Loading AI tools
2005 novel by Leonie Swann From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story (original German title: Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi) is 2005 novel by Leonie Swann. It is a detective story featuring a flock of anthropomorphic Irish sheep out to solve the murder of their shepherd. Written originally in German, the novel became an international bestseller, and has been translated into more than 30 languages.[1]
This article is missing information about its development. (May 2023) |
Author | Leonie Swann |
---|---|
Original title | Glennkill: Ein Schafskrimi |
Translator | English: Anthea Bell |
Language | German |
Genre | Detective novel |
Publisher | |
Publication date | 2005 |
Publication place | Germany |
Published in English | 2006 |
Pages | 368 pp |
ISBN | 0-385-60994-9 |
OCLC | 64312670 |
You can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in German. Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
In the Irish village of Glenkill, George Glenn is a shepherd who is a loner, estranged from his wife, and is fond only of his sheep. Every day, after he lets them out to graze, he reads to them from romance adventure novels and textbooks on sheep diseases. At the start of the book, the sheep find George dead, pinned to the ground by a spade. The rattled sheep decide that they must find his killer. This turns into a difficult task, as sheep can’t talk to people; and though they understand the human conversations they listen in on, like the one between George’s widow Kate and Bible-basher Beth Jameson, they do not always understand the details. Not even the smartest of them, Miss Maple, Othello and Mopple the Whale, can understand the humans' behaviour, and are particularly confused by the neighbourhood priest, though they conclude that his name is evidently God. They are afraid to confront suspects like butcher Abraham Rackham, and are suspicious but fearful of their new shepherd Gabriel O’Rourke, who is raising a flock of sheep for slaughter. And even after a series of providential discoveries and brainwaves reveals the answer to the mystery, they still have to figure out how to let the humans know.
Below is a list of notable human characters and their roles. Contains plot details.
Largely humorous in character, the novel displays a strong knowledge of sheep behavior, biology, husbandry and breeds (the merino and hebridean are present, among others).[2][3] Using the perspective of the flock, Swann makes comedic jabs at human character and institutions.[4][5]
You can help expand this section with text translated from the corresponding article in German. Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
A sequel, titled Garou: Ein Schaf-Thriller, was released in Germany in June 2010. It is not a detective novel but a thriller. In it, the sheep travel to France with Rebecca and try to uncover a mystery about a werewolf.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023) |
According to Kirkus Reviews, the sheep characters outshine the human ones, and "the sustained tone of straight-faced wonderment is magical".[6] The Guardian review praised Swann for "gnawing" and "wriggling" her way into a gap in the anthropomorphized animal detective novel, thereby succeeding to avoid hackneyed "gumshoe" tropes.[7] The Independent, in a rave review, found the sheep to be a successful and appealing parable for humanity, and concluded that the book has "charm without whimsy, and is touching without being sentimental".[8] Publishers Weekly called Three Bags Full "refreshingly original", and observed that Swann's "sheep's-eye view and the animals' literal translation of the strange words and deeds of the human species not only create laugh-out-loud humor but also allow the animals occasional flashes of accidental brilliance".[9]
German audiobook versions of Glennkill and Garou, read by Andrea Sawatzki, were published by Random House Audio in 2005 and 2010.
In 2024 it was announced Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson will star in a film adaptation. [10]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.