Publication Date:
Book reviews featuring history, historical fiction, and mysteries, as well as my thoughts on all things bookish.
Monday, April 29, 2024
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple Mysteries Book One) Read Christie 2024 April Selection
Saturday, February 24, 2024
The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (Book One Tommy and Tuppence Mysteries) Read Christie February 2024 Selection
Publication Date:
Sunday, February 18, 2024
The Leper of Saint Giles by Ellis Peters (Cadfael Chronicles Book 5)
Publication Date:
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
The Wintringham Mystery (Cicely Disappears) by Anthony Berkeley
Friday, January 26, 2024
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (Book One: Hercule Poirot Mysteries) Read Christie January 2024 Selection
Publication Date:
Friday, July 14, 2023
Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, Book Twenty-Three (Read Christie 2023 July)
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie: A Miss Marple Mystery, Book Six (Read Christie 2023 June)
Publication Date: 1952
Length: 187 pages
I really wanted to finish this book to find out why the title was They Do It With Mirrors. When I learned the reason behind it I thought, "oh why didn't I think of that before!" It seems so obvious now. But that is why Agatha Christie is so popular...she always keeps you guessing and wondering right until the end.
Jane Marple is visiting with her childhood American friend, Ruth Van Rydock, who lives in London. Ruth is very concerned about her sister Carrie Louise, who lives at Stonygates, a Victorian mansion which also serves as a home for wayward juveniles whom Carrie Louise's husband, Lewis, feels can be rehabilitated with enough care and guidance.
Carrie's health has been failing lately and Ruth is concerned that she is in danger from someone on the premises although she can't exactly pinpoint how or why. Living there with Carrie is her granddaughter, Gina and her husband Wally, Carrie's daughter Mildred (not Gina's mother though), her two stepsons Alex and Stephen who often visit her, and a rather strange young man named Edgar Lawson. Edgar is an employee of Carrie's husband Lewis Serrocold but is troubled with delusions of being the son of a famous man, often changing who that man is daily. Most of the family and staff are not concerned and consider him harmless. Also present is Carrie's long time assistant and nurse, Miss Bellever. She is devoted to Carrie and suspicious of anyone interfering with her daily routine to care for her.
As Miss Marple observes the people and surroundings, an unexpected visitor arrives. Carrie's stepson from a previous marriage, Christian Gilbrandsen, who is the trustee of the money his father accumulated. Christian is adoring of Carrie and very protective of her. That evening after dinner, Lewis and Edgar go into Lewis's office and an argument breaks out between them. The guests of the house are able to hear what is going on behind the locked door and when a gun is fired, think the worst, assuming Edgar has finally snapped and shot Lewis. Lewis emerges unharmed but not long after it is discovered that Christian has been shot and killed in another room while in the middle of typing something at his desk. Coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not and she realizes that Ruth has been on to something in her worry over dangerous happenings in the mansion. She begins to suspect Carrie's health problems and the murder are related and has to use her sleuthing skills to find out what is going on before anyone else is harmed.
I enjoyed the psychological mystery in this story. Edgar's delusions, Gina's strange relationship with her two stepbrothers, and the way Carrie Louise seemed to always have a naive, childlike view of everyone in spite of the threatening circumstances. I was completely wrong as to who the murderer was and the why behind it. I guessed at some events correctly though with regards to who might be related to another in a different way than originally presented.
It was also interesting to see how the handling of the juvenile deliquency community was viewed a hundred years ago. Stonygates is a place where Lewis and the doctors there are toying with the idea of reform, something new in that time period. This was a radical departure from the typical feeling of the time that criminals needed punishment, not understanding, and the novel shows the clash of opinions on this subject. I felt it was very modern of Christie to weave it into the narrative.
While I did enjoy this book, I am finding the Miss Marple mysteries to be a bit bland compared to Poirot. He is just a more engaging character for me so I'm looking forward to next month's Read Christie book, Evil Under the Sun.
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier
Saturday, April 8, 2023
Now, Voyager by Olive Higgins Prouty
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Classics Club Spin #33: Number Reveal
Today is the day to see which number I got for the Classics Club Spin! Drumroll......18! I am very excited because number 18 on my list is Now, Voyager by Olive Higgins Prouty. I have meant to read this book for YEARS as it is in the top five of my all time favorite classic movies. It is my favorite Bette Davis movie after All About Eve and I had no idea there was a book until years after I'd fallen in love with the movie. This spin will finally get me moving to read the novel that inspired it. So April is looking like a lot of fun! I will post my review on my Classics Club page when I am finished with it, by April 30th.
