Reviews for A dictionary of the roots and combining forms of scientific words

The average rating for A dictionary of the roots and combining forms of scientific words based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-07-31 00:00:00 Carl Beltz Jr Having greatly enjoyed, "Thrones, Dominations," I was keen to read the second in the Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane series, continued by author Jill Paton Walsh. This begins in 1939, with England in the early days of the Second World War. Lord Peter is away on a dangerous mission overseas and Harriet has closed up the London house and retreated to Talboys with her two sons, Bredon, aged three, and Paul, who is nearly one. She also has the care of the children of Charles and Mary Parker; Charlie, Polly and Harriet. The local village has changed, with land girls and troops bringing new faces and the community preparing itself for war with air raid practice. Most of the village intend to use the cellars of the local public house as a shelter, but the Methodists are unhappy about taking refuge in a public house, so nearby caves are utilised for them. However, although the practice seems to go well, when the all clear sounds and everyone emerges into the village, it is to find the body of a young woman dead in the middle of the street… With Superintendent Kirk short staffed, he asks Harriet for help. She soon discovers the young lady, Wendy Percival, is nicknamed, "Wicked Wendy," and is known as something of a flirt. However, although she has caused some disruption among several young men, it seems the case is not going to be a simple one to solve. I really enjoyed this novel, even if I did not find it worked quite as well as the first. I like the fact that Walsh has brought in new characters, although she does seem to want to use them all and sometimes it seems that, despite the advice to only travel where absolutely necessary, almost everyone is haring about the country visiting each other. Still, we have Helen; Harriet's disapproving sister in law, who is always interesting as a character, the delightful Dowager Duchess and Mary Parker, among others. I thought the author really portrayed the period well and the mystery, if slightly confusing at times, made you think about the choices that sometimes had to be made in war time. I look forward to reading on and will certainly read the next in the series.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-05-02 00:00:00 Mm Ho "If anybody ever marries you, it will be for the pleasure of hearing you talk piffle." Set in the early days of WW II, this book is an enjoyable, plausible continuation of the Wimsey-Vane marriage post Busman's Honeymoon, Sayers' last complete Lord Peter mystery. Walsh created reasonably faithful versions of both the central characters, but somehow was not entirely successful in recreating the spark between them, which for me has always been one of the most delightful aspects of the series since they met in Strong Poison. They do banter, and throw erudite, quotation-laden barbs at each other, but the writing doesn't quite capture the mordant wit and wry humor of the original. But never mind, as "a facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought"*, anyway. What bothers me more is that Lord Peter doesn't show up until the story is almost halfway through (he was too busy spying for England behind enemy lines): Walsh' domesticated Lady Peter (nee Vane) is just not a terribly interesting character in her own right. Where is the woman who, during her busman's honeymoon, contemplated the word "husband" and came up with "…a repressive word, that, when you came to think of it, compounded of a grumble and a thump"? And Bunter with a wife and kid? Sacrilege! Bunter is the quintessential gentleman's gentleman and should be solely devoted to Lord Peter for eternity. On the plus side, Walsh's WW II-in-a-small-English-village setting is perfectly believable, the mystery is coherent (and neatly solved) --- and the book incorporated several letters written in character by Sayers (anything from Honoria Lucasta, Dowager Duchess of Denver is always a fun epistolary treat). So if you badly need your Sayers fix and have gone through all the originals, it is not a bad idea to while away a few enjoyable hours with this book. *Lord Peter Wimsey, Gaudy Night.