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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"The mirror crack'd from side to side; 'The Curse is come upon me,' cried The Lady of Shalott. [...]
He said: 'She has a lovely face; God in His mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott."
He said: 'She has a lovely face; God in His mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott."
This is a somewhat interesting whodunit from Agatha Christie featuring Miss Marple. Miss Marple is my least favourite protagonist in Christie's books. This particular one is about a murder committed in a party for an American actress and the effort to find the culprit. I found it a little bit slow-paced and not so interesting as compared to other books of hers.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am reading this mystery after The Body in the Library, and I think it works well as a "sequel" to that story: both stories take place at Gossington Hall, and we see ownership of the manor move from the newly widowed Mrs. Bantry to the glamorous film star Marina Gregg.
It is many years after TBITL, and Miss Marple is struggling with getting older - not because her mental faculties are failing, but because everyone insists she resign to the quiet, comfortable geriatric lifestyle. It's very fun to watch Jane fight that tooth and nail and ultimately come to a compromise that works for her. One issue I had with some other Miss Marple stories is how little they feature her. This book features Miss Marple well.
As far as the mystery goes, this one is satisfying, but I did guess how it happened immediately. More interesting was exploring the psychology and discovering the motive.
This mystery is inspired by the true story of Gene Tierney, an actress who contracted rubella ("German measles") while pregnant, resulting in her child being born with severe congenital defects. During some meet-and-greet, a fan shared with Gene a beloved memory of having met the actress years before and given her a kiss on the cheek, despite having been sick with rubella and ordered to quarantine.
I was pleasantly surprised by how relevant this story is while reading it in 2024. The topics of parasocial relationships and quarantining are big issues today, and by the end I understood why Marina snapped.
It is many years after TBITL, and Miss Marple is struggling with getting older - not because her mental faculties are failing, but because everyone insists she resign to the quiet, comfortable geriatric lifestyle. It's very fun to watch Jane fight that tooth and nail and ultimately come to a compromise that works for her. One issue I had with some other Miss Marple stories is how little they feature her. This book features Miss Marple well.
As far as the mystery goes, this one is satisfying, but I did guess how it happened immediately. More interesting was exploring the psychology and discovering the motive.
This mystery is inspired by the true story of Gene Tierney, an actress who contracted rubella ("German measles") while pregnant, resulting in her child being born with severe congenital defects. During some meet-and-greet, a fan shared with Gene a beloved memory of having met the actress years before and given her a kiss on the cheek, despite having been sick with rubella and ordered to quarantine.
I was pleasantly surprised by how relevant this story is while reading it in 2024. The topics of parasocial relationships and quarantining are big issues today, and by the end I understood why Marina snapped.
The bits about how Miss Marple is dealing with aging and how society treats older women were great. The mystery itself was a little less satisfying.I did find it funny to see how similar Hollywood marriages and celebrities were perceived in the 1960's as today.
More like 3.8. Standard Agatha, formulaic easy and enjoyable read but this one felt like a more intriguing Miss Marple mystery then some of the others Ive read
"Si uno no entiende lo que significa algo, entonces es que lo está mirando al revés".
Ya reconozco trucos de la autora para despistar al lector. Pero en este libro todas las pistas están ya en las primeras páginas, Marple derrocha personalidad y la resolución es tan lógica como poderosa.
Ya reconozco trucos de la autora para despistar al lector. Pero en este libro todas las pistas están ya en las primeras páginas, Marple derrocha personalidad y la resolución es tan lógica como poderosa.
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
mysterious
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