At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

Log in

03:43 pm July 3rd, 2011

No account? Create an account

Remember me




			At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie - Helen's journal and online home In which an old dog attempts to learn new tricks.

heleninwales


	At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie
	At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie My rating: 3 of 5 stars One of the books I purchased on my recent visit to Hay-on-Wye. I've not read many Agatha Christie books previously, though I've watched lots of Poirot and Miss Marple on TV. I wasn't very taken with this book, though the hotel itself is intriguing and I liked the way she evoked the period. Odd to think that I was visiting London myself during the mid-60 when the book was set, and yet now it reads like a period piece. Signs of getting old! Miss Marple had very little to do, to be honest and I didn't find the murder terribly convincing. View all my reviews Current Mood: calm

5 comments or Leave a comment


	Comments

	From: feodora	Date: July 3rd, 2011 05:17 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Yes, the mystery is not very exciting, but I love "Bertram' s Hotel, the flair.
It is one of my favourites Miss Marple's.

(Reply) (Thread)

	From: hairmonger	Date: July 3rd, 2011 08:58 pm (UTC)		(Link)

Mine, too. And when I read it on first publication (1967???) in high school, it already read like a period piece, not that I'd ever been to London.

Mary Anne in Kentucky

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

	From: heleninwales	Date: July 5th, 2011 06:21 pm (UTC)		(Link)

When I said it read like a period piece, I wasn't referring to the scenes in the hotel -- which was deliberately evoking a bygone era in the story -- I was meaning the references to train robberies. We just don't seem to have that kind of crime any more. Of course the archetypal British heist was "The Italian Job", which is just a couple of years later than At Bertram's Hotel.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)

	From: khiemtran	Date: July 3rd, 2011 09:05 pm (UTC)		(Link)

The thing I really admire about Christie is the way she can make characters interesting in a very few lines. I guess it's something of a pre-requisite for a mystery novel with decent cast of suspects all of whom need to get introduced around the same time.

I happened to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles the other day (her first published novel) and it was fascinating to see how many different techniques she used, even then.

(Reply) (Thread)

	From: heleninwales	Date: July 5th, 2011 06:23 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I'm really enjoying Cards on the Table, which is another Christie I picked up for a couple of pounds in Hay-on-Wye. As you say, she very skilfully sketches in the characters and settings.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)


	5 comments or Leave a comment