The plot - XYZ Enterprises has sunk its funds into another crazy finincial gamble - the exploitation of placid Breakfast Island into a tourist-trap resort hamlet centered around a pirate theme. The poor natives of the island cry exploitation, the wealthy transplants with sprawling estates object to the hubbub, a string of seemingly unrelated "accidents" (ha ha) send tourists scurrying, and so it's up to Qwilleran to traipse on down and find out what's cooking on Breakfast.
I didn't quite like the way that the mystery was handled on this one. I didn't dislike the mystery ITSELF, mind you - while I think that the solution's a bit oblique, there's nothing, I suppose, that would impediment a wily reader from discerning the exact whos and whys. My problem lies in how Qwilleran discovers it - or doesn't discover it, actually. Qwill's quite unnecessary to the resolution, as his sleuthing really doesn't unearth any crucial clues that allow him to deduce a concrete, comprehensive theory of how everything happened - he just ekes out a lot of "maybe"s and "could've"s. The book depends on a few blurted-out confessions from a couple of key players to patch it all together for him. The mystery all but solves itself - so why have Qwilleran go through his whole detective act if it doesn't directly pay off?
A lesser problem - I think that the "island dynamics", so to speak, are ill-handled. The natives are excessively backward and backwater, the wealthy members of the Grand Island Club don't fit in with their surroundings and seem as if they'd be more comfortable Down Below, and the environmental moral is too unsubtle (and it's hard to take that someone like Police Chief Brodie would really give a fig about the Amazon rainforests). Not to any degree that seriously harms the story (and it is a step above Moved a Mountain's treatment of the same themes), but distracting nonetheless. I also didn't care for how a couple of contrived plot developments - like Qwill's long wait for a postcard from Polly, who's on vacation in Oregon, or the tantalizing message jotted down on the one he does receive - shamelessly and artificially milked the whole is-Polly-going-to-stay-or-isn't-she deal (a contrived plot development in itself) for suspense. Actually, I think that if Polly were a constant presence here, if she had gone to Breakfast Island, she would've made this installment a bit more interesting, as the isolated setting would've provided for a bit of meaningful interaction between her and Qwill. Braun's never made it quite clear why she and Qwilleran are attracted to each other; they're rarely shown alone together, just being with each other and *talking*, and when they *do* talk, the conversation is usually dominated by Qwill's theories and misgivings on the latest crime. I don't have the big problem with Polly that a lot of Cat Who... fans have, but I can understand why she draws so much vitriol, and I think that a couple scenes displaying exactly why Qwill loves her would make Ms. Duncan's presence in the series a bit more welcome. Braun missed an opportunity. But eh - whatcha gonna do.
Anyhow, I've spent a disporportionate part of this review condemning Came to Breakfast for what it isn't. Time to say what's done right. It must be said that Braun chose a good selection of characters to transplant to the island from Moose County. It's always good to see Derek Cuttlebrink in all his stumblebum, free-wheeling candor, and it's especially nice to see him land an extended role in the proceedings (even if the "mission" Qwilleran gives him doesn't amount to much). I also applaud the appearance of the Bambas as the proprietors of the Domino Inn; if I had to get rid of all the Standard Issue Moose County Males but one, I'd probably keep Nick - he has a solid, long-running history with Qwilleran, he has a better, more believable family angle than the others, and his wife actually adds something to the proceedings and isn't just an accessory to her husband. The introduction of Elizabeth Cage Appelhardt must also be lauded; her honesty and innocence - even her naivete - are refreshing, her heart-to-heart scenes with Qwill are interesting, and it's nice to have someone in Moose County who's not boundlessly enthusiastic and confident about everything and who actually has some personal turmoil and identity crises. Everyone here has a meaty role, and it's good to see the cast streamlined and Braun going for quality in character interaction and not quantity. That coup counts for more than one would think, because the whole appeal of The Cat Who Came to Breakfast lies in its understanding of the fans' connection with the characters. It's nice to see Qwill just shlepping around - he's on a vacation, and so are we; he's visiting with old friends, and so are we. It's a credit to the character that just spending time with him, following him around, holds one's interest. The whole novel takes on a kind of theme-park air - we're basically watching some of the more individualistic Moose County citizens acting wacky in a artificial environment. A light premise, but Breakfast carries it off very nicely.
Anyhow, I've rambled on for far too long. To sum up - inconsequential, but fun. Nothing wrong with that.
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