The Moving Finger - SPOILER Thread

[Susan]

Judy, Harry Enfield was equally unconvincing in "Swallows and Amazons," and he only had a small part.

Jackie, yes, poor Joanna. Oddly, her doctor's unsympathetic attitude appealed to her though. Personally, I would have crossed the road to avoid him after that!

[John]

Just finished The Moving Finger. My brief review (not having read the thread above) was:

"The third Miss Marple whodunnit. Very familiar from television versions, it was a pleasure to read this, narrated, as was the first one, in the first person - by a recovering but on crutches pilot, having move into a 'quiet country village' with his sister, to help his recuperation.

With a full cast of locals, of all strata, and mostly nosey, a suspicious death gives Agatha Christie full rein to use her waspish exploration of character to delight, puzzle, and amuse us.

For me, the late and rather clumsy arrival upon the scene of Miss Marple just deprives the reader of the extra enjoyment she would have provided. So, 4*, not five."

If you want to look at television versions, only the 13 Joan Hickson ones are at all faithful. Some others are OK for what they are, but not relevant enough to the books.

Re Megan. At that time, the average age of first marriage for a woman was about 24/25, so 20 was not at all out of the ordinary. I think the experience made her come of age and that she would have a good strong two-way marriage with Jerry. Aaahh!

[Judy]

Susan wrote: "Judy, Harry Enfield was equally unconvincing in "Swallows and Amazons," and he only had a small part."

I just couldn't understand them casting him in such a big part in this - especially when the rest of the cast was so good!

Was Swallows and Amazons any good in general? I loved the books as a kid.

[Judy]

John wrote: "If you want to look at television versions, only the 13 Joan Hickson ones are at all faithful. Some others are OK for what they are, but not relevant enough to the books."

Unfortunately it seems to be harder to see the Hickson versions on TV - the more recent ones are always being shown, but, from the couple I've seen so far, definitely aren't very close to the books.

I might just invest in a Hickson box set, though I don't mind watching a mixture of versions. I definitely find watching a TV version helps me to remember the book, including the differences between the two!

[Susan]

My children enjoyed Swallows and Amazons - it was a nice introduction and my daughter read the first book afterwards. Nice to see BBC doing some longer drama for kids.

[Judy]

Thanks Susan, nice to hear that the adaptation got your daughter interested in the book.

[Susan]

Yes, we enjoyed that and the BFG, so it was a good summer for kids movies last year.

[Mark Pghfan]

Investing in the Hickson versions will be a wonderful purchase. I re-watch them regularly.

Regarding Joanna and the doctor, I really don't think he was being mean to her and I think she was just shocked at how forceful he was given that he seemed so meek earlier in his pursuit of her.

Christie seemed to relish in making unexpected matches, two of which are in this book!

[Diane]

I really thought all the characters were well done. I even liked Elsie and hope that somehow she will somehow be able to stay in the boys lives. I don't remember the book addressing the fate of the children.
I had forgotten this was a Miss Marple mystery until she popped up near the end and agree that Jerry could have solved it without her help.

[Lady Clementina]

Re Elsie, I couldn't help noting how easily the gossips saw her as having designs on Mr Symington while it was the other way around all the time.

[Susan]

She was pretty and, for women, that is often enough for gossip. Unfortunately.

[Judy]

This reminds me, I was a bit surprised that Jerry suddenly loses all romantic interest in Elsie just because she has big teeth!

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review)]

Judy wrote: "This reminds me, I was a bit surprised that Jerry suddenly loses all romantic interest in Elsie just because she has big teeth!"

He didn't notice them until she spoke, it was her voice that sent everything crashing and then he started noticing things that were not perfect about her.

[LovesMysteries]

Hilary wrote: "Judy wrote: "This reminds me, I was a bit surprised that Jerry suddenly loses all romantic interest in Elsie just because she has big teeth!"

He didn't notice them until she spoke, it was her voic..."

Very realistic, because some people we look at for the first time and there may be an attraction until they open their mouth and hear the things that come out of it.

[Jackie]

Lady Clementina wrote: "Re Elsie, I couldn't help noting how easily the gossips saw her as having designs on Mr Symington while it was the other way around all the time."

very good point

[Susan]

On the wonderful Agatha Christie website, I found some speculation on why Miss Marple hardly appears in this particular novel and I thought it was interesting. I will post the link below and, if anyone is interested, they can have a look (the site is brilliant anyway) and see whether they agree with any of the points made.

http://community.agathachristie.com/d...

[Jackie]

someone must have already posted that link, I read this last week. it's a good read, though.

