Scan barcode
malecluvbot's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
mo_mentan's review against another edition
2.0
uuuh i hated that one.
this is where i promise i will never again read any reviews before i finish reading a novel. some of the goodreads reviews made such good points about the slut shaming in this installment, i got angry and thus went with anger into that particularly icky dialogue and then had to go google and see if there was more about it and tadaaa - i spoiled myself by accident. from that point onwards it was so unbeatable, i listened to it on 1.5 speed (which i reserve for books i hate deeply) and it was nevertheless a miracle that i got through.
oh yes, the slut shaming in this one. i don't think i have ever encountered anything that blatantly misogynist. stack the homophobia and that old trope of an older women seducing a straight young girl on top and there you have it: a novel written by a once brilliant but also very obviously bitter old woman, sho thought feminism was a menace.
also, of course the older lesbian murders three people out of her "mislead love", but how could anyone be so cruel and think that a man who has raped and assaulted several women could kill his girlfriend? who also was just such a loose girl!!!1!
gross. grossgrossgross. and this was written in 1971. i need a christie-break for sure.
this is where i promise i will never again read any reviews before i finish reading a novel. some of the goodreads reviews made such good points about the slut shaming in this installment, i got angry and thus went with anger into that particularly icky dialogue and then had to go google and see if there was more about it and tadaaa - i spoiled myself by accident. from that point onwards it was so unbeatable, i listened to it on 1.5 speed (which i reserve for books i hate deeply) and it was nevertheless a miracle that i got through.
oh yes, the slut shaming in this one. i don't think i have ever encountered anything that blatantly misogynist. stack the homophobia and that old trope of an older women seducing a straight young girl on top and there you have it: a novel written by a once brilliant but also very obviously bitter old woman, sho thought feminism was a menace.
also, of course the older lesbian murders three people out of her "mislead love", but how could anyone be so cruel and think that a man who has raped and assaulted several women could kill his girlfriend? who also was just such a loose girl!!!1!
gross. grossgrossgross. and this was written in 1971. i need a christie-break for sure.
lesserjoke's review against another edition
3.0
This 1971 title was the last Miss Marple novel that author Agatha Christie ever wrote, although Sleeping Murder, published posthumously in 1976, was the final entry in the series to be released. It functions as a fairly direct sequel to #9 A Caribbean Mystery, featuring the quasi-return of its major supporting character Jason Rafiel. That qualifier is because he's dead at the start of this one -- but remembering how he and Jane Marple previously collaborated as amateur detectives, he has left behind a request in his will for her to now turn her investigative attentions to a certain delicate issue. You don't necessarily have to have read the earlier volume, as there are no relevant clues to be found there, but the extra background context and impression of light continuity are both nice if you have.
The worst thing about this story is that the exact nature and specifics of the immediate case remain vague for far too long. The old spinster eventually puzzles out what her deceased associate wanted her to look into, but the text never really justifies why he couldn't spell it out for her or discuss it while he was still alive (or even whether he already had a suspect in mind). He's certainly made all sorts of other arrangements to help her on her way: letters sent, tickets purchased, lodging reserved, assistants recruited, and so on. But for some reason, his instructions don't just come out and tell her about the crime(s) she's supposed to investigate, and the book is a little tedious before she's solved that initial mystery and can focus in on the real one.
Once we get to the heart of the matter, it's classic Christie for better and worse. The social commentary complaining about young people is dreadful. There's rape apologia, homophobia, and an implausible homicide-by-falling-boulder, but also a few genuinely clever twists and a fun confrontation with the ultimate villain of the piece. The protagonist and her writer are each sharp as ever, despite their respective advanced ages (Dame Agatha being 81 at this point and Marple having somehow remained perpetually elderly across the four decades since her first appearance). It's definitely not a high watermark or meaningful sendoff for the character, but it's not the clunker that it could have been, either.
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
The worst thing about this story is that the exact nature and specifics of the immediate case remain vague for far too long. The old spinster eventually puzzles out what her deceased associate wanted her to look into, but the text never really justifies why he couldn't spell it out for her or discuss it while he was still alive (or even whether he already had a suspect in mind). He's certainly made all sorts of other arrangements to help her on her way: letters sent, tickets purchased, lodging reserved, assistants recruited, and so on. But for some reason, his instructions don't just come out and tell her about the crime(s) she's supposed to investigate, and the book is a little tedious before she's solved that initial mystery and can focus in on the real one.
Once we get to the heart of the matter, it's classic Christie for better and worse. The social commentary complaining about young people is dreadful. There's rape apologia, homophobia, and an implausible homicide-by-falling-boulder, but also a few genuinely clever twists and a fun confrontation with the ultimate villain of the piece. The protagonist and her writer are each sharp as ever, despite their respective advanced ages (Dame Agatha being 81 at this point and Marple having somehow remained perpetually elderly across the four decades since her first appearance). It's definitely not a high watermark or meaningful sendoff for the character, but it's not the clunker that it could have been, either.
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog
jodie13's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
peyton_'s review against another edition
3.5
It finally happened; an entire book set around Miss Marple solving a mystery. She was present from beginning to end, no one helped her come to her conclusion, and she put in work to find answer. THIS is what I expected of the Miss Marple series. So sad it took this long to get there.
bananas_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
nmussarrat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
counterturn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75