Time for a Review

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought it was pretty well written and moved at a good pace. I didn't see the end coming at all, which was fun, but frustrating at the same time. I wanted to see more of Miss Marple, but I thought her character was very well developed - not too pushy or nosy, but with a sort of mystery about her own person that lent credibility to her skills of observation. Lettice was really irksome to me, but I couldn't help feeling for her at the end. I liked seeing it from the Vicar's point of view as opposed to an omniscient one; I could try to figure it out along with him, as opposed to just being told what to think. You also get his biases and mortal weaknesses, which are valuable in realizing that it is truly difficult to obtain a purely factual view and which also leads credence to him as a character. Christie was wise to take this path I feel, because as a writer who knows how it will end, it would be extremely difficult to achieve that unbiased anonymity. Coming from seeing the movies first, I thought I would want to read it from Miss Marple's viewpoint, but on reflection, I think that would be just as unsatisfying as an omniscient voice. All in all, an enjoyable read.



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