[Susan]

Perhaps I forgot - too much weekend web browsing :) Still, interesting to see there is no conclusive evidence as to why Miss Marple appeared so late, and so briefly.

I have started Sleeping Murder and, in that, two characters begin an investigation they could lrobably manage alone, but Miss Marple comes on the scene more quickly. So far, the first two books (vicarage/library) feel like much more fully realised Marple books than the next two - which could have been stand alones.

[Judy]

I had previously posted the link in the other thread in reference to the different UK and US editions... but good to have it in this thread too.

There are some fascinating suggestions about why Miss Marple appears so late and why Jerry is narrator - I liked the idea of wanting to show the village community as it would appear to an outsider.

[Susan]

I do think Jerry could have solved the mystery quite easily himself, which might have even worked better.

[Sandy]

I listened to the BBC radio version. It starts with Miss Marple being called in by her friend and then the characters fill her in what has been happening. Works well.

[Mark Pghfan]

Miss M gets called in by Mrs. Dane Calthrop. I don't see why that couldn't have happened earlier in the book. Perhaps Christie felt Miss M would be figured it out too soon! When you think of it, that is quite possible.

[Leslie]

I like Jerry being the narrator - reminiscent of the vicar being the narrator in the first book.

Pghfan wrote: "Miss M gets called in by Mrs. Dane Calthrop. I don't see why that couldn't have happened earlier in the book. Perhaps Christie felt Miss M would be figured it out too soon! When you think of it, th..."

LOL -- indeed I think the book would have turned into a short story!

[Lesley]

Finished this a little over a week ago, but with home internet issues (resolved for the moment!) I'm only just posting my thoughts.

I was disappointed in the late arrival of Miss Marple to the mystery. It was almost over by the time she came into the story, and for me, it felt like an afterthought. Jerry was mostly on to it, and it felt like he was almost about to announce the solution.

I liked all of the characters in this story, and having read Thirteen Problems, felt very much as though I knew some of them already, but not by those names. Each time there was a passage of conversation with Mrs Dane Calthrop it really felt as though I could hear Miss M talking. Did anyone else feel as though she 'sounded' like Miss Marple?

I'm going to watch the BBC TV presentation of this story over the weekend to see their interpretation of the book.

[Judy]

Is that the version with Joan Hickson or the more recent one, Lesley? I'll be interested to hear what you think. I'm just about to order the Hickson box set as I'm not quite so keen on the new ones from the couple I've seen, though they do have wonderful casts.

I agree with you that it's disappointing to have so little of Miss Marple in this book - and also that the characters have some similarities with those in the short stories, though I hadn't noticed Mrs Dane Calthrop sounding like Miss Marple!

[Lesley]

Judy wrote: "Is that the version with Joan Hickson or the more recent one, Lesley? I'll be interested to hear what you think. I'm just about to order the Hickson box set as I'm not quite so keen on the new ones..."

Yes, it is the Joan Hickson version. I'm not that keen on the new ones, although they have good casts, but just not how I imagine Miss M being.

[Susan]

I think this Miss Marple book seems to polarise opinion more than others - she does seem an afterthought in the novel and, quite frankly, this could easily have been a stand alone.

[Mark Pghfan]

Though I've read and re-read this book many times, for this discussion, I listened to the unabridged narration. It was performed by Joan Hickson, so perhaps that is why I did not miss Miss M so much--it was like she was there all along!

[Judy]

I didn't know Joan Hickson read any audio books - what a great way to listen to the story!

[Sandy]

Judy wrote: "I didn't know Joan Hickson read any audio books - what a great way to listen to the story!"

I've only found Hickson doing Christie. Audio books in general are getting wonderful narrators recently. Wimsey books have either Ian Carmichael or Edward Petherbridge. Some of the Agatha Raisin are done by Penelope Keith.

[Susan]

I must investigate Audible. I often listen while ironing, or in the car, and I do think they have really improved recently. There are a lot of BBC drama adaptations which I really enjoy.

[Lesley]

I watched the BBC TV Joan Hickson version of this tonight. I was a bit confused to begin with as Miss Marple arrived in the village at almost the same time as Jerry and his sister, and was involved in the investigation right from the beginning. Mrs Dane Carlthrop didn't seem to play as bigger part in the movie as she did in the book - well, dialogue wise anyway. The second half of the movie was more true to the book, although overall, and apart from those noted differences, it was pretty well done. I think had I not just finished the book I wouldn't have been so confused!

[Mark Pghfan]

Yes, Hickson/Marple came