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    I want to be Phryne Fisher in my next life.

    May 3, 2016 · 8 Comments

    71 shares

    Phryne Fisher: glamorous, intelligent, witty, fashionable, sensuous and a little dangerous. Yup. I have found a new idol.

    Phryne Fisher
    image from PhryneFisher.com

     

    If you are Australian, you probably have heard of the Phryne Fisher Mystery books by Kerry Greenwood and the television show based on them.  Here in America we are just discovering the delicious Miss Fisher. Ovation just started airing Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Saturday nights after another of my favorites, The Artful Detective. I was hooked on Miss Fisher after the first 5 minutes. You can also catch it on Netflix.

     

     

    Set in Australia in the late 1920's, the stories detail the adventures of an intelligent and seductive female detective. Phryne, pronounced Fry-knee, was named after a Greek courtesan of the 4th century renown for her beauty and wit. Which is a very apt name for Miss Fisher.

    Fair warning, this series definitely covers some "adult" topics. Beyond murder, of course. The first episode/book alone discusses cocaine, backroom abortions and "sapphism" (an old term for lesbianism). And Phryne seems to have a different lover in every episode. NO SPOILERS, please! I don't want to know if she does eventually try monogamy for awhile.

    I think she has the joie de vive of Auntie Mame with the style and grace of Audrey Hepburn. And she lives in one of my favorite periods in history.

    The Jazz Age has always been fascinating to me: the fashions, the music, art deco architecture, the expatriate writers (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, et. al.). And the series and books portray it beautifully from all of the glamour to the social undercurrent ignored by much of the elite classes in many countries.

    In America we also associate the Roaring 20's with the Prohibition Era with their speak easies and gangsters. But that was not a factor in other countries. So, it makes for a bit of a different historical perspective.

    Her home and wardrobe are nothing short of spectacular. I'd be thrilled to have just half of her hats. Stylish, graceful, tasteful... sigh.

    I adore Phryne's attitude that there is nothing she can't do. She drives a car (rare for a woman in those days), flies a plane, wears pants occasionally (gasp!), speaks multiple languages and carries a gun. She doesn't need a man to rescue her, most of the time she is the one doing the rescuing and crime solving. She considers herself men's equal whether they want her to or not.

    She seems to have no fears, at least that's what she shows to the outside world. Her impoverished early years and The Great War definitely impacted her sometimes in ways only the reader/viewer sees. Like when the young man at the dock dies in her arms and she flashes back to her days as an ambulance driver in the war. All she wants to do is take off her bloody blouse (which she amusingly does right on the dock while Constable Collins feebly holds up her fur coat to shield her from view.

    Phryne claims to have no maternal instinct, but the cast of characters she picks up and takes under her wing, like Dot and Jane, belie that fact completely. She might be unconventional, but her caring nature is quite evident.

    There isn't much else I can say without spoiling the fun. If you like intelligent and witty crime dramas I highly recommend you check out the books and the series.

    [Tweet "The Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries is a delightful period drama with a strong female hero. #phrynefisher"]

    Yes, in my next life I want to be Phryne Fisher. But, perhaps without the promiscuity and people dropping dead when I am around...

     

     

     

     

     

     

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    Comments

    1. Sarah Eliza @ devastateboredom says

      May 03, 2016 at 7:09 pm

      Love this summary! With you and my grandmother recommending it (I think I mentioned she's 92... she's also sharp as a tack and amazing and I hope I age just like her..) I'm definitely going to need to check it out.

      We should start a club... the Phryne-Wannabes? She sounds like a really awesome and fearless character!

      Reply
    2. Lisa/SyncopatedMama says

      May 05, 2016 at 7:24 pm

      Ooooh, these sound fabulous! I'm hoping I can get a bunch to read while camping (and I have to read a book before seeing a production of it, so hopefully I'll remember to watch them later). And I'm so glad you explained how to pronounce her name - I kept reading it as "Fern" even after you did, but it was still good to know the real way. 🙂

      Reply
      • Audrey Humaciu says

        May 09, 2016 at 9:34 am

        The characters and some plot lines are different between the books and the show. In some cases this would drive me nuts, but it works for me in this one.

        Reply
    3. Jess Powell (Babi a Fi) says

      May 07, 2016 at 4:32 am

      I love this show - I'm a total sucker for anything set in the 20s anyway, and when you throw murder mystery into the mix, it's a total winner! 🙂 #fridayfrivolity

      Reply
      • Audrey Humaciu says

        May 09, 2016 at 9:32 am

        It is so much fun! I am enjoying both the books and the series.

        Reply

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