FANDOM NAME: Zofia Szczupaczyńska | Zofia Turbotyńska mysteries, by Maryla Szymiczkowa (book series; two have been translated into English)
The premise is that Zofia Turbotyńska is the wife of a university professor in 1890s Krakow: she's ambitious and restless and frustrated that she has pretty much risen as high as she's likely to be able to get (until she can finagle a promotion to for her rather unambitious husband) in the ultra competitive world of society-lady charity work; so when a resident of the elder hostel whose nuns she is trying to rope into a charitable scheme is found murdered, she finds it much more interesting to investigate (and of course, if she can solve the murder, the Mother Superior will *have* to donate some handicrafts to her charity auction!)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: 1. Zofia. She's absolutely appallingly bourgeoise and appallingly judgmental, but there's something really compelling about her enthusiasm and pragmatic cleverness and feeling of unfulfilled housewifery, even before she starts to have her horizons opened (and her conservative assumptions somewhat challenged) as her investigations take her into the less savory corners of her world.
2. The setting/tone. The authors (Maryla Szymiczkowa is pen-name for a husband-and-husband couple of literary critics from Krakow) love Krakow and its history, and they give the setting an incredible sense of place, with all the conflict between pride in being part of the "modern" Austro-Hungarian empire vs. Polish nationalism, the debates about art and style simmering beneath the surface. They also have a lot of affection for their characters, while being quite arch and ironic about their foibles. Also, they fully get that the late 19th century was actually incredibly full of kitsch: there are amazing descriptions of OTT funeral cortèges, sappy religious paintings, ridiculous neo-Gothic interior design, and the entirely unironic love that everyone has for the same.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): the first two books have been translated into English, and are available on as ebooks and as audiobooks read (brilliantly) by Moira Quirk
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The premise is that Zofia Turbotyńska is the wife of a university professor in 1890s Krakow: she's ambitious and restless and frustrated that she has pretty much risen as high as she's likely to be able to get (until she can finagle a promotion to for her rather unambitious husband) in the ultra competitive world of society-lady charity work; so when a resident of the elder hostel whose nuns she is trying to rope into a charitable scheme is found murdered, she finds it much more interesting to investigate (and of course, if she can solve the murder, the Mother Superior will *have* to donate some handicrafts to her charity auction!)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: 1. Zofia. She's absolutely appallingly bourgeoise and appallingly judgmental, but there's something really compelling about her enthusiasm and pragmatic cleverness and feeling of unfulfilled housewifery, even before she starts to have her horizons opened (and her conservative assumptions somewhat challenged) as her investigations take her into the less savory corners of her world.
2. The setting/tone. The authors (Maryla Szymiczkowa is pen-name for a husband-and-husband couple of literary critics from Krakow) love Krakow and its history, and they give the setting an incredible sense of place, with all the conflict between pride in being part of the "modern" Austro-Hungarian empire vs. Polish nationalism, the debates about art and style simmering beneath the surface. They also have a lot of affection for their characters, while being quite arch and ironic about their foibles. Also, they fully get that the late 19th century was actually incredibly full of kitsch: there are amazing descriptions of OTT funeral cortèges, sappy religious paintings, ridiculous neo-Gothic interior design, and the entirely unironic love that everyone has for the same.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): the first two books have been translated into English, and are available on as ebooks and as audiobooks read (brilliantly) by Moira Quirk