Publication Date: January 1, 1941
Length: 284 pages
Book summary courtesy of Goodreads:
Boston blueblood Charlotte Vale has led an unhappy, sheltered life. Lonely, dowdy, repressed, and pushing 40, Charlotte finds salvation at a sanitarium, where she undergoes an emotional and physical transformation. After her extreme makeover, the new Charlotte tests her mettle by embarking on a cruise—and finds herself in a torrid love affair with a married man which ends at the conclusion of the voyage. But only then can the real journey begin, as Charlotte is forced to navigate a new life for herself. While Now, Voyager is a tear-jerking romance, it is at the same time the empowering story of a woman who finds the strength to chart her own course in life; who discovers love, sex, and even motherhood outside of marriage; and who learns that men are, ultimately, dispensable in the quest for happiness and fulfillment.
Monday, March 13, 2023
Classics Club Spin #33
Classics Club Spin #33
I am joining the Classics Club challenge this month to read a book from my list according to the number given to me on Sunday, March 19th. It is titled "33" because it is the 33rd time the club has had this challenge. This will be my very first spin. I am a little nervous about this as I like to have total control over what I feel like reading each day. But I made a goal to read these classics and this will help get me moving. I am already feeling waayyy behind! So wish me luck and I'll post on Sunday which book number I am tasked with reading. Here is my list of twenty random books from my Classics Club page:
1. Anna Karenina
2. Northanger Abbey
3. Jamaica Inn
4. North and South (Gaskell, not Jakes!)
5. The Man in the Brown Suit
6. Strangers On a Train
7. Emma
8. The Age of Innocence
9. 1984
10. Breakfast At Tiffany's
11. The Circular Staircase
12. Devil Water
13. This Side of Glory
14. Waverly
15. The Woman in White
16. Vanity Fair
17. The Talented Mr. Ripley
18. Now, Voyager
19. The Innocence of Father Brown
20. Whose Body?
Wondering what number the spin will land on? Check back on Sunday for my post! I have to read and review that book by Sunday, April 30th.
Friday, February 10, 2023
St. Peter's Fair (Cadfael Chronicles Book 4) by Ellis Peters
Publication Date: January 1, 1981
Length: 219 pages
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
This series has always interested me due to its unique time period, well written dialogue, and intriguing plots. The continuation of Brother Cadfael's story along with recurring characters make it a must read, I have to check in and see what happens next. I struggle to read new authors for this reason.....I just love series books! And Ellis Peters has such a good grasp of vocabulary and description of the medieval period I always feel like I'm actually there myself.
This story centers around real events, (as do all the Cadfael Chronicles), during the period known as The Anarchy. King Stephen and Empress Matilda are still warring over who will rule England, and the monks in Shrewsbury are caught in the middle. Empress Maud is trying to gain support for an invasion and takeover along with her brother, Robert of Gloucester and his son-in-law, Ranulf, the Earl of Chester, who she hopes will join the cause. Ranulf has not decided which side to join, Stephen or Maud, and is interested in weighing his options. In the summer of 1139, everyone in Shrewsbury is eagerly awaiting the start of the St. Peter's Fair.
The story is broken down into sections: The Eve of the Fair, The First Day of the Fair, The Second Day of the Fair, The Third Day of the Fair, and After the Fair. At the beginning of the story we find the monks preparing for the three day event which will take place in and around the Abbey. This has been a long standing tradition, one in which the Abbey stands to benefit monetarily from the revenue generated. Geoffrey Corviser, the town provost, wants the order to allow for some of the money raised to go to damages incurred from last year's siege of the town but Abbot Radulfus is unmoved. He states that this is not the responsibility of the Abbey and that no money will be given.
Tensions begin to rise between the townspeople who want the money for repairs and the merchants of the fair, who are caught in the middle and don't want to be seen sharing the profits and going against the traditions of the Abbey. When a wealthy wine merchant, Thomas of Bristol is pushed to the breaking point, he hits one of the young men with his staff and a riot begins. Later, when Thomas is found naked, murdered, and stripped of his clothes, Phillip Corvisor, the young man he assaulted, is charged with his death.
Meanwhile, Thomas's niece, Emma, is grappling with the shock of her Uncle's death and feeling the weight of both the murder and the realization that she must make decisions regarding the wine business and her future. During all of the happenings, Cadfael takes Emma under his wing and vows to help her get to the bottom of her Uncle's murder. He is not convinced the right man has been arrested and charged. Due to clues uncovered regarding the state of the body and what appears to be the break in and search of Thomas and Emma's booth by an unknown culprit, he thinks there may be much more depth to the story and that the murderer is using the convenient surroundings of the riot and Phillip's involvement to mask a more sinister plot. As more is revealed, Emma realizes she may be in danger herself and must be careful as she works to uncover the truth.
