April Read/Kirsten

Title: True Grit. 

Author: Portis, Charles

Kirsten's Read:

When I asked my husband what means “grit”, he looked at me, showed me his teeth and made a sound like “Argh”. I asked that question before reading the book, and the answer was surprising, and not very much enlightening.

“People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father’s blood but it did not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day.” This is the beginning of the novel. A long and dry sentence, like several parts of the book.

Mattie Ross, the fourteen-year-old girl, is chasing Tom Chaney, her father’s murderer, through Arkansas and Texas. She’s looking for somebody with true grit to go with her. I had a hard time to begin the book, because the story goes very slow … Find someone with true grit, then meet him at the court (after retranscribing a long part of one trial…), discussing the price to go, finding a horse …
But at one point, they ride on their horses and the real story begins. Guns fire at every riverbank or every hill, toward different bandits. Bandit seems to be a job, with values, but very mortal… Then, it was hard to leave the book until the end, the suspense was important.

I had a journey through the Wild West, on a black pony.  First Mattie sounds like a naive girl, but with no fear… Progressively, her character gets more profound, more intense. She eventually become human when she shows her fears at the end, even if that doesn’t stop her to go on… With justice.

After reading the book, we watched the movie (the original one, with John Wayne). And that confirms that I’m not fond with the “cow boys movies” as we say in French… But despite that, that book trapped me. A classic, indeed.

April Read/4

Title: The Case of the Bigamous Spouse

Author: Gardner, Erle Stanly

Genre: Mystery

Book Description (from flap of the cover):

            It began the evening pretty Gwynn Elston, hoping to sell a children’s encyclopedia, called at the Frankline Gillett residence. The sight of 7-year-old Frankie was shock enough, but the photograph of Frankline Sr. stunned her with its implication-both father and son were the image of Felting Grimes, husband of her best friend, Nell…

            Later, at the Grimes residence, shock changed to fear when Felting, strangely interested in Gwynn’s recent whereabouts, pressed on her a drink that immediately roused her suspicions. She poured it out, carefully taking a sample of the residue…

            That’s where Perry Mason entered the picture. But he was scarcely on scene before Felting Grimes was discovered, a bullet hoe in his chest…

My Read:

            John introduced me this wonderful author whose books featured the famous TV icon lawyer, Perry Mason. During the early years I had spent in the US the TV series Perry Mason accompanied me and helped me go through these difficult years. In the TV episodes I enjoyed so much the tall and handsome lawyer’s wit and shrewd methods solving mysteries. The intangible relationship between Perry and Ms. Street was a romantic mystery that well spiced the show. Let’s don’t forget the elegant outfit Ms Secretary had had on in each show.

            There is this page that I found interesting in this first read of the Perry Mason series. Here it is:

“Then Baxter became prosperous. They wanted to put his picture in the paper. Naturally, if his brother had been a partner, they would have wanted to put the brother’s picture in the paper, and that would have led to complications. So the brother was forced into a position of insignificance. He had to live his entire life masquerading as a gardener and caretaker. There’s a touch of poetic justice here. Gorman Gillett went to prison, paid his debt to society and was able to live his own life, even if it was rather a frugal life. But it was, nevertheless, an independent life.”

April Read/3

Title: Miss Marple The Complete Short Stories

Author: Christie, Agatha

Genre: Mystery

Book Description (from amazon.com):

Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspense—creator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable characters—brings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to Harper Paperbacks. Miss Marple: The Complete Story Collectiongathers together in one magnificent volume all of Christie’s short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator—an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that reppresents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field.

My Read:

            This book is a collection of 4 different volumes featured Miss Marple. They are: The Tuesday Club Murders, The Regatta Mystery,  Three Blind Mice, and Double Sin.

            If you like Miss Marple who is an expert at human nature and good at common sense logic this is the right book for you. If you are new to the world of Agatha Christie and would like to have some taste of classic mystery stories then this is a good book to begin with.

            Find a rainy day, fix yourself a good pot of tea, place yourself at your usual cozy chair, and have the company of this wonderful collection of short stories.

April Read/2

Title: At Bertram’s Hotel

Author: Christie, Agatha

Genre: Mystery

Book Description (from amazon.com):

            Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspense—creator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable characters—brings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to Harper Paperbacks. At Bertram’s Hotel the intrepid Miss Marple, on holiday in London, must solve a deadly mystery at the end of a chain of very violent events.

My Read:

            Another good read about Miss Marple who is sharp at observing human nature. Her methods of reading people are actually very scientific and make lots of senses. The following paragraph made an impression in my memory as I was perusing the story. Here is conversation:

“Up to a point, yes,” said Miss Marple. “If people do not choose to lower their voices, one must assume that they are prepared to be overheard. But of course matters may develop. The situation sometimes arises when you realize that though it is a public room, other people talking do not realize that there is anyone else in it. And then one has to decide what to do about it. Get up and cough, or just stay quite quiet and hope they won’t realize you’ve been there. Either way is embarrassing.”

