helloeileen's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 2 stars
I felt like, reading a Miss Marple, I needed to be knitting or something. Fortunately, because I am half old lady anyway (apparently) I was part of the way through a cross stitch, so I read while I continued with that. I think Jane would've be proud of me.
So now that I've said some vaguely nice things about Marple, let me get straight to the point about why I don't like her: she is a fake detective. No, scratch that. She's a bystander who sees the same things that everyone else sees, and yet her predictions always seem to come off whereas everyone else's don't. She has no qualifications that make her a detective. She has no skills that make her a detective. There is simply no proof on this Earth that Miss Marple is anything resembling a detective. Compared to Poirot and Holmes she is nothing!
But the book. Sometimes it got soooooooo boring. There was this big chunk of pages in between the first murder and all the others where we just talked about nonsensical, well, nonsense. There are even two chapters called Morning Activities in Chipping Cleghorn and they are exactly as exciting as they sound, as in, not at all. And on top of all that, I kind of guessed whodunit from the beginning.
But I finished it. I am glad I did? Yeah, I guess so. Honestly, the best part was the foreigner cook Mitzi and the voice the audiobook narrator had for her.
I felt like, reading a Miss Marple, I needed to be knitting or something. Fortunately, because I am half old lady anyway (apparently) I was part of the way through a cross stitch, so I read while I continued with that. I think Jane would've be proud of me.
So now that I've said some vaguely nice things about Marple, let me get straight to the point about why I don't like her: she is a fake detective. No, scratch that. She's a bystander who sees the same things that everyone else sees, and yet her predictions always seem to come off whereas everyone else's don't. She has no qualifications that make her a detective. She has no skills that make her a detective. There is simply no proof on this Earth that Miss Marple is anything resembling a detective. Compared to Poirot and Holmes she is nothing!
But the book. Sometimes it got soooooooo boring. There was this big chunk of pages in between the first murder and all the others where we just talked about nonsensical, well, nonsense. There are even two chapters called Morning Activities in Chipping Cleghorn and they are exactly as exciting as they sound, as in, not at all. And on top of all that, I kind of guessed whodunit from the beginning.
But I finished it. I am glad I did? Yeah, I guess so. Honestly, the best part was the foreigner cook Mitzi and the voice the audiobook narrator had for her.
motivoslobos's review against another edition
4.0
Primera ocasión que leo algo de Agatha y me fascinó la genialidad en toda la novela, final impactante y dudé hasta de mismo. Voy por la siguiente!
leasummer's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this mystery! It’s such an interesting scheme. I tried not to work it out and had a surprise on the whodunnit. Miss Marple doesn’t show up until a 3rd through the book but she solves it! This is my favorite AC so far (my 4th).
A note about this edition (yellow hardback): there are a gross number for editorial errors - wrong words used and extra punctuation.
A note about this edition (yellow hardback): there are a gross number for editorial errors - wrong words used and extra punctuation.
martaaasv_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
kemrick19's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Classism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Murder, and Racism
maryqueenofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
charliequicken's review against another edition
incredible. maybe my favourite miss marple book. so so funny. what even is the plot of this book. i know crime thrillers tend to be a bit out there, but oh my god. it's fantastic. what the actual fuck. i recommend it to anyone who wants to read some fun crime mystery and wants to go on a ride, because believe me, you will