While the story had all the same elements of the three previous books, I found myself a bit bored with this one which is why I only gave it three out of five stars. It was disappointing because I look forward to being entertained when I pick up one of these and they are usually an enjoyable break from longer, epic books. The story's setting at the fair just wasn't terribly interesting and the main characters didn't excite me. Most of the real action didn't get going until late into the plot and even then, it wasn't that suspenseful. Cadfael didn't factor into many parts of the story that I normally expect and so I found myself wishing we'd seen and heard more from him.
My favorite part was at the very end when the murderer and the motives behind the crime were revealed. I thought it was clever and brought some more history into the mix, which I always love. So even though it was a bit of a slog to get there, the ending was pretty satisfying. I will definitely be continuing with the series, but will probably take another break from it for a bit. The next story looks more interesting just based on the title, The Leper of St. Giles. Cadfael must seek help from the nearby leper colony and that alone sounds fascinating.
The Cadfael Chronicles are well written, classic mysteries, but there are twenty so I'm sure there are bound to be a few that won't make the very top of my favorite list. They are still worth the read though.
Saturday, January 14, 2023
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Length: 236 pages
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
This was my second book for the Classics Club and also one of my January Historical Fiction Reading Challenge choices. I've had it in my Kindle forever and always wanted to tackle it. I sort of have a love/hate relationship with some of the classics: when I am immersed in the story, I really love it. But when I want to just zone out and am tired I get stressed about reading them because they require so much concentration. This book was not terribly difficult but it did stretch my vocabulary and made me ponder some deep ideas about life and what is important. And that is why the classics are, well, classics!
Lily Bart is faking her way through life when we meet her at the beginning of the story. She is twenty-nine years old (a veritable Old Maid by the standards of the day) and looking desperately for a husband who can keep her styled in the manner she has become accustomed to. She is attracted to Lawrence Selden, a friend who is privy to the society she revolves in, but cannot act upon this attraction as he is not wealthy enough to suit her. While this sounds shallow and cruel, it is honest, and Lily does not pretend otherwise. She sets her sights upon the well to do Percy Gryce, despite the fact that she is not in love with him and finds him to be a tedious bore. Her desperation to continue to fund her lifestyle choices, including debts incurred from the game of bridge, cause her to ignore her feelings for Selden and nearly marry Gryce.
Just when she is set to accept a proposal from Gryce, Lily is the subject of scandalous rumors which serve to change his mind about marrying her. Adrift again and in debt, Lily begins to involve herself with the husband of her friend Judy, igniting consequences which will later prove to be disastrous. As she continues down this path she finds she is becoming persona non grata in the upper echelons of society and as she resorts to spending time with other "friends" who are further down the ladder of wealth and importance, her reputation suffers.
When an unexpected opportunity to go on a cruise with her wealthy friends arises, Lily accepts and things turn against her. She tries to redeem herself in other ways and continues to find people to support her, even a man who proposes marriage, but each time her bad decisions and vacillation between what she wants and what is possible serve to complicate her life with tragic results.
I found this story to be a bit depressing. It is well written of course, as most classics are, and the vocabulary of these writers from long ago always amazes me. Almost from the start of the book I didn't care for Lily. She seems shallow and entitled, as if the finer things are owed to her because she expects them. I can see how some of my feelings are clouded by the time and social class I live in and that the point of the story is to see how money and status are fleeting, and not something to be pursued at the expense of one's own happiness and obtained by giving your soul to the highest bidder. I guess I didn't feel sorry for her in the sense that she had opportunities for what she wanted but continued to squander them. Without giving away too much of the later part of the book, I'll just say that her downward spiral wasn't entirely surprising.
I do like the peek into the customs and expectations of the time. My great grandmother, who I knew well, was born in 1904 so right around the time this book was published. Of course she was not rich or even a city dweller but it is fun to see what life would have been like for a well bred young woman of her day. There were not a lot of options if you wanted to have a nice, carefree life. Marriage as quickly as possible to a man of means was a necessity. But when I think of my great grandmother's life in rural Texas on a farm, I think she probably was much happier and content than Lily in her aristocratic New York world.
The book could sometimes drag a bit and repeat itself, I think it could have been much shorter. But Wharton does a great job of building things slowly as to really see how Lily's circumstances deteriorate. I'm not sure if I will read another of her books anytime soon as some of the plot lines don't interest me. But I'm glad to have read this one to understand why it is so popular. It is timeless in its theme of being careful not to let materialism and societal acceptance cloud your better judgement.
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Classics Club Spin #32