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Sleeping Murder, Part 2: How to ruin a Miss Marple story
In my read through of Sleeping Murder, I noted that my initial impression of this story was not a great one. I also noted my surprise at this fact on re-read, as Sleeping Murder is, in so many ways, Peak Marple. But, having watched through the adaptations, I think I can confidently blame it on…
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Sleeping Murder, Part 1: The Epitome of Marple
We made it to the very end of the series! I’ll be honest – when I first started this journey, I had no idea it would take me this long. And I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy Sleeping Murder, in particular. In my memory, it was a little silly. And to be fair,…
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Nemesis, Part 2: A mess of Marple mistakes
I’m so sorry I’ve been so late to post – the holiday season got a bit away from me… But I am determined to get through this series this year – so expect some catch-up posts! As we get towards the end of our review of Miss Marple adaptations, I feel comfortable listing some of…
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Nemesis, Part 1: Let Justice roll down like waters…
Back to my favorite sleuth in one of her most famous adventures – Nemesis. Nemesis sticks out in the Miss Marple canon for a few reasons: it leans hard into series status, and it involves an interesting and unique collaboration from beyond the grave. Thematically, the story emphasizes Justice and Choice, with character choices and…
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At Bertram’s Hotel, Pt. 2: a failure of peak TV coziness
I mentioned last week that At Bertram’s Hotel is one of my favorite Miss Marple stories, period. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for either of the adaptations of the book. Neither sufficiently capture that cozy (yet slightly unsettling) feeling of reading about Bertram’s hotel. Instead of unsettling perfection, we get either unsettling claustrophobia or…
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A truly cozy mystery at Bertram’s Hotel (Part 1)
At long last, we return to our Marples – and joyfully, one of my very favorites. At Bertram’s Hotel is, in my opinion, one of the peak Miss Marple novels. There’s an element of coziness to it, perhaps because it involves more known characters and setting. Instead of a Caribbean resort or a rich man’s…
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A Caribbean Mystery, Part 2: Social capital and social awareness
Summer in the Bay Area is cold and foggy – I literally walk to work in a puffer jacket. And so I’ve been looking forward to escaping into the BBC (1989) and iTV (2013) adaptations of A Caribbean Mystery. Who could fault hours and hours of palm trees and ocean vistas? Well… maybe me, as…
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A Caribbean Mystery, Part 1: Compare and contrast, setup and payoff
The Summer of Scandal continues with perhaps one of my favorite Miss Marple stories: A Caribbean Mystery. This one has it all – an exotic resort setting, a unique Marple challenge, and so many rich people behaving so, so badly. Affairs? Got ‘em (multiple!). Gossip? Got it. And it wouldn’t be a Miss Marple book…
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The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, Part 2: balancing texture, theme, and plot
And so we come to the adaptation of The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side. Having watched two in quick succession, I now understand why I had underestimated the value of the novel. Neither the BBC nor iTV was able to capture the magic of the original well. Both focus almost exclusively on the plot,…
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The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side, Part 1: a more expansive world
I’m back! And with a great Miss Marple to come back to. I’ll be honest, I didn’t remember The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side that much when I started it. I recalled there being an irritating victim and some kind of Hollywood drama – but I did not remember how smooth a read it…