The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (Miss Marple, #9)

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The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (Miss Marple #9)

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 11,049 ratings · 289 reviews

Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack’d from side to side:
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott

-Alfred Lord Tennyson

Marina Gregg, the famous film star, has brought some much needed glamour to St. Mary Mead. But when a local fan is poisoned, the actress finds herself centre stage in a real-life mystery. Which other characters from the Mary Mead...more

224 pages

Published 2002 by HarperCollins (first published 1962)

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Sep 25, 2008 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Valerie by: Grandma Dorothy

Shelves: cypresslibrary

One of my favorite Agatha Christie books. The motive behind the murder was so poignant, and I'm a sucker for Tennyson.

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Dec 07, 2008 Jim Aker rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Classic Mystery readers

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side is an English Village mystery of the first order. The title comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem the Lady of Shalott. All the Christie touches are here. This is a classic Christie mystery told firmly in her inimitable style with a most interesting true to life motive for murder. There is an interesting aside about the plot of this convoluted tale. It seems that Christie based her story on a real life tragedy. This story was related to Ms. Christie in some f...more The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side is an English Village mystery of the first order. The title comes from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem the Lady of Shalott. All the Christie touches are here. This is a classic Christie mystery told firmly in her inimitable style with a most interesting true to life motive for murder. There is an interesting aside about the plot of this convoluted tale. It seems that Christie based her story on a real life tragedy. This story was related to Ms. Christie in some fashion regarding the then film actress Gene Tierney of “Laura” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” fame. A warning to the reader, the rest of this review contains spoilers.

In 1943 Ms. Tierney was happily married to Oleg Cassini and expecting her first child. She was scheduled to appear at the Hollywood Canteen. It was there that she was approached by an excited fan, a woman Marine, who claimed to be "Gene Tierney’s greatest fan" for an autograph. Always willing to accommodate Ms. Tierny granted the delighted young woman’s wish. Shortly after her appearance, Ms. Tierney contracted Rubella and as a result her daughter Daria was born prematurely with severe mental retardation and birth defects. Her marriage to Cassini after a long difficult struggle broke apart due in greater part to the pressure of caring for Daria. At a later post war party Tierney was apparently approached by the woman she had met at The Hollywood Canteen years before and told how she had sneaked out of quarantine for measles to see "her favorite star" at the Hollywood Canteen. In her own words, “I just silently looked at her and then walked away” “After that I didn't care whether ever again I was anyone's favorite actress."

It was from this moment that Ms. Tierney’s mental spiral downward began. She had a major mental breakdown in the 1950s. It was some years later, after a suicide attempt, shock treatments, and much time in institutions including a time at the famed Menninger Clinic that Ms. Tierney finally beat her demons back and emerged a whole person once more. But the damage had been done. Large portions of her memory were lost as a result of the Shock Treatments. Her life and the lives of those dearest to her were changed forever by a careless moment and a selfish fan.

He said, "She has a lovely face;
God in his mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott."
Tennyson- The Lady of Shalott

Christie undoubtedly read of this heartbreaking incident in Tierney’s autobiography and made use of the tragedy as a plot device for her excellent story.
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Apr 22, 2013 Daisy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england, knitters-in-honor-of, agatha-and-i-like-that-name

(said to be based on Gene Tierney)

Falls at her age were not to be encouraged.

... replete with inconvenience ...

one character constantly noted as being kind but not considerate--good distinction

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Dec 27, 2008 Phayvanh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Miss Marple fans

Recommended to Phayvanh by: library book sale

Shelves: 2008, reviews, agatha-christie

80-year-old Miss Marple is portrayed as too old a lady to go about town on her own, though both she and her doctor know better, and which Inspector Craddock learns himself. Given the conventions of the time, though, she is obliged to accept the household help her nephew Raymond pays for, and not protest. Pity. She could have solved the crime in much less time otherwise.

