Reviews - Agatha Christie
Jan. 23rd, 2010 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wilderthanThey Do It With Mirrors (Agatha Christie)
Miss Marple was a bit more of a constant in this book than in others, which was quite nice -- I think it's best when the detective character is more of a character, like Philip Marlowe or Peter Wimsey, or whatever. In this book Miss Marple, and her childhood friend -- mostly her childhood friend, I think -- are the bigger attractions. The plot was, somehow, predictable -- either predictable to anyone, or just predictable because I'm getting far too used to Agatha Christie's writing and way of constructing a mystery.
Carrie Louise is a sweet character, and probably the best thing about this book. I felt like the background characters were less clearly drawn than in some of these books -- nothing like the background romance that's in The Moving Finger, for example.
A Pocket Full Of Rye (Agatha Christie)
I definitely think that I'm starting to be able to pick up on the clues Agatha Christie gives -- or, alternately, the way she thinks: maybe the clues aren't really there, or not large enough to pick up on anyway, since when I started reading her books, I couldn't guess the culprit nearly so well.
Anyway, I liked this one, if only because it made me feel clever. I wished it had more of Miss Marple in it, though. The way she gets involved in the mysteries is getting very contrived, by this point. Which is to be expected, 'cause she can't exactly sit at home and get involved in murder mysteries in one relatively quiet little village.
I think Agatha Christie's writing is actually stronger when she's writing from first person POV, instead of third. I've found the first person stories more compelling than the third person ones, like this one. I guess because the narrators tend to have an affectionate way of looking at the people involved, knowing their weaknesses and liking them all the same, and whatever.
Miss Marple was a bit more of a constant in this book than in others, which was quite nice -- I think it's best when the detective character is more of a character, like Philip Marlowe or Peter Wimsey, or whatever. In this book Miss Marple, and her childhood friend -- mostly her childhood friend, I think -- are the bigger attractions. The plot was, somehow, predictable -- either predictable to anyone, or just predictable because I'm getting far too used to Agatha Christie's writing and way of constructing a mystery.
Carrie Louise is a sweet character, and probably the best thing about this book. I felt like the background characters were less clearly drawn than in some of these books -- nothing like the background romance that's in The Moving Finger, for example.
A Pocket Full Of Rye (Agatha Christie)
I definitely think that I'm starting to be able to pick up on the clues Agatha Christie gives -- or, alternately, the way she thinks: maybe the clues aren't really there, or not large enough to pick up on anyway, since when I started reading her books, I couldn't guess the culprit nearly so well.
Anyway, I liked this one, if only because it made me feel clever. I wished it had more of Miss Marple in it, though. The way she gets involved in the mysteries is getting very contrived, by this point. Which is to be expected, 'cause she can't exactly sit at home and get involved in murder mysteries in one relatively quiet little village.
I think Agatha Christie's writing is actually stronger when she's writing from first person POV, instead of third. I've found the first person stories more compelling than the third person ones, like this one. I guess because the narrators tend to have an affectionate way of looking at the people involved, knowing their weaknesses and liking them all the same, and whatever.
