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gretabeth's review
2.0
When Marsh has contempt for one of her characters, she is superbly contemptuous; she is a virtuoso of contempt. Few do it better. I cringe, and admire her talent, and cringe some more. In this book the contempt is pointed at a mincingly effeminate fat man and his equally obese sister; two alcoholics; a coven of racists (rightly so); and, awfully, at Africans in general. Their politics, their bodies, their beliefs, all of which are inflected to one degree or another with a stereotype of savagery. While the most pungently offensive lines come from the overt and malignant racists, who are clearly the villains of the piece, there is plenty to go around in the observations and attitudes of the heroes as well (Troy possibly excepted, or at least nothing she said or did leapt out at me). It's clear that the latter are not unkindly intended, and no doubt Marsh and Alleyn were being as racially open-minded as their best-intentioned peers at the time of its writing. But as a contemporary reader, it spoils the reading of the book.
It's too bad, because it's one of her most superbly atmospheric and genuinely tense works. The Boomer is a vivid and memorable character, and the parameters of his friendship with Alleyn are very carefully drawn, full of allusions to long-ago conversations and to the gulfs of understanding and bridges of camaraderie between them. The relationship between them is a fascinating character study, yet still greatly inflected with the "savagery vs. civilization" motifs that make it nearly unreadable. (Dorothy Gilman, writing around the same time, managed to involve Mrs. Pollifax in African political intrigue without being so sneering about it). Also, too much of the atmosphere and storyline is driven by and depends on those same motifs. Corruption abounds in both the black and the white characters, and Marsh employs many cleverly wicked lines to tell us what she thinks about it all.
In the end, this is one of those books by an author I generally enjoy that just isn't redeemable by the quality of writing or the ingenuity of the whodunit. I won't re-read it, and won't recommend it.
It's too bad, because it's one of her most superbly atmospheric and genuinely tense works. The Boomer is a vivid and memorable character, and the parameters of his friendship with Alleyn are very carefully drawn, full of allusions to long-ago conversations and to the gulfs of understanding and bridges of camaraderie between them. The relationship between them is a fascinating character study, yet still greatly inflected with the "savagery vs. civilization" motifs that make it nearly unreadable. (Dorothy Gilman, writing around the same time, managed to involve Mrs. Pollifax in African political intrigue without being so sneering about it). Also, too much of the atmosphere and storyline is driven by and depends on those same motifs. Corruption abounds in both the black and the white characters, and Marsh employs many cleverly wicked lines to tell us what she thinks about it all.
In the end, this is one of those books by an author I generally enjoy that just isn't redeemable by the quality of writing or the ingenuity of the whodunit. I won't re-read it, and won't recommend it.
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
3.0
The plot is well-done, with the over-arching mystery appropriately tangled and clues doled out that I mostly missed. There's also a quick mystery, too, that helps wrap the whole thing up. As always, it's interesting to see the different viewpoints and cultural norms of the time.
For me though, Marsh 's strength here is the characters. Inspector Alleyn is as intelligent and polite as always. He is a gentleman, a member of the upper class, as this episode reminds us. I like that his wife, Troy, who is a painter had a much larger part in this book than in others I've read. She definitely takes a back seat when there's action, sent home immediately following the killing for example, but she can still hold her own. The Boomer asks her to paint his portrait and she is delighted, even with the potential danger surrounding the man. Seeing the sittings and how she approaches the painting, along with her insights into the Boomer's character added a lot to the book. The Boomer himself is a powerful character, very aware of who he is and who he has to be, if that makes sense.
Mr Whipplestone is probably my favorite character, along with his cat, Lucy Lockett. He's a former Foreign Service Officer who happens to move into a flat near a lot of suspicious people. He's useful with the investigation, having spent time in Ng'ombwana, knowing the language and the key players, but it is truly the cat who helps solve the mystery. She's a smart one, she is, providing one of the pivotal clues. Well, she actually has to show it to the dull people a couple of times before they catch on.
My one problem with the book is that it was rather racist. It was published in 1974, the year I was born actually, and I didn't expect it to be politically correct, but it did make me slightly uncomfortable at a few points.
For me though, Marsh 's strength here is the characters. Inspector Alleyn is as intelligent and polite as always. He is a gentleman, a member of the upper class, as this episode reminds us. I like that his wife, Troy, who is a painter had a much larger part in this book than in others I've read. She definitely takes a back seat when there's action, sent home immediately following the killing for example, but she can still hold her own. The Boomer asks her to paint his portrait and she is delighted, even with the potential danger surrounding the man. Seeing the sittings and how she approaches the painting, along with her insights into the Boomer's character added a lot to the book. The Boomer himself is a powerful character, very aware of who he is and who he has to be, if that makes sense.