We are back in St. Mary Mead of Much Benham, but this time, the outside world encroaches in, what with the development around th...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Eric Townsend rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side is the third and final Agatha Christie book that I picked up last year during a couple of big book sales I went to, the others being Murder in Retrospect and Passenger to Frankfurt. This is the 9th book in the Miss Marple companion books, but the first one that I’ve read so far. As I have come to expect from Christie, The Mirror Crack’d was an excellent murder mystery written in her usual older style that is something unseen in current publications. The writi...more The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side is the third and final Agatha Christie book that I picked up last year during a couple of big book sales I went to, the others being Murder in Retrospect and Passenger to Frankfurt. This is the 9th book in the Miss Marple companion books, but the first one that I’ve read so far. As I have come to expect from Christie, The Mirror Crack’d was an excellent murder mystery written in her usual older style that is something unseen in current publications. The writing requires a thinking mind, and an active one at that. Unlike many mysteries of the last couple decades or so that let the reader sit back and discover “who done it” with the characters, Christie challenges her reader’s to try and figure it out for themselves, something I greatly admire her for.

Unfortunately for those, including myself, that are not used to having to really try and figure out these mysteries Christie does not make it easy. Just as with her other works that I’ve read, especially Murder in Retrospect, the amount of twists and turns is enough to boggle the mind. Christie makes it seem as if any of the people involved could be guilty at one time or another in the book and it is not until the very end that all but the most inquisitive and sharp mind can determine the guilty party with any certainty. I can honestly say I’ve never read any other mystery writer, current or otherwise, that has the skill to do this as much as Christie had.

The characters are strong as ever, with Miss Marple being the star as I’m sure is per usual in her mystery companion books. Marple is sharp, even at her old age, and has a witty sense of humor mixed in with a take-no-crap attitude which I loved. She’s a fantastic main character and her alone would have been enough to convince me to want to get the rest of the Miss Marple books. Marina, the film star, has a very interesting personality as well, though she’s a bit flighty and prone to mood swings, which may have been typical of the stars of that age. Though I know Christie develops her characters herself, rather than using real people and slightly altering them as is often done, I’m sure she got some inspiration from the flim stars of her day. If it is an accurate portrayal of what they were like then (this was originally published in 1962) it would seem not much has changed except for stars having to grow better ways to cope with media exposure since it is infinitely worse now with the internet in the mix.

The mystery was fantastic and Christie once again managed to confuse and confound me until the last. I loved the story and am thrilled I found the book (at the library sale, aren’t those awesome?!). I’d recommend The Mirror Crack’d, and likely all of Christie’s works to anyone, especially mystery lovers or any reader that likes a good mental challenge.

Rating: 5/5(less)

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Jan 03, 2013 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Heather Babcock drinks a poisonous cocktail meant for American movie star Marina Gregg, Miss Marple is on the case. Who wants Marina Gregg dead? Is her husband fed up with her temperamental ways? What about her adopted children, who she abandoned when they were young? Then there is her husband's ex-wife (he cheated on her with Marina) who is back in town. So many suspects. Miss Marple and the local police are on the case, trying to figure out who killed Heather and trying to figure out if a...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Sol Gonzalez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, terror-y-suspenso

Parece que este año va a ser el año en que me leí varios libros de Agatha Christie... pero es que son tan fáciles de leer, tan cortitos y tan buenos.

En este libro en especial me gustó la referencia al poema de la Dama de Shalott, el poema de Tenysson que para mí resulta tan importante porque Agus me lo leyo en una ocasión. El ritmo del mismo se siente en la boca, desde el momento en que lo pronuncias... pero no es del poema del que quería hablar (sin embargo el libro tiene puntos por habermelo r...more

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Mar 11, 2012 James Swenson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like many other reviewers, I had no use for Miss Marple when I was younger. It was jealousy: Agatha Christie could easily have used the same time to write about Hercule Poirot.
Today, though, there wasn't a Poirot novel handy, and I grabbed for this. It was much better than I had remembered.

Some reviewers here describe Miss Marple as smug -- contemptuous of Change and Modern Life. I guess that's the old lady that they were expecting to read about; she is certainly not in the text. One doesn't hav...more Like many other reviewers, I had no use for Miss Marple when I was younger. It was jealousy: Agatha Christie could easily have used the same time to write about Hercule Poirot.
Today, though, there wasn't a Poirot novel handy, and I grabbed for this. It was much better than I had remembered.

Some reviewers here describe Miss Marple as smug -- contemptuous of Change and Modern Life. I guess that's the old lady that they were expecting to read about; she is certainly not in the text. One doesn't have to read far to see this. From page 2:

One had to face the fact: St. Mary Mead was not the place it had been. In a sense, of course, nothing was what it had been. You could blame the war (both the wars), or the younger generation, or women going out to work, or the atom bomb, or just the Government -- but what one really meant was the simple fact that one was growing old. Miss Marple, who was a very sensible old lady, knew that quite well.

Christie develops this theme through the entire book. A traditional, polite old lady, Miss Marple remains true to her own refined etiquette, but she is not a scold. Repeatedly, in fact, she remarks that human nature is the same everywhere, in the modern Development as in the village of her youth. She distinctly appreciates Cherry Baker, her young, modern "daily helper." [Clue from page 5: "Miss Marple liked Cherry very much."] The only true villain in the piece is Miss Knight, the older nurse attendant who has come to live with Miss Marple, cheerfully dispensing, for Miss Marple's presumed good, all the thoughtless indignities that the elderly must learn to expect.

Miss Marple's polite but determined patience in the face of her overly solicitous nurse is the reason to read this story. Murder mysteries don't deal with aging. But the mystery itself is enjoyable, and the solution is satisfying.

At this point, I'm supposed to report whether I guessed whodunit. I'd say I did, though I never made a firm mental commitment to my choice. In this case, though, the puzzle is really to guess the motive, and I understood this only when Miss Marple did. Of course, in hindsight, I realize that I should have seen it all along -- and the final twist, too, was surprising but inevitable. So the Queen of Crime did her work here very well.

The title is a reference to "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson -- see here for the full text. [Hint for reviewers: a "shallot" is like a little onion.](less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

"The curse is upon me." A chilling line from "Lady of Shalott" by Alfred Lord Tennyson foreshadows the ending and highlights the plot twist in one of Agatha Christie's best! Published in 1962, THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE returns to St. Mary Mead and Miss Marple.

Changes are occurring in the familiar village of Marple's home with a new housing development under-way financed by young couples on the installment plan...there's even a supermarket! Miss Marple's nephew has required her to acc...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-year-of-agatha

I debated between 4 and 5 stars because I really wanted 4 1/2. I honestly have no criticism of this excellent mystery except for the fact that I can't mentally reconcile a story about a Hollywood film star with Agatha Christie--completely silly of me, but it just harshes my cozy buzz. ;) She does transplant Marina Gregg to Gossington Hall, classic British estate and perfect site for a murder, so that helps. And, really, Marina could have been any public figure and it would have worked as well; w...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Meave rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh it was good. I mean the mystery was all right, not spectacular, but it didn't end with impending nuptials, and the racism was in line with the period so as to be swallowable--not acceptable, but there weren't references to vile mid-19th-century American political cartoons, which is quite a step up.

All the business with the tabloids and the fashion photographer were great. Reading it now, they make a nice parallel to Miss Marple's comparison of every character to someone else she's ever known;...more

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Oct 16, 2010 Maninee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

the little village of st.mary mead is disturbed as a renowned hollywood actress come in and settles down in gossington hall. a welcoming party is held at the house(which was also to help st.john's ambulance) and a woman is poisoned at the party. but was the poison really meant for poor heather badcock a common simple villager? and what was that strange expression on marina gregg's face as she was listening to mrs.badcock? miss marple senses that there's more to the mystery than the eye can see,...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Philip rated it 3 of 5 stars

First read in 1975 as THE MIRROR CRACK'D - I'm reading the Dodd, Mead edition published in the US in September, 1963 under that title (246 pages).

Not for the first time, a real-life incident was the springboard for a Christie mystery (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, of course, had its inspiration in the Lindbergh kidnapping). Early in her pregnancy during the second World War, actress Gene Tierney was exposed to measles, which resulted in her child being born with severe birth defects. In the earl...more First read in 1975 as THE MIRROR CRACK'D - I'm reading the Dodd, Mead edition published in the US in September, 1963 under that title (246 pages).

