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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great WW2 romp with a fantastic married couple as perfect protagonists.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
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
People disparage of Tommy and Tuppence, but I love them. They grow along Christie herself and still have adventures (albeit of a different mind) like she did.
Of course it's all bunkum, that's the joy of it. Yes there is ridiculous stuff about Prussian heads and espionage in a boarding house by the sea, that's the whole point. Anyway, you will never convince me these are lower grade Christie. If you think so, you can see yourself out.
Of course it's all bunkum, that's the joy of it. Yes there is ridiculous stuff about Prussian heads and espionage in a boarding house by the sea, that's the whole point. Anyway, you will never convince me these are lower grade Christie. If you think so, you can see yourself out.
Compared to others Agatha Christie's books that I've read this was rather boring and pretty predictable. Really early on I had guessed half of the mystery and halfway through the book I guessed the rest.
This one is quite good, with Tommy and Tuppence going undercover to find Nazi spies in a seaside boarding house. My favorite character is a toddler.
3.75*
Agatha Christie is of course famous for her murder mysteries, but she wrote more widely than that, dipping her toes in spy stories, such as the excellent [b:The Man in the Brown Suit|209194|The Man in the Brown Suit (Colonel Race, #1)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390018729l/209194._SY75_.jpg|995869].
N or M? features Tommy and Tuppence back on the scene, trying to find some meaningful work during WWII despite their 'great advanced age’ (they are in their 40s - lol). Luckily enough, they are sent on a mission to uncover a spy in a seaside resort. The beginning, after Tuppence’s masterful action, is a little slow, but speeds nicely towards a satisfactory end. I must admit Tuppence is really the character that shines in these stories. She is so smart and resourceful!
Agatha Christie is of course famous for her murder mysteries, but she wrote more widely than that, dipping her toes in spy stories, such as the excellent [b:The Man in the Brown Suit|209194|The Man in the Brown Suit (Colonel Race, #1)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390018729l/209194._SY75_.jpg|995869].
N or M? features Tommy and Tuppence back on the scene, trying to find some meaningful work during WWII despite their 'great advanced age’ (they are in their 40s - lol). Luckily enough, they are sent on a mission to uncover a spy in a seaside resort. The beginning, after Tuppence’s masterful action, is a little slow, but speeds nicely towards a satisfactory end. I must admit Tuppence is really the character that shines in these stories. She is so smart and resourceful!
adventurous
lighthearted
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
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listening to Hugh Fraser narrate Agatha Christie books is my comfort reading, and Tommy and Tuppence are my favorite of her detectives, so I was always going to enjoy this. This is the only Tummy and Tuppence book I know I had read before, and I'm not sure if I was actually able to figure out the solution or just remembered it (probably the latter). Nonetheless, I found it quite a delightful read with a clever solution — nothing spectacular, but still good. I was left with a few questions (like how did Tuppence know the book was in Mr. Cayley's bed?) but not as many as in some of Christie's other books!
I mentioned in my review of The Secret Adversary that I did not remember Tommy and Tuppence being so young. It turns out that was for a reason — they were in their 20s in the first book, and now they're in their mid-40s! I hadn't realized (since I'd only read the one book) that they were Christie's "spy" characters, and so it makes sense that she wouldn't pull them off the shelf again until England found itself in another war.
Other assorted spoiler-ish thoughts:
-I particularly love the twist when you think the detective was taken in by the bad guy (because you yourself were) and then it turns out they were two steps ahead the whole time!
-I was originally annoyed that Betty was supposed to be more than 2 and still couldn't say any words — because it frustrates me when authors don't know what children are like developmentally at various ages — but it actually ended up being a clue because of course she had only just started learning English since she was Polish. On top of that, I particularly liked Tuppence telling off the man who thought that Betty should be able to play silently at all times and that no one questioned the fact that Betty's mother let her wander around the yard on her own without constantly watching her.
-Albert saving the day is always delightful, even if he is quite a stereotypical dummy.
-I was disappointed that Carl van Deinim turned out not to be German, after all. But I suppose that Christie, publishing this in the middle of the war, could not have indulged too far in the "some Germans are likeable" subplot.
The relationship between Tommy and Tuppence is probably my favorite part of these books. This may not be my very favorite of Christie's works, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable.
I mentioned in my review of The Secret Adversary that I did not remember Tommy and Tuppence being so young. It turns out that was for a reason — they were in their 20s in the first book, and now they're in their mid-40s! I hadn't realized (since I'd only read the one book) that they were Christie's "spy" characters, and so it makes sense that she wouldn't pull them off the shelf again until England found itself in another war.
-I particularly love the twist when you think the detective was taken in by the bad guy (because you yourself were) and then it turns out they were two steps ahead the whole time!
-I was originally annoyed that Betty was supposed to be more than 2 and still couldn't say any words — because it frustrates me when authors don't know what children are like developmentally at various ages — but it actually ended up being a clue because of course she had only just started learning English since she was Polish. On top of that, I particularly liked Tuppence telling off the man who thought that Betty should be able to play silently at all times and that no one questioned the fact that Betty's mother let her wander around the yard on her own without constantly watching her.
-Albert saving the day is always delightful, even if he is quite a stereotypical dummy.
-I was disappointed that Carl van Deinim turned out not to be German, after all. But I suppose that Christie, publishing this in the middle of the war, could not have indulged too far in the "some Germans are likeable" subplot.
The relationship between Tommy and Tuppence is probably my favorite part of these books. This may not be my very favorite of Christie's works, but it's still thoroughly enjoyable.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes