The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1962)

Got more involved with this one than with the other Miss Marple books so far... Possibly because of the Arthurian imagery, which is always my thing. I actually felt very sorry for the murderer, and more so for her husband. I suspected from the beginning, which pleases me -- one always loves feeling clever. The Lancelot image at the end doesn't quite work, though.

Interesting to have an aging but capable detective. Everything is rather sedate, in consequence... ( )

I haves watched at least two TV or movie versions of this book. The book continues to surpass the adaptations. It is a version of murders in a country house but even though it is a classic mystery the clues are not all clearly set before the reader at one time, rather like the unveiling of Salome and her seven veils, the picture slowly comes into focus as Miss Marple peers though all the distractions and red herrings to see the solid core of the mystery.

I liked the Joan Hickson version of the story but I always wish they would give the poor woman more than one hat. I really don't believe she would wear the same hat to garden in that she wears to church and other social events. It is a subtle way to dumb her down and give the viewer a distorted vision of Miss Marple a person who bumbles into the answers rather than using her very acute mind. ( )

This book returns to what seems to be a theme for Agatha Christie as it features an actress as a key character. Here actress Marina Gregg has taken up residence at Gossington Hall near St Mary Mead, home of the inquisitive Miss Marple. Gregg and her husband, who is a film director, host a fête for a charitable cause and during the event a select group of people is chosen to meet the movie star. One of these visitors, Heather Badcock, dies soon after meeting Gregg and recounting the story of their previous meeting a dozen or so years earlier when Badcock rose from her sick bed to meet the star and get her autograph. When it is revealed Badcock was poisoned it is assumed that Gregg was the real intended victim and Badcock died by accident.

Published in 1962 this is one of Christie’s later novels and does address quite well the social changes that are taking place in rural England at the time. There is a new housing development on the outskirts of St Mary Mead which is changing the place’s character and contributing to Miss Marple’s sense that she’s losing touch with things. Miss Marple is also more elderly than ever. She even has to submit to the indignity of a full-time live-in companion; a very annoying woman who treats Miss Marple like she is a stupid child. I think Christie has done a really terrific job of capturing the frustration experienced by someone who is aging but is in full command of their mental faculties even if their physical abilities aren’t what they used to be.

However the plot here is not one of Christie’s best. The first half of the book labours several points too often, including the actress’ nervous state and the link to the book’s title (it’s a line from a Tennyson poem called the Lady of Shalott which must have been repeated at least a half-dozen times). There is one too many amazing coincidences revealed at the end. One of these is believable (in fact the book is based on something that happened to actress Gene Tierney but don’t google it unless you don’t mind spoilers) but the second is overkill (and totally unnecessary as it adds nothing to the story whatsoever). I also found the depiction of the policeman called in to investigate the crime to be quite unrealistic (although he’s very sweet to Miss Marple).

To be honest I’ve always preferred Hercule Poirot over Miss Marple so my reaction to this book is not that surprising. While Poirot is far too clever to be real and would undoubtedly be an insufferable chap to spend any time with at least he is depicted with faults whereas Jane Marple has always struck me as impossibly perfect. And the Poirot plots are the more puzzling, clue-based ones that fit with my preference for logic whereas those featuring Miss Marple tend to be based more on what seem to me to be rather wild and random assumptions about human nature.

Also, sadly, I did not enjoy Hickson’s narration. She seemed to swallow her words and fade away as if she was turning from the microphone and I read to rewind several times to catch what she was saying and she really didn’t seem to be paying that much attention to what she was saying. So if you are going to track down this book I wouldn’t recommend this particular audio version. ( )

Qu'avait vu Marina Gregg ? Qu'avait-elle vu un instant avant la mort de Mrs Babcock ? Elle regardait fixement le mur, près de l'escalier, et son visage s'était soudain crispé de terreur. Puis elle s'était ressaisie pour retourner, souriante, à ses invités. Mrs Babcock avait pris un cocktail... et tout s'était enchaîné très vite. On avait d'abord cru à un étourdissement, à un malaise cardiaque... Quelques minutes plus tard, elle était morte... empoisonnée... Mais pourquoi ? Pourquoi Heather Babcock, une si brave femme toujours prête à rendre service ? Evidemment, elle aimait fourrer son nez partout, mais de là à... Qu'avait donc vu Marina Gregg ?

Audiobook abridged on 3 CDs, read by Frances Jeater. I read and reviewed the novel earlier this year, so was familiar with the plot, but I thought this abridgement would work well even for someone coming to the story afresh. It does lose some of the characterisation, particularly the minor characters, but retains all the detail needed to support whodunnit. I think where it might suffer a little is in the emotional impact when you first start to understand what the motive for the murder was.

Jeater does a reasonable job of reading, but I think I prefer other readers I've listened to in this series of audio abridgements. ( )