Spoilers herein.
These Marple mysteries are driving me a little batty, just like our detective does the local constabulary.
In my case, it is because I am watching each one and finding them so radically different I am shocked. Sure, they all have Joan Hickson and the same music. But each has a different adapter and director, so the result is like meeting a dozen different interesting woman all wearing the same hat.
And that matches what Ms Christie was doing with the Marple books, I think. Each is a completely different construction. Where Erle Stanley Gardner repeated the same formula each time, Christie prided herself on not only a variety but in the novelty of the thing.
And incidentally, nearly every story has a writer, here the letterwriter. I think the game here (in the book that is) has to do with a completely ordinary killing obscured by the writing - both the writing of the letters and the book. But you need her cleverly written obfuscation to appreciate the story, and that has all been lost here.
What remains makes no sense as a traditional detective story, because there is nothing to figure out, no tricks to watch out for. Instead we have just the regular march to the end: two young couples happily joined. and a hero restored.
This could be the worst of the bunch, though many miss the whole point of the enterprise. At least this one emphasizes the obnoxious, mousey character of Jane more than the others.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
These Marple mysteries are driving me a little batty, just like our detective does the local constabulary.
In my case, it is because I am watching each one and finding them so radically different I am shocked. Sure, they all have Joan Hickson and the same music. But each has a different adapter and director, so the result is like meeting a dozen different interesting woman all wearing the same hat.
And that matches what Ms Christie was doing with the Marple books, I think. Each is a completely different construction. Where Erle Stanley Gardner repeated the same formula each time, Christie prided herself on not only a variety but in the novelty of the thing.
And incidentally, nearly every story has a writer, here the letterwriter. I think the game here (in the book that is) has to do with a completely ordinary killing obscured by the writing - both the writing of the letters and the book. But you need her cleverly written obfuscation to appreciate the story, and that has all been lost here.
What remains makes no sense as a traditional detective story, because there is nothing to figure out, no tricks to watch out for. Instead we have just the regular march to the end: two young couples happily joined. and a hero restored.
This could be the worst of the bunch, though many miss the whole point of the enterprise. At least this one emphasizes the obnoxious, mousey character of Jane more than the others.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.