Blue-Footed Musings

The Mirror Crack’d (a.k.a. The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side) by Agatha Christie
Grade: A-

The new world was the same as the old. The houses were different, the streets were called Closes, the clothes were different, the voices were different, but the human beings were the same as they always had been. And though using slightly different phraseology, the subjects of conversation were the same.

In The Mirror Crack’d, Miss Marple has gotten much older. She doesn’t get out as much as she used to, and she needs someone to look after her at home, but her mind is as keen as ever. Though the world has changed around her, human nature is still the same, and Miss Marple knows a thing or two about human nature… Continue reading →

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie
Grade: B

The title of this novel is, of course, a reference to the poem by Omar Khayyam,

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

The Moving Finger is one of the books that I purchased at the Westerly book sale. I was disappointed to find after reading a few pages that I had read it before (which means I must have another copy of it kicking around somewhere, darnit). But I was lucky in that I didn’t remember whodunit, so it was a mystery until the end, the way it was supposed to be.

The plot is simple. Jerry Burton, injured in a plane crash, rents a house in the countryside where he hopes to recuperate in peace. His sister, Joanna, accompanies him. Once there, they receive a vicious anonymous letter. Soon they find out that most of the villagers have received similar letters. It all seems more annoying than harmful until people start dying. Can they discover the identity of the poison pen before there’s another victim?

The biggest problem with this Marple mystery was that Miss Marple didn’t make an appearance until page 142 of this 200 page book. Honestly, I don’t know why Christie bothered to put Miss Marple in the story at all. I also didn’t like the first-person narrative (I almost never do) and I found the ending rather abrupt. Overall, I’d call The Moving Finger readable but not worth the time unless you’re a Christie fan. It is important to note, however, that the online reviews I found for this book were positive and some reviewers mentioned that Christie herself considered it a favorite.

My favorite quote from the book:

I like walking at night. Nobody stops you and says silly things, and I like the stars, and things smell better, and everyday things look all mysterious.—spoken by the character named Megan

Phrases I hadn’t seen before:

all of a heap: 1. amazed or 2. suddenly.

crock up: to suffer a nervous breakdown

seed cake: old-fashioned cake containing caraway seeds

I have to confess that I started the Marple Marathon (or should it be called a “Marplethon”?) early. It was about 11:30 p.m. on the eve of the 15th when I actually started the first book. I hope you won’t hassle me over a half an hour. I wanted to read a little bit before sleep and was between books. It just made sense to get started on the Marple book.

The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie
Grade: A

The Tuesday Club Murders is a collection of 13 short stories featuring Miss Jane Marple. The overall format for each story (except one) is the same. A group of people gather socially and decide to play amateur sleuth together. In turn, they each tell a story about a mystery to which they know the outcome. Then each of the others puts forth a theory based on their own personal experience. It is Miss Marple, with her intimate knowledge of village life and human nature, who always solves the mystery, earning her the esteem of the former head of Scotland Yard. Within that framework, Christie manages to keep the stories fresh and different from one another, no small feat… Continue reading →