Mandy Broughton's Blog - Posts Tagged "the-moving-finger"
"The Moving Finger": A positively ancient but still fun story
In The Moving Finger, Agatha Christie creates memorable characters that are almost secondary to the mystery itself. Almost. Even though this is a Miss Marple mystery, what’s different is that she makes such a late entrance that it gives the other characters a chance to shine.
The novel begins with the narrator, Jerry, a fallen flier. He’s sent to the country by his doctor because obviously distractions can heal grievous injuries—according to popular WWII medical opinion. And so Jerry and his sophisticated sister, Joanna, rent a house in the small community of Lymstock. The lovely pair of siblings is soon caught in the snares of local gossip. They, along with others, receive anonymous letters which are unfit to be repeated in polite society (circa 1942 but today would be the star plot of a 2013 reality television show).
The local law says an old maid has written these “poisoned pens.” Is it Miss Barton who’s currently stuck in the 1880s? How about Miss Aimee Griffin, the doctor’s sister and original feminist? She’s determined to make the world a better place, causing everyone to avoid her and her do-gooding ways. Could it be Meagan, whom Jerry describes as looking “much [more] like a horse than a human being. In fact she would have been a very nice horse with a little grooming (page 18).”
The police declare, “an angry old woman did this!” Old—the positively ancient age of forty years, that is. Woman—only Agatha Christie could leave doubt in the readers’ minds. So then the fashion conscious bachelor, Mr. Pye, becomes a suspect as well.
"Mrs. Dane Calthrop… was holding a large red lobster. 'Have you ever seen anything so unlike Mr. Pye?' she said—'very virile and handsome, isn’t it?' (page 194)."
In true Agatha Christie fashion, the lurid letters lead to something more sinister—suicide. But is it suicide? And what about that other dead body under the stairs? The police shrug their shoulders. It’s time to call on the amateurs.
Miss Marple finally makes her entrance and encourages Jerry. According to the elderly spinster, he had all the information needed to solve the mystery himself. The daring but injured pilot just lacked confidence.
The Moving Finger is a fun read because of the characters. Any lover of mysteries will enjoy the clues and misdirection, there are plenty of them. But what sticks with me, and hopefully, other readers, is the people in the story. They are unique, personal and vivid. I can hear their British accents as I read the dialog. A story where we care about those crazy townspeople? That makes it another Agatha Christie winner.
The novel begins with the narrator, Jerry, a fallen flier. He’s sent to the country by his doctor because obviously distractions can heal grievous injuries—according to popular WWII medical opinion. And so Jerry and his sophisticated sister, Joanna, rent a house in the small community of Lymstock. The lovely pair of siblings is soon caught in the snares of local gossip. They, along with others, receive anonymous letters which are unfit to be repeated in polite society (circa 1942 but today would be the star plot of a 2013 reality television show).
The local law says an old maid has written these “poisoned pens.” Is it Miss Barton who’s currently stuck in the 1880s? How about Miss Aimee Griffin, the doctor’s sister and original feminist? She’s determined to make the world a better place, causing everyone to avoid her and her do-gooding ways. Could it be Meagan, whom Jerry describes as looking “much [more] like a horse than a human being. In fact she would have been a very nice horse with a little grooming (page 18).”
The police declare, “an angry old woman did this!” Old—the positively ancient age of forty years, that is. Woman—only Agatha Christie could leave doubt in the readers’ minds. So then the fashion conscious bachelor, Mr. Pye, becomes a suspect as well.
"Mrs. Dane Calthrop… was holding a large red lobster. 'Have you ever seen anything so unlike Mr. Pye?' she said—'very virile and handsome, isn’t it?' (page 194)."
In true Agatha Christie fashion, the lurid letters lead to something more sinister—suicide. But is it suicide? And what about that other dead body under the stairs? The police shrug their shoulders. It’s time to call on the amateurs.
Miss Marple finally makes her entrance and encourages Jerry. According to the elderly spinster, he had all the information needed to solve the mystery himself. The daring but injured pilot just lacked confidence.
The Moving Finger is a fun read because of the characters. Any lover of mysteries will enjoy the clues and misdirection, there are plenty of them. But what sticks with me, and hopefully, other readers, is the people in the story. They are unique, personal and vivid. I can hear their British accents as I read the dialog. A story where we care about those crazy townspeople? That makes it another Agatha Christie winner.
