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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Murder
What is it about a murder where the victim was a disease vector that makes it hard to sympathize with them in 2022???? I guess I will never know
This is one of Christie's slower books because the plot is fairly straight forward. Not my favorite but I do love Miss Marple in it.
Awesome amount of Marple and village gossip. This one didn't really pick up until about 2/3 of the way in.
I feel a bit weird writing a review like this for an Agatha Christie novel, but I’ll give it ago. The mystery is very strong and well-plotted. The solution is seeded very well and I really enjoyed being able to pick the story apart and work it out for myself. I worked out the bare bones of it before I got to the final revelation, and I was pleased when I got it right!
The characters were interesting. They were very well-drawn, so to speak, given how short the novel was and how briefly some of them appeared. They were very realistic and believable. I also liked the atmosphere of the story, and the idea of the world moving too fast for Miss Marple and some of her contemporaries to keep up with. It was an interesting angle to look at the era through, with all of the commentary on servants and modernity.
There was also some humour in Miss Marple finding herself in a position of having a home help / nurse forced on her, but it was also quite a sad idea. I was glad when that was resolved happily!
I found some bits towards the end a bit repetitive and unnecessary -the extra murders didn’t make a lot of sense to me - I understood the motives behind them, but they also confused the plot a little bit.
I would recommend it if you want a well-plotted traditional murder mystery.
Content Warnings:Murder, racist language, ableist language (The edition I read was published in the 1970s and I suspect a lot of that has been edited out of newer editions, but I’m not 100% sure.)
The characters were interesting. They were very well-drawn, so to speak, given how short the novel was and how briefly some of them appeared. They were very realistic and believable. I also liked the atmosphere of the story, and the idea of the world moving too fast for Miss Marple and some of her contemporaries to keep up with. It was an interesting angle to look at the era through, with all of the commentary on servants and modernity.
There was also some humour in Miss Marple finding herself in a position of having a home help / nurse forced on her, but it was also quite a sad idea. I was glad when that was resolved happily!
I found some bits towards the end a bit repetitive and unnecessary -
I would recommend it if you want a well-plotted traditional murder mystery.
Content Warnings:
If this book hadn't been quite as repetitive then it would have been most excellent. Lots of twists and turns and though I worked out a couple, it was still an enjoyable ride.
The audiobook was perfect as I worked, did chores, etc. I have to admit I didn't guess the culprit till the end. And the motive- shocking.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No