We'll start with the mysteries:
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories
By Agatha Christie
I shunned this author for many years, believing her books too popular to be good. My philosophy is that if a large portion of the population likes something, then there must be something wrong with it. This considering the state of rampant immorality we have fallen into.
This idea effectively narrows my reading list, however, I do sometimes branch out into the mainstream. In this case I was pleasantly surprised. Christie writes with an easy wit and moves her stories at a quick pace. They are simply, yet well, written. The murders are described in a restrained fashion, and not, I think, for thrill or sensation.
The Clocks by A. C.
I almost finished this in one evening; my eyes gave out before my interest!
It seems a very complicated mystery, and so, says Hercule Poirot, it must therefore be simple. And so it is, in the end. But not before many rabbit trails have been followed, and the readers’ suspicions placed on many different characters.
The Mirror Crack’d by A. C.
“Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack’d from side to side;
‘The curse is come upon me,’ cried
The Lady of Shalott.”
--Alfred Tennyson
The mirror crack’d from side to side;
‘The curse is come upon me,’ cried
The Lady of Shalott.”
--Alfred Tennyson
I like Miss Marple. Who would’ve thought that an eighty-year-old spinster would be the one to solve a crime that puzzled even Scotland Yard? She looks frail, but she’s hardly the child her nurse so condescendingly treats her as. She knows human nature, and she’s observant. Those qualities serve her well as she finds her way through an endless maze of gossip, clues and misinformation to find out who poisoned that harmless soul, kind Mrs. Badcock. Not to mention who’s been sending threatening notes to the newest owner of Gossington Hall, film star Marina Gregg.
Ever since we watched the charming movies based on the Miss Marple books (starring Margaret Rutherford), I’ve wanted to see if the novels were just as good. I can’t speak for the rest (yet!), but this one was!
At this point, I think I will always prefer the more stylish mysteries of Dorothy Sayers and the philosophical turn of Chesterton's Father Brown. On the whole, they have much more substance. However, I did enjoy my foray into the unknown and highly popular works of Agatha Christie.
1 comment:
Hey Kara, how are you doing? As far as I can remember, it seemed like I remember my mom saying that Agatha Christie was some relation to us (I'll have to double check on this with my mom). I've never read any of her books though.
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