You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not bobbing but drowning…
Mystery writer Mrs Ariadne Oliver is visiting a friend in the village of Woodleigh Common and is participating in the preparations for a Hallowe’en party to be held for the teenagers of the village that evening. Some of the children are also helping out and they’re thrilled to meet a famous real-life mystery writer, so the talk naturally turns to murder. That’s when young Joyce announces that she once saw a murder. Joyce has a reputation for lying and boasting to make herself the centre of attention, though, so the other kids ridicule her and the adults dismiss her claim. But when Joyce is murdered at the party, cruelly drowned in the tub being used for bobbing for apples, it seems that perhaps one person believed her after all. Distressed at the cruelty of the crime, Mrs Oliver calls her old friend, Hercule Poirot, and he rallies to her side…
It’s a late one from Christie, first published in 1969 when she would have been 79. However the plotting is better than in some of her rather rambling late books – not up to the standard of her best but good nevertheless. There’s a lot of Mrs Oliver and Hercule Poirot shaking their heads over the way society has changed since they were young and it gives the distinct impression that dear Mrs Christie was struggling somewhat with coming to terms with modern life and especially the permissiveness that was sweeping British society in the ’60s. Of course Poirot must have been well into his second century by 1969 and Mrs Oliver can’t be much younger, but they seem remarkably youthful considering!
This is one I would point to as an example of why I don’t feel the cosy label can be applied to Agatha Christie. There are light-hearted moments – Mrs Oliver’s thoughts are always fun – and it takes place in a village, but the plot of this one is dark indeed. It seems the only possible reason for Joyce’s death is that she did indeed see a murder when she was too young to recognise it as that, and that her murderer must have overheard her boast and realised that Joyce had now grown up enough to understand the significance of what she had seen. So Poirot, with the help of his old friend Superintendent Battle, now retired but living in the village with his sister, begins by asking about any deaths in the previous few years that might possibly have been murders. There are a surprising number of these, making Woodleigh Common sound nearly as dangerous a place to live as St Mary Mead. And as Poirot investigates he begins to worry that Joyce may not be the murderer’s last victim…
It is definitely fair play and to be honest I felt it was relatively easy to work out whodunit and why. The plot is well worked out but Christie’s usual skill in misdirection isn’t as strong as it was in her heyday, and I spotted the major clue as it happened and immediately saw what it must mean. However, she’s just as strong at creating truly evil characters as she ever was, and the motivations here are heartless and cruel. One thing I like about her is her clear-eyed vision of children as complex young specimens of human nature – she never pretends that all children are angelic innocents. Joyce was an unpleasant, boastful, lying child and no one liked her much. They feel guilty for admitting it now she’s dead, but her personality is a crucial part of the story and Christie doesn’t believe in sanctifying her victims just because they’re young. She’s also good at distancing the reader from the child’s family so that, despite the darkness of the crime, we are not forced to witness the raw grief of a bereaved parent in which many a modern author would find it necessary to make us wallow.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it reminded me that, while some of her final books really do show a decline in her powers, she was still well able to produce occasional winners too. At 79 she could still knock spots off most writers writing at the height of their powers. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Mystery writer Mrs Ariadne Oliver is visiting a friend in the village of Woodleigh Common and is participating in the preparations for a Hallowe’en party to be held for the teenagers of the village that evening. Some of the children are also helping out and they’re thrilled to meet a famous real-life mystery writer, so the talk naturally turns to murder. That’s when young Joyce announces that she once saw a murder. Joyce has a reputation for lying and boasting to make herself the centre of attention, though, so the other kids ridicule her and the adults dismiss her claim. But when Joyce is murdered at the party, cruelly drowned in the tub being used for bobbing for apples, it seems that perhaps one person believed her after all. Distressed at the cruelty of the crime, Mrs Oliver calls her old friend, Hercule Poirot, and he rallies to her side…
It’s a late one from Christie, first published in 1969 when she would have been 79. However the plotting is better than in some of her rather rambling late books – not up to the standard of her best but good nevertheless. There’s a lot of Mrs Oliver and Hercule Poirot shaking their heads over the way society has changed since they were young and it gives the distinct impression that dear Mrs Christie was struggling somewhat with coming to terms with modern life and especially the permissiveness that was sweeping British society in the ’60s. Of course Poirot must have been well into his second century by 1969 and Mrs Oliver can’t be much younger, but they seem remarkably youthful considering!
