Groovy Lee's Blog - Posts Tagged "mystery-novels"
Book Review: An Ordeal of Innocence by Agatha Christie
I was excited to purchase this book by the well-known author, Agatha Christie during Goodreads' Mystery Week. The Agatha Christie series on PBS are my favorite to watch, so I thought it would make an even better read because they always say, the books are much better—not always. Although it is not her fault, the formatting of this book is terrible. One moment you think different characters are speaking, when in actuality, it’s only one. That can be so confusing!
This is a cozy mystery which tends to go on and on with a lot of dialogue. And that’s what this storyline consists mostly of, lots and lots of conversation; very little action and description of settings and scenes; and you're constantly whiplashed from one place to the next. Instead of one or two point of views, you get the point of view of every character in this book; and they all are thinking the same thing, so besides point-of-view overkill, it gets rather repetitive and boring. And the characters read like lifeless cardboards. I felt nothing for any of them. I didn’t care who did it, or if they lived or died and went off to a happy-ever-after.
I was really disappointed given the status of Miss Christie. So I’ll just stick to her television series which are way better than the books.
This is a cozy mystery which tends to go on and on with a lot of dialogue. And that’s what this storyline consists mostly of, lots and lots of conversation; very little action and description of settings and scenes; and you're constantly whiplashed from one place to the next. Instead of one or two point of views, you get the point of view of every character in this book; and they all are thinking the same thing, so besides point-of-view overkill, it gets rather repetitive and boring. And the characters read like lifeless cardboards. I felt nothing for any of them. I didn’t care who did it, or if they lived or died and went off to a happy-ever-after.
I was really disappointed given the status of Miss Christie. So I’ll just stick to her television series which are way better than the books.
Book Review: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
I've just finished The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches (Flavia de Luce #6) by Alan Bradley
This is a cozy mystery narrated from the viewpoint of an eleven-year old (soon to be twelve) girl. After reading this book, I've come to two conclusions--I'm not into cozy mysteries. So, why did I give it a three-star instead of two or one? Because even though I might not have been able to get into it, I know other readers who like this genre will. First let me say, the writing is unique and superb. The way this author describes sounds and the atmosphere around you is unique in his own way, and that makes the story so vivid and alive. I really liked that part. His characters are so realistic; and it's a clean novel. If this author wrote suspense, I would definitely buy more of his books.
But the story just didn't hold my attention. And the second conclusion is, I don't like stories told in first person; even though he kept the point-of-view to one character and not every one in the book, is a plus.
If you like cozy mysteries, you'll like this book.
I'm going to try and read a few more books along my preferred genre before I get back to writing; and let's not forget, tennis is coming. So, there goes my time.
Thanks, Everyone! And Happy Reading!
This is a cozy mystery narrated from the viewpoint of an eleven-year old (soon to be twelve) girl. After reading this book, I've come to two conclusions--I'm not into cozy mysteries. So, why did I give it a three-star instead of two or one? Because even though I might not have been able to get into it, I know other readers who like this genre will. First let me say, the writing is unique and superb. The way this author describes sounds and the atmosphere around you is unique in his own way, and that makes the story so vivid and alive. I really liked that part. His characters are so realistic; and it's a clean novel. If this author wrote suspense, I would definitely buy more of his books.
But the story just didn't hold my attention. And the second conclusion is, I don't like stories told in first person; even though he kept the point-of-view to one character and not every one in the book, is a plus.
If you like cozy mysteries, you'll like this book.
I'm going to try and read a few more books along my preferred genre before I get back to writing; and let's not forget, tennis is coming. So, there goes my time.
Thanks, Everyone! And Happy Reading!
