⋙ Libro Free The Body in the Library A Miss Marple Mystery Agatha Christie 9781579126261 Books

The Body in the Library A Miss Marple Mystery Agatha Christie 9781579126261 Books

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The Body in the Library A Miss Marple Mystery Agatha Christie 9781579126261 Books

During Agatha Christie's Edwardian childhood, there were no "play schools" and play dates." Poor children played in the streets with other kids and some wealthier ones had a large family of siblings. But Christie's brother and sister were much older and she spent most of her childhood with her nanny or with her grandmothers. She was fascinated by the conversations between her grandmothers and their elderly friends - women who had never had jobs, never voted, and whose opinions had never been vlaued on any issue. And yet, they were shrewd observers of human nature and frequently better judges of people than their male contemporaries.

Miss Jane Marple is just such a fluttery old lady and she is often over-looked or dismissed. But not by retired Commissioner of Scotland Yard Henry Clithering, who admires her powers of deduction and her ability to see through subterfuge. And not by her female friends who know that NOTHING gets past Jane Marple!

This is a fine mystery. There are two murders (both of young women) and a good variety of suspects. One of the victims is a dance hostess - pretty and possibly conniving. The other is a teen-aged Girl Guide (Girl Scout, we would say) who has nothing particularly out-standing about her. Since the dance hostess has attracted the attention of a wealthy older man, several people have a motive for getting rid of her. Was the younger girl's death simply a coincidence or is there a deranged killer loose in the English countryside?

One interesting thing is that this book was published in 1942, when England had been involved in WWII for several years. Christie's husband was away at war and she was working in a London hospital. But WWII is completely ignored in this story. When there is mention of "the war" (and the effects it had on one suspect) they are talking about WWI. So was this book written in the 1930's and not published until later? Or did Christie think that her readers would like to escape from the horrors of war and remember a happier time?

I like all of the Miss Marple books, but this is one of my favorites. Some of the characters are stereotypes - the bluff manor-house owner, his gardening-mad wife, the eager-beaver police inspector - but there's always some truth in all stereotypes or they wouldn't exist. The examination of the Jefferson family and the tragedy of trying to live in the past is touching and thought-provoking. Old Dame Agatha may not have been a great writer, but she was as shrewd as Miss Marple herself and her depth of knowledge about human nature makes all of her books worth reading.


Tags : The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery [Agatha Christie] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV> A young, blond woman is found dead on the floor of Colonel and Mrs. Bantry’s library. Nobody seems to know who the woman is,Agatha Christie,The Body in the Library: A Miss Marple Mystery,Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers,157912626X,FIC022030,Mystery & Detective - Traditional,Marple, Jane (Fictitious character);Fiction.,Mystery fiction.,Women detectives;England;Fiction.,CHRISTIE, AGATHA, 1890-1976,England,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,Fiction Mystery & Detective Traditional,Fiction-Mystery & Detective,GENERAL,General Adult,MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE FICTION,Marple, Jane (Fictitious character),Monograph Series, any,Mystery & Detective - Traditional British,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,MysterySuspense,United States,Women detectives

The Body in the Library A Miss Marple Mystery Agatha Christie 9781579126261 Books Reviews

Agatha Christie's "The Body in the Library" is the second book in her Miss Marple Mysteries. The mystery and writing are interesting and the book fixes many of the issues I had with the first book. Specifically, there's more Miss Marple here and the book actually reads like a mystery. In the first book, she was almost non-existent and the text read like a description of life in a small town. In this book, she's moved up to the ranks of the main characters (though she's still overshadowed by the other characters and the police) and the small town life has moved to the back burner. The biggest issue I have with the book is, unfortunately, with Miss Marple she just pulls the answers out of her... bonnet and claims she can do so because she's seen the same human behavior patterns in the people of her village. Maybe that's true. But, it's a bit of a letdown for us in that we can't follow along with her processes until she just makes an announcement of guilt. If allowed fractional ratings, I'd go for 3-3/4. But, for integers, I'm rating the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.

The novels featuring Miss Marple are

1. The Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple Mysteries)
2. The Body in the Library (Miss Marple Mysteries)
3. The Moving Finger A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
4. A Murder Is Announced A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
5. They Do It With Mirrors A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
6. A Pocket Full of Rye A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
7. 450 from Paddington (Miss Marple Mysteries)
8. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (Miss Marple Mysteries)
9. A Caribbean Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
10. At Bertram's Hotel (Miss Marple Mysteries)
11. Nemesis A Miss Marple Mystery (Miss Marple Mysteries)
12. Sleeping Murder (Miss Marple Mysteries)
During Agatha Christie's Edwardian childhood, there were no "play schools" and play dates." Poor children played in the streets with other kids and some wealthier ones had a large family of siblings. But Christie's brother and sister were much older and she spent most of her childhood with her nanny or with her grandmothers. She was fascinated by the conversations between her grandmothers and their elderly friends - women who had never had jobs, never voted, and whose opinions had never been vlaued on any issue. And yet, they were shrewd observers of human nature and frequently better judges of people than their male contemporaries.

Miss Jane Marple is just such a fluttery old lady and she is often over-looked or dismissed. But not by retired Commissioner of Scotland Yard Henry Clithering, who admires her powers of deduction and her ability to see through subterfuge. And not by her female friends who know that NOTHING gets past Jane Marple!

This is a fine mystery. There are two murders (both of young women) and a good variety of suspects. One of the victims is a dance hostess - pretty and possibly conniving. The other is a teen-aged Girl Guide (Girl Scout, we would say) who has nothing particularly out-standing about her. Since the dance hostess has attracted the attention of a wealthy older man, several people have a motive for getting rid of her. Was the younger girl's death simply a coincidence or is there a deranged killer loose in the English countryside?

One interesting thing is that this book was published in 1942, when England had been involved in WWII for several years. Christie's husband was away at war and she was working in a London hospital. But WWII is completely ignored in this story. When there is mention of "the war" (and the effects it had on one suspect) they are talking about WWI. So was this book written in the 1930's and not published until later? Or did Christie think that her readers would like to escape from the horrors of war and remember a happier time?

I like all of the Miss Marple books, but this is one of my favorites. Some of the characters are stereotypes - the bluff manor-house owner, his gardening-mad wife, the eager-beaver police inspector - but there's always some truth in all stereotypes or they wouldn't exist. The examination of the Jefferson family and the tragedy of trying to live in the past is touching and thought-provoking. Old Dame Agatha may not have been a great writer, but she was as shrewd as Miss Marple herself and her depth of knowledge about human nature makes all of her books worth reading.