This is one I would point to as an example of why I don’t feel the cosy label can be applied to Agatha Christie. There are light-hearted moments – Mrs Oliver’s thoughts are always fun – and it takes place in a village, but the plot of this one is dark indeed. It seems the only possible reason for Joyce’s death is that she did indeed see a murder when she was too young to recognise it as that, and that her murderer must have overheard her boast and realised that Joyce had now grown up enough to understand the significance of what she had seen. So Poirot, with the help of his old friend Superintendent Battle, now retired but living in the village with his sister, begins by asking about any deaths in the previous few years that might possibly have been murders. There are a surprising number of these, making Woodleigh Common sound nearly as dangerous a place to live as St Mary Mead. And as Poirot investigates he begins to worry that Joyce may not be the murderer’s last victim…
It is definitely fair play and to be honest I felt it was relatively easy to work out whodunit and why. The plot is well worked out but Christie’s usual skill in misdirection isn’t as strong as it was in her heyday, and I spotted the major clue as it happened and immediately saw what it must mean. However, she’s just as strong at creating truly evil characters as she ever was, and the motivations here are heartless and cruel. One thing I like about her is her clear-eyed vision of children as complex young specimens of human nature – she never pretends that all children are angelic innocents. Joyce was an unpleasant, boastful, lying child and no one liked her much. They feel guilty for admitting it now she’s dead, but her personality is a crucial part of the story and Christie doesn’t believe in sanctifying her victims just because they’re young. She’s also good at distancing the reader from the child’s family so that, despite the darkness of the crime, we are not forced to witness the raw grief of a bereaved parent in which many a modern author would find it necessary to make us wallow.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it reminded me that, while some of her final books really do show a decline in her powers, she was still well able to produce occasional winners too. At 79 she could still knock spots off most writers writing at the height of their powers. 4½ stars for me, so rounded up.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
dark
mysterious
fast-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
mysterious
fast-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
I enjoyed it. This was the first Christie that I have picked up in a long time and it was much as I remembered. There is a certain timelessness about this story, making it not feel as dated as I could have felt. The mystery was interesting and suspenseful. A good fall read.
I enjoyed the book, but had so much trouble keeping track of who the characters were.
When I saw another Kenneth Branagh Agatha Christie movie was due to come out, I was excited, as I really liked his first two. When I saw this one was based on a Christie book I hadn't even heard of let alone read, I was doubly excited, and set off to the library to borrow a copy. After spending the time reading through this book, I can easily say I quite enjoyed it. It is set late in Hercule Poirot's life, and therefore set in a time period much nearer to our own than most of the Christie books I've read. Still a period piece, but not quite so removed. I enjoyed the writing, the author's voice and her choice of words. The characters were quite interesting, and even with a larger cast I didn't get confused over who was who. I wasn't able to see the reveal coming, but I usually can't in these things. It was a fast read, but one I enjoyed every minute of. Recommended as much for the comments on societal changes as for the excellent mystery tale.
adventurous
dark
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
Had to read this one in October, of course.
Fairly interesting Christie that starts off with a 13-year-old girl being drowned at a Halloween party while bobbing for apples. So Lesson 1, don't go into the library with the murderer who promises to show you the trick to getting the apple! The murdered girl - Joyce - had told everyone at the party that she had once witnessed a murder but she didn't realize it was one until later. Hm!
What I find about Christie is it's always the person you think cannot possibly have done it; OR, it's the person(s) you thought did it from the beginning, but there were so many other possibilities thrown around that you are never quite sure!
Fairly interesting Christie that starts off with a 13-year-old girl being drowned at a Halloween party while bobbing for apples. So Lesson 1, don't go into the library with the murderer who promises to show you the trick to getting the apple! The murdered girl - Joyce - had told everyone at the party that she had once witnessed a murder but she didn't realize it was one until later. Hm!
What I find about Christie is it's always the person you think cannot possibly have done it; OR, it's the person(s) you thought did it from the beginning, but there were so many other possibilities thrown around that you are never quite sure!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced