reminiscent of Paddington's unique bear reasoning), I thought, was as amusing as it was convincing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Great review Ruth! It kinda sounds like a cross between Animal Farm, Wallace and Grommit and Babe, although maybe I'm way off the mark frankie has been trying to get me to read this for ages believe it or not, and I kept laughing her off (sorry frankie ), but it actually sounds quite amusing! Not my usual thing though so I think I'll wait a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 A book about sheep detectives in Ireland. I don't know whether the author is Irish or not, but either way it says it all about Ireland. I think the author's german. I've read Glennkill some weeks ago and thought it was quite boring. Nothing really happens and to "watch" the sheep figure things out gets really annoying after a short while. I think the idea (sheep solving a murder) is good but the way it's put on paper didn't do anything for me. And I totally didn't like the twist in the end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 If the author isn't Irish, and she's probably not given her name, then it's a little disturbing that people aren't writing anything more insightful than detective sheeps about Ireland I still want to give this a go though, I might get a laugh out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 (edited) Yes, it was originally published in German, although it doesn't read like a translation to me. I don't see what the author's nationality has to do with it though - plenty of people write about countries other than the one they were brought up in. Lots of writers use non de plumes as well. Plus every book doesn't have to be insightful, does it:) Sometimes I just want to read something light and funny, and this fitted the bill for me. Edited June 12, 2009 by Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Does somebody know why they translated the book from Glennkill into Three Bags Full?? I never understand why puplishers always change titles so much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Yes, it was originally published in German, although it doesn't read like a translation to me. I don't see what the author's nationality has to do with it though - plenty of people write about countries other than the one they were brought up in. Lots of writers use non de plumes as well. Plus every book doesn't have to be insightful, does it:) Sometimes I just want to read something light and funny, and this fitted the bill for me. I'm only joking - the west of Ireland where I'm from is particularly well known for being nothing more than a giant bog overpopulated by sheep who are probably more intelligent than the locals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Does somebody know why they translated the book from Glennkill into Three Bags Full?? I never understand why puplishers always change titles so much... Yeah I noticed that on Amazon...strange, for a second I thought there was a sequel but then noticed it wasn't translated lol Maybe it was to grab our attention more in English, three bags full sounds more sheepy, although Glennkill seems more fitting imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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