Not for the first time, a real-life incident was the springboard for a Christie mystery (MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, of course, had its inspiration in the Lindbergh kidnapping). Early in her pregnancy during the second World War, actress Gene Tierney was exposed to measles, which resulted in her child being born with severe birth defects. In the early pages of THE MIRROR CRACK'D we learn that a similar tragedy befell actress Marina Gregg, who has just taken up residence at Gossington Hall, the former residence of Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry.

4/26: Rather a disappointment the second time around. Miss Marple is frustrated with the changes around St. Mary Mead, frustrated that age seems to be catching up with her, frustrated that because of this people seem to be treating her like an invalid, frustrated with Miss Knight, the well-meaning aide who has been provided by her generous nephew, Raymond West. And since, after taking a spill (which allowed her to meet the eventual murder victim), she's been confined to her house, she has to depend on second-hand information about the tragic events at Gossington Hall (there are some references to the time when a body was found in the library there...).

I myself found two aspects of this novel frustrating; It's no secret that Christie's characters often ran to 'types,' (which actually had a positive aspect when the books were filmed, allowing a variety of actors a lot of leeway in their portrayals) and occasionally to 'stereotype.' While Christie was usually discreet and non-exploitive in her portrayal of gay characters (the Misses Murgatroyd and Hinchcliffe in A Murder is Announced, Mr. Pye in The Moving Finger) she seems to have abandoned that here, and there are not one but TWO such stereotypical characters in The Mirror Cracked – one, Hailey Preston, is described as “willowy” (which would seem to imply ‘effeminate’), and another, Johnny Jethroe, calls Inspector Craddock “my dear,” talks in italics, and is described as “almost as willowy as Hailey Preston.”

SPOILER ALERT: The other aspect I found very frustrating is the muddled resolution - since Miss Marple gets all her information second-hand, and doesn't visit the scene of the {first] crime until the end, when she explains that first murder, she offers no solutions at all as to how two subsequent murders were committed!

Agatha Christie dedicated The Mirror Cracked "To Margaret Rutherford in admiration" - Rutherford, of course, was the beloved British character actress who portrayed Miss Marple in four films of the early 1960s (only ONE of which was based on an actual Miss Marple novel, two others being based on Poirot novels and a fourth an original screenplay Christie couldn't prevent) - Rutherford's Miss Marple was nothing like Christie's, and Christie hated the four films (along with almost every other film adapted from her works at that point), but she didn't let this stand in the way of paying tribute to Rutherford.

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Sep 30, 2012 Luffy Monkey D. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had to prevent myself from lying to me here. I wanted to convince me that this was a very memorable Marple mystery. I've seen the high scores given at goodreads by the reviewers. It was very nice, but not a juicy mystery. Finally, The author was, posthumously, giving me what I was clamoring for; more Marple. But the mystery-which I solved- was not vintage Christie.

How bad was it? It was ordinary fare, and I'm not even proud that I solved it. It doesn't sound like a real classic. Halfway throug...more I had to prevent myself from lying to me here. I wanted to convince me that this was a very memorable Marple mystery. I've seen the high scores given at goodreads by the reviewers. It was very nice, but not a juicy mystery. Finally, The author was, posthumously, giving me what I was clamoring for; more Marple. But the mystery-which I solved- was not vintage Christie.

How bad was it? It was ordinary fare, and I'm not even proud that I solved it. It doesn't sound like a real classic. Halfway through the book, I caught myself thinking whether it was going to be one of those books that was going to fall flat on its face having deceived no one. I've been recently reading Miss Marple books chronologically, and with each passing book the author never fails to enthuse how older her heroine was now. This was the case here. There was mention of most of her old faithful servants dying. There are other signs in Mary St Mead of the passage of time.

Firstly there was the building of the development area, where modern houses and offices cater to the newly arrived. The author allows Miss Marple to venture around this location but typically uses the setting to further her ends by making Marple meet the first future victim of the book, Mrs Badcock. Very unfortunate name. What is surprising is that Mr Badcock's surname is not an ancient family name, but chosen by the latter when, in the past, leaving America for England. How the hell can someone choose the name Badcock on purpose? Think of the children, people.

