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Jason Koivu's Reviews > Murder at the Vicarage
Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)
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Murder most proper.
Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage was my first Miss Marple. Now that I've had her I can say with knowledge born of experience, she ain't half bad!
The characters are dapper dandies and old teetotaler biddies. High manners and speech abound, aside from the occasional parlor maid, flatfoot, or old age pensioner. These sort of tea cozy mysteries are just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot.
Murder at the Vicarage has some clever misdirection. The murder is plausible, the details creditable and the solving of it all rewardingly confounding. The writing style is somewhat reminiscent of PG Wodehouse. He and Agatha were contemporaries, living through and writing within the same era, and I believe admired each other's work on some level. I tally this as a positive as I am a big Wodehouse fan. His work is light-handed, making for airy reading. The same can be said here. Mostly stress-free, highly enjoyable stuff that won't tax one's emotions too deeply.
Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage was my first Miss Marple. Now that I've had her I can say with knowledge born of experience, she ain't half bad!
The characters are dapper dandies and old teetotaler biddies. High manners and speech abound, aside from the occasional parlor maid, flatfoot, or old age pensioner. These sort of tea cozy mysteries are just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot.
Murder at the Vicarage has some clever misdirection. The murder is plausible, the details creditable and the solving of it all rewardingly confounding. The writing style is somewhat reminiscent of PG Wodehouse. He and Agatha were contemporaries, living through and writing within the same era, and I believe admired each other's work on some level. I tally this as a positive as I am a big Wodehouse fan. His work is light-handed, making for airy reading. The same can be said here. Mostly stress-free, highly enjoyable stuff that won't tax one's emotions too deeply.
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Reading Progress
March 2, 2012
– Shelved
June 2, 2013
–
Started Reading
June 4, 2013
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Finished Reading
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Becky
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rated it 1 star
Jun 04, 2013 10:20AM
"tea-totalling"! Awesome.
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I've head that Dame Agatha was an unpleasant woman but I can't remember the details. Maybe Miss Marple was a way for her to compensate. The Margaret Rutherford film characterization is hilarious but isn't much like her literary namesake.
Christie may have been an unpleasant woman, but she had an interesting life and her very own mystery. She disappeared for about ten days and nobody knows what happened to her. I grew up reading her books and liked them well enough, but I've never been tempted to re-read them. My favourite golden age mystery writer is Dorothy L Sayers. Her books I re-read regularly.
Kim wrote: "Christie may have been an unpleasant woman, but she had an interesting life and her very own mystery. She disappeared for about ten days and nobody knows what happened to her. I grew up reading her..."I plan on reading a little Sayers one of these days. What's your fave?
i do think that Agatha Christie is at its heart what we would consider a cozy, but her prolificacy and the adoration of her fans have really elevated her to the (modern) classics.
Danielle wrote: "i do think that Agatha Christie is at its heart what we would consider a cozy, but her prolificacy and the adoration of her fans have really elevated her to the (modern) classics."The cozy reference was directed specifically at the Marples, not Christie's work as a whole, which I agree, stretched beyond the sub-genre and attained classic status.
> Beyond primal embarrassment, this sort of thing is just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot.Bahaha... I loved this review.
Have you read The Woman in White? I put that one off for ages thinking it would be dense, but found it absolutely delicious.
Sounds like tasty stuff indeed. Thanks!
I used to like the mystery genre but...somehow there is too much of it nowadays. CSI kind of shows and books everywhere, I don't even feel the desire to reach for the classics...and I have a bunch of them at home.You summed up Christie pretty well. I remember enjoying her stuff some time ago.
Ivana wrote: "I used to like the mystery genre but...somehow there is too much of it nowadays. CSI kind of shows and books everywhere, I don't even feel the desire to reach for the classics...and I have a bunch ..."Seems like with most mysteries, the basic idea is the same with slight variations. I guess that can be said about all genres, yet mystery seems more dependent on formula than others, which leads to that feeling of been-there-done-that....but I suppose it must provide a certain amount of comfort, like a rerun from a favorite tv show, because you know you like it and you know what you're going to get. I don't mean to slag off mystery fans. I'm the same way.
sure, I guess that is why people enjoy James Bond movie (they know what they will get)...and I don't think the quality of the book can ever be judged on the genre...but all the same, I think I'll detox and avoid mysteries for a while.
Don't worry, Jason, I don't think your manhood is in jeopardy. I inherited a number of Agatha Christie novels from my mom and have enjoyed reading them from time to time...
James wrote: "Don't worry, Jason, I don't think your manhood is in jeopardy. I inherited a number of Agatha Christie novels from my mom and have enjoyed reading them from time to time..."Thanks for the reassurance, James!
"writing style reminiscent of PG Wodehouse"High Praise indeed - I imagine Ms. Christie (and ol' P.G.) would be pleased.
You could try giving/lending a few books your football pals. If you do it, one-on-one the "peer pressure" would be largely absent. Maybe not Christie. A Jack Reacher novel might be more suitable.
"Beyond primal embarrassment, this sort of thing is just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot."I love when I can start my day with something this funny. Thank you (for the review you wrote over a year ago that I am just seeing now).
Natalie wrote: ""Beyond primal embarrassment, this sort of thing is just a little too quaint, even for me...and I've read all of James Herriot."I love when I can start my day with something this funny. Thank you..."
You're welcome and thank you for the comment!
As an ardent admirer of the mystery/crime genre, this old-school mannered approach is such a turn-off. Give me cocaine abuse, bourbon, mustaches, sleazy sex and guns, please.
The Americans did the mystery/crime genre better. It's inarguable.
Anthony wrote: "As an ardent admirer of the mystery/crime genre, this old-school mannered approach is such a turn-off. Give me cocaine abuse, bourbon, mustaches,sleazy sex and guns, please."I like a little of both, but yeah, murder definitely belongs in the gutter. It feels right when it feels wrong.
In all honesty, I need to read more of this genres big names from the other side of the pond. P.D. James has a wonderful book, Talking About Detective Fiction, that has a lot of really insightful things to say about both schools of mystery fiction.
Anthony wrote: "In all honesty, I need to read more of this genres big names from the other side of the pond. P.D. James has a wonderful book, Talking About Detective Fiction, that has a lot of real..."Cool, I'll check it out.
Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "^What she said.I'd say read Strong Poison first of Sayers. Harriet Vane is a fabulous character."
Did you ever get around to Sayers, Jason? If not I also recommend starting there; it's where the richer character development starts (although you can appreciate that more if you read an earlier one of Lord Peter, I guess).
Miriam wrote: "Richard Reviles Censorship wrote: "^What she said.I'd say read Strong Poison first of Sayers. Harriet Vane is a fabulous character."
Did you ever get around to Sayers, Jason? If no..."
Sayers is still on the tbr pile.
Miss Marple meets Jeeves! Wonderful connection - and so obvious, what?
Fergus wrote: "Miss Marple meets Jeeves! Wonderful connection - and so obvious, what?"Topping, old chap!
It's interesting that Hickson was the narrator of the audiobook, since the book was written from the perspective of the vicar.