            Listening, is, to Miss Marple, a thing she is pretty good at.

            

April Read/John

Title: True Grit
Author: Charles Portis
John's Read:
"Well, shuck my grits, pard" said Tex. "That was a very good book." 

"Aw, Tex, you got that right" said Cody. "I enjoyed every word. Heck, while we were moseying along on the trail I was just thinking_" 
"You got that right, I almost fell out of my saddle too when I thought about the humor, it was so funny" injected Tex. "And I really liked the dialog between Mattie and the Colonel Stonehill during their negotiations."

"Me too, and_"
"I think this writing is as good as 'Lonesome Dove'" interrupted Tex, "but doesn't have the epic quality, LD being kinda long."

"I agree" confirmed Cody, "but_"
"Yeah, but also up there with L'Amour's work, with good descriptions of the trails and countryside even without as much of his geologic info" jumped in Tex. 

"Right you are_" countered Cody, but before he could go on Tex again continued on his roll: "And interesting characters like Zane Grey's, the Master himself, just certainly not as prolific a writer as ZG." 

"Sure and_" Cody tried to quickly interject, but Tex's words shot out of his pistol-thoughts, already quick drawn from his holster mind with lightning speed, "And I really like the way Portis contrasted the personalities and characters of his people, Rooster's rough hewn toughness versus LeBoeuf's uppity and by-the-book way, and their collective savy experience up against Mattie's naive but unshakable ideals and insistence of doing the right thing. Plus, whoa, those gunfights! Good action, page turning narrative, why, talking about this has given me a powerful appetite" continued Tex, "though you sure have been quiet about it. Let's ride on over to the chuck wagon - maybe it'll loosen your tongue to get some ranch beans and biscuits in you."

"Well, blaze my saddle_"

April Read/Kayla

Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Author: Dicamillo, Kate

The tale of Despereaux

 

By Kate Dicamillo

 

What if we are different from others and are in a desperate circumstance from birth? What if we are even being plunged to the dire situation that cannot be easily overcome by our own family? Is it a destiny for us to be absorbed into the despair and death?

Despereaux, born with open eyes and big ears, was the runt who could barely survive among his litter. As he was small and sickly, his mother named him for despair. He was unique and different from other mice in the castle, reading books instead of nibbling papers. He particularly loved the story of a knight saving the princess and them living happily ever after. One day while reading a book, Despereaux heard music and was led to Princess Pea and the king. He talked with them, which meant he violated the rule of mice that the mouse would not talk to any human being. Despereaux was banished to the dungeon to his death where the rats lived, by his father and brothers who called the mice council.

What better example of perfidy can someone expect than this in one’s life? Despereaux was filled with anguish. From his birth, Despereaux was despair. However, he worked his own way to save Princess Pea from the rat, Roscuro, like a knight. Trembling with fear for unknown, Despereaux struggled to put the light back on Princess Pea with only a needle. As he didn’t settle into the given fate like what other mice might have thought, he made hope out of despair.

To fall into the pits of despair is too early if things go against us. From the endless darkness, a seed of hope always grows as shown in the tale of Despereaux. There are endless miracles happening.

 

April Read

Title: The Moving Finger
Author: Christie, Agatha
Genre: Mystery
Book Description (from amazon.com):
     Agatha Christie, the acknowledged mistress of suspense—creator of indomitable sleuth Miss Marple, meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and so many other unforgettable characters—brings her entire oeuvre of ingenious whodunits, locked room mysteries, and perplexing puzzles to Harper Paperbacks… including The Moving Finger, which points Miss Marple to a small town and its shameful secrets, and to a most suspicious “suicide.”
My Read:
     One might wonder what did the title "The Moving Finger" mean after reading the book. I think the following conversation quoted from the book might give us some clue. Here it goes:
"Miss Marple had resumed her fleecy knitting. 'You know,' she observed pensively, 'to commit a successful murder must be very much like bringing off a conjuring trick.' 'The quickness of the hand deceives the eye?' 'Not only that. You've got to make people look at the wrong thing and in the wrong place-misdirection, they call it, I believe.'"
     This book proves the common belief and surmise that when a person died suddenly without a proper cause the usual prime suspect would be the spouse. It's another good read of the Mystery Queen, Agatha Christie.

March Read/6

Title: A Pocket Full of Rye
Author: Christie, Agatha
Genre: Mystery
Book Description (from amazon.com)
     The wealthy Rex Fortescue falls dead at a normal tea shortly after partaking of the fare, and when the only clue is rye in his pocket, Miss Marple uses the old nursery rhyme, ""Sing a Song of Sixpence,"" to help solve the murder. Reissue.
My Read:
     This is another good read of Ms. Christie. To me, the peak of reading this book came when Miss Marple said: "No, no, not Percival. Lance." When everyone thought the older brother was the prime suspect Miss Marple held her ground and had faith in weaknesses of human nature. It's the younger brother who claimed he was not interested at money murdered the father. The plot was an ingenious one. But nothing could be hidden from the shrewd old-fashioned lady. Bravo, Miss Marple!