Secondly, the transfer of ownership of Gossington Hall, which was the setting for a previous Marple story, also marks the passage of time. This once, the new owner is Marina Gregg, around whom the mystery is spun. The supporting cast of her household is not as detailed as in the classics. Everything is rushed. The mystery doesn't have enough going on. There are feeble attempts at misdirection. I picked my murderer's identity early on and never wavered until a little twist at the end. But my assumption was correct. I shouldn't have doubted myself.(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Arwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, agatha-christie

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I liked this book, it was rather good. The murderer, though, was not hard to find out... but that was probably because after you read several of her novels, you get to start noticing the way Christie thinks. The person the police suspects usually is not the murderer and the person who we think could not have done it, for example: someone the author herself states probably did not do it or the person who we think is the victim, usually is the murderer. Not always, but usually. Guessing the murder

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Apr 17, 2011 Spuddie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the later Miss Marple mysteries in which an American movie star, Marina Gregg, and her husband buy Gossington Hall, a local manor house near St. Mary Mead. As they hold a fete to welcome the village to their home, Heather Badcock, one of the organizers, dies--first thought a fit of some sort, later determined to be poison, or at the very least, a massive overdose of a fairly common anti-anxiety medicine that's all the rage among the movie set.

But was the dose meant for Mrs. Badcock--or f...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Alexis Neal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, mystery

Movie star Marina Gregg has just bought Gossington Hall, the big manor at the edge of St. Mary Mead. The whole village is agog with the news, and turns out en masse for the big fundraiser on the grounds. The event is a huge success ... until a local woman winds up dead, after drinking a poisoned cocktail. Before long, the authorities have concluded that the lovely Marina was the intended victim--a conclusion that is bolstered by the threatening letters she receives and the arsenic-laced coffee s...more Movie star Marina Gregg has just bought Gossington Hall, the big manor at the edge of St. Mary Mead. The whole village is agog with the news, and turns out en masse for the big fundraiser on the grounds. The event is a huge success ... until a local woman winds up dead, after drinking a poisoned cocktail. Before long, the authorities have concluded that the lovely Marina was the intended victim--a conclusion that is bolstered by the threatening letters she receives and the arsenic-laced coffee she narrowly avoids drinking. Chief-Inspector Craddock is stumped--and not above consulting his favorite adopted aunt, Jane Marple. Miss Marple is more housebound than she use to be, but still sharp as a tack and perfectly willing to lend her not inconsiderable talents to the solving of this mystery. But who could have done it? One of Marina Gregg's many ex-husbands? Someone on her staff? One of the children she impulsively adopted and just as abruptly rejected, all grown up and bearing a grudge? A crazed fan? Her current husband seems to adore her, but perhaps appearances aren't what they seem ...

The title to this work comes from Tennyson's beloved poem The Lady of Shalott (familiar to many modern readers largely because of its appearance in the television adaptation of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables):

The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

One of Miss Marple's good friends uses these lines to describe the frozen look that passes across Marina Gregg's face during the fundraiser. Much of the book is devoted to speculation about that look--what did it mean? What could have caused it? Did it have anything to do with the attempt on the actress's life? I've no wish to spoil the answer to that question, but you may be interested to know that Christie is presumed to have based this story on the real-life tragedy of film star Gene Tierney (don't read about her until after you've read the book--unless you don't mind spoilers, of course).

The conclusion of the mystery is clever enough, as these things go. The big reveal is certainly worth it. But it's not the main focus of the book. For the first thirty or so pages, the reader is treated to a touching picture of the challenges and indignities of old age. Miss Marple has never been young, but our favorite lady detective has reached the point where she has trouble with her knitting and must have someone to live with her and keep an eye on her--the rather obnoxious--if good-natured--Miss Knight. Now, Miss Marple has to stoop to subterfuge just to get a few minutes alone or take a walk by herself--an aspect of aging that had never occurred to me, and a trying circumstance to be sure for one whose method of detection relies heavily on village gossip, observation, and knowledge of human nature.

Long before we ever even get a smell of the mystery to come, we are given the opportunity to sit with Miss Marple and ruminate on time and change. She mourns the loss of the past--grocers are being traded in for supermarkets, servants no longer care about proper cleaning, etc. The most glaring representation of time and change is The Development, a housing community outside St. Mary Mead, full of cookie cutter houses on postage stamp lots. Miss Marple is by no means prejudiced against the residents of The Development (and indeed, one of its residents proves to be quite a blessing to her), but she can't help being aware that Times Have Changed. Her wistful contemplation of life and aging is profoundly affecting and quite well-written.

In addition to this meditation on aging, we also get a glimpse into the life of a Hollywood actress--her struggles and hardships, the way she thinks and feels, etc. In Marina Gregg's case, her life has revolved around first her unfulfilled desire to have a child, as she was unable to have children for many years, and then her only natural child was born severely mentally handicapped. She is selfish, temperamental, and fundamentally incapable of seeing the world as it is--everything is either the absolute worst or the absolute best, and there is nothing in between. And yet, for all her idiosyncrasies, there is something lovable about her. Christie lays out the reasons for Marina Gregg's character flaws, and in so doing speculates on what really makes movie stars tick. It is a surprisingly affectionate take on an oft-maligned group of individuals.

Though I admit it's been a while since I've read a lot of Christie--especially her Miss Marple stories--I can't remember any that contained this level of personal and social commentary. Usually her stories are just about the story--there is no real character development. Poirot is Poirot is Poirot, just as Holmes is Holmes is Holmes. Yet in The Mirror Crack'd, we see Miss Marple growing and changing, and responding as the world around her grows and changes. It is a fascinating piece of literature.

Because the (admittedly clever) resolution of the mystery feels rather tacked on, and doesn't have all that much to do with Miss Marple's aging or people's reactions to The Development, many folks don't consider this one of Christie's best works. And the mystery itself doesn't merit such an honor. But The Mirror Crack'd is, to my mind, one of her more literary works, and fully deserving of honor on those merits alone.

The audiobook is ably narrated by Rosemary Leach, who sounds remarkably like Dame Judi Dench. In other words, she does a fantastic job.(less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Helpful cast list at front stars St Mary Mead's Jane Marple 80, fluttering nuisance Miss Knight impedes her from exploring new Development, with knows-best Heather Badcock, her mild husband Arthur who changed his name after his first marriage failed to fragile recuperating film actress Marina Gregg, whose current husband Jason Rudd is as ugly as devoted. At a neighborhood fete held at the renovated manse, former owner Mrs Bantry noted Marina's shocked look apparently toward normal Madonna painti...more

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Aug 10, 2008 George rated it 4 of 5 stars

Vintage Agatha Christie Miss Marple tale. As usual, Miss Marple is able to pull together the various clues to solve multiple murders in her village. Good story with multiple story lines: the murders, Miss Marple's health and her irrating caregiver, and the changing character of the village with the new development and people moving in there.

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Jun 29, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, england, cyanide, drug-calmo

I haves watched at least two TV or movie versions of this book. The book continues to surpass the adaptations. It is a version of murders in a country house but even though it is a classic mystery the clues are not all clearly set before the reader at one time, rather like the unveiling of Salome and her seven veils, the picture slowly comes into focus as Miss Marple peers though all the distractions and red herrings to see the solid core of the mystery.

I liked the Joan Hickson version of the s...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Patricia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

audio cds, not cassettes

2 stars...I was distracted while listening to this. One reason is that the British accented reader had a difficult time portraying the many American characters. To be fair to the narrator, Mrs. Christie seems to have written her American characters with British speech patterns and rhythms instead of American ones. This may not make sense to anyone but me, but it is recurrs in several of the Christie audiobooks with American characters. In addition, I thought that some of...more

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Mar 15, 2009 Ray rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Agatha Christie fans

Shelves: mystery

A series of murders disturbs the quiet town of St. Mary Mead after a Hollywood actress and her retinue move into Gossington Hall. Christie renders her characters expertly with quick, deft strokes and a keen ear for dialog. And despite the "cozy" atmosphere, the characters have to deal with real-life problems (obnoxious do-gooders, crowded housing developments, the effects of aging and loss of independence, among others) as well as the murderer in their midst. Although the ultimate solution seeme...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Sun rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookaweek2009

A woman is poisoned at a reception held by a Hollywood star and her director husband. The police come up empty-handed as to why the woman is murdered. Consequently, they come to believe that the intended victim was the actress herself. But whodunnit?

This is an unusual story as the mystery hinges on a single facial expression. Although Miss Marple 'investigates' there's no actual contact with any of the suspects. All her information is second-hand.

It's easy to see who did it a mile away but the...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Dagny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series

The Mirror Crack'd (from Side to Side) is one of Christie's later Miss Jane Marple stories. It opens with Miss Marple not feeling her best and under the "care" of a tyrant hired by her nephew. Her doctor knows that all it would take to perk her up is a good dose of murder and the same is provided on fete day at Gossington. This one totally fooled me as to who the murderer was. To be honest most of them do, but I often have at least an inkling of several suspects. Not so in this case; I didn't su...more

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Aug 07, 2009 Mazel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: policier

Qu'avait vu Marina Gregg ?

Qu'avait-elle vu juste avant la mort de Mrs Babcock ?

Elle regardait fixement le mur, près de l'escalier, et son visage s'était soudain crispé de terreur.

Puis elle s'était ressaisie pour retourner, souriante, à ses invités.

Mrs Babcock avait pris un cocktail... et tout s'était enchaîné très vite.

On avait d'abord cru à un étourdissement, à un malaise cardiaque...

Quelques minutes plus tard, elle était morte... empoisonnée... Mais pourquoi ?

Pourquoi Heather Babcock, u...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Becca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yes - I do love agatha christie. I should now read some other stuff. I know. This fall I have decided to revisit my childhood by reading all the Narnia, Wind in the Door, Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle books I loved at a 10 year old. I have found the greatest satisfaction in the Sherlock Holmes and discovered a new appreciation of Miss Marple (I had always abhored (sp?) in favor of Poirot but I see her charms now) . . . the children's series, while still excellent, were written for children and...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Miss Marple is annoyed with the live-in helper her nephew has provided for her. She doesn't want to be treated like a child, even if she is getting old. Then Marina Gregg, the movie star, moves in nearby, a local woman is poisoned and Miss Marple suspects the poison was really meant for Marina Gregg. But who is trying to kill the film star? Could it be her husband, her secretary, the strange photographer, or someone else? Just when you think you've got the answer someone else dies. Can Miss Marp...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Luke rated it 5 of 5 stars

What can i say, even though Miss Marple's the detective in this story, it was definitely fast paced for me. I kept going page thru page since I really want to know why Heather Baddock died and if it really was meant for Marina Gregg. Even though the last chapter where everything was explained seemed a little rushed, it still made a very large twist in my mind, and made so many turns that my train of thought almost fell off its tracks. Definitely a Christie classic that will keep reader's flippin...more

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May 17, 2011 Sammy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

In which an attempt is made on a movie star’s life, and no one is asking the right questions.

I’ve always liked this book, but perhaps that’s just because I have an affection for "The Lady of Shallot" – the poem from which the book’s title emanates – and that poem’s eponymous lady, Elaine of Astolat.

Either way, "The Mirror Crack’d" is not too shabby for a ’60s Christie book, with an intriguing murder, some clever misdirection and an enjoyably broad cast of characters. As with some of the later Po...more

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Oct 28, 2008 Katharine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I grabbed The Mirror Crack'd at a library booksale, thinking "Oh good, an Agatha Christie I haven't read – that'll come in handy when I want some light reading." Last week I wanted some light reading, but as a matter of fact I had read it. Which often happens when you grab Agatha Christies. I didn't mind rereading, though, since I had forgotten the solution to the mystery.

This is a Miss Marple. I used to dislike Miss Marple – she always seems so smug – but she's grown on me. I may even like he...more

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About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more

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Books by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)

The Mysterious Affair At Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)

Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)

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“Why shouldn't I hate her? She did the worst thing to me that anyone can do to anyone else. Let them believe that they're loved and wanted and then show them that it's all a sham.” — 81 people liked it

“One never quite allows for the moron in our midst.” — 13 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16372.The_Mirror_Crack_d_from_Side_to_Side?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327915632l/16372.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16372.The_Mirror_Crack_d_from_Side_to_Side?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side by Agatha Christie[/url]

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (Miss Marple #9)

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