Mr Whipplestone is probably my favorite character, along with his cat, Lucy Lockett. He's a former Foreign Service Officer who happens to move into a flat near a lot of suspicious people. He's useful with the investigation, having spent time in Ng'ombwana, knowing the language and the key players, but it is truly the cat who helps solve the mystery. She's a smart one, she is, providing one of the pivotal clues. Well, she actually has to show it to the dull people a couple of times before they catch on.
My one problem with the book is that it was rather racist. It was published in 1974, the year I was born actually, and I didn't expect it to be politically correct, but it did make me slightly uncomfortable at a few points.
meiklejohn's review
2.0
I took the drastic step of borrowing an audiobook from the library because the news is just too mind-bogglingly horrible right now for me to still be functioning after an hour's commute. I really enjoyed the experience, to my surprise. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the specific book, given its intense racism and fatphobia. But I will continue with books for the commute, I believe!
jlmb's review against another edition
2.0
My least favorite Marsh that I've read. Written in 1981, there are a lot of prejudicial remarks about black people and about overweight people. Just as I would get engrossed in the story, I would be pulled out of it be reading some creepy comment about how black people smell different than "normal" or about how grotesque one of the suspected bad guys is because of his weight. The weight thing was a constant. Every time that character appeared, without fail Marsh would describe him as lumbering or lard fat or monstrous. At one point Marsh describes the character and his equally overweight sister thus - " They moved slowly, like two huge vessels shoved from behind by tugs." Wow. Eventually the reader learns the weight of the character. Get this....it's 229 lbs. The way she was describing him, I thought he was supposed to be as heavy as one of people on those lurid reality shows about losing weight that weigh 600 lbs. Have times changed that much that a 6 foot tall, 2229 lb guy used to be considered grotesquely obese?
kiri_reads's review
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism
smcleish's review
4.0
Originally published on my blog here in August 1999.
'The best Ngaio Marsh for a long time' is how the Daily Telegraph greeted the appearance of Black As He's Painted (according to the front cover). By 1975, she have produced quite a long string of disappointing novels, and it wouldn't have taken a great deal to deserve this tag; but in fact Black As He's Painted is one of the best of all Marsh's novels.
The story concerns a visit made by the President of the Commonwealth nation of Ng'omwana, known as "Boomer" to his friends, to London. He insists on dealing with the London police through Alleyn, an old public school friend of his, rather than allowing Special Branch to work directly with him on his security. Special Branch is not happy at his unwillingness to co-operate with their wishes, particularly as the Boomer had survived an assassination attempt only a few months previously. And then the Ng'omwanan ambassador in London is killed at a reception early in the visit, apparently in mistake for the president.
Black as He's Painted is not only a slightly unusual mystery - assassination is usually the province of the thriller, with little difficulty pinning down the identity of the killer. It contains two of Marsh's most appealing characters. The Boomer is a rather larger than life caricature of the post-colonial African politician, but he is great fun. A tendency to patronise the Africans is a flaw in the book, but its attitude towards them is at least of the seventies rather than the thirties.
The second character is the cat Lucy Lockett, whose portrayal will certainly make this book the favourite among those of Marsh's readers who love cats. Rescued from neglect and maltreatment, she not only takes over the life of her new owner but also discovers important clues in the investigation (as cats need no search warrants).
'The best Ngaio Marsh for a long time' is how the Daily Telegraph greeted the appearance of Black As He's Painted (according to the front cover). By 1975, she have produced quite a long string of disappointing novels, and it wouldn't have taken a great deal to deserve this tag; but in fact Black As He's Painted is one of the best of all Marsh's novels.
The story concerns a visit made by the President of the Commonwealth nation of Ng'omwana, known as "Boomer" to his friends, to London. He insists on dealing with the London police through Alleyn, an old public school friend of his, rather than allowing Special Branch to work directly with him on his security. Special Branch is not happy at his unwillingness to co-operate with their wishes, particularly as the Boomer had survived an assassination attempt only a few months previously. And then the Ng'omwanan ambassador in London is killed at a reception early in the visit, apparently in mistake for the president.
Black as He's Painted is not only a slightly unusual mystery - assassination is usually the province of the thriller, with little difficulty pinning down the identity of the killer. It contains two of Marsh's most appealing characters. The Boomer is a rather larger than life caricature of the post-colonial African politician, but he is great fun. A tendency to patronise the Africans is a flaw in the book, but its attitude towards them is at least of the seventies rather than the thirties.
The second character is the cat Lucy Lockett, whose portrayal will certainly make this book the favourite among those of Marsh's readers who love cats. Rescued from neglect and maltreatment, she not only takes over the life of her new owner but also discovers important clues in the investigation (as cats need no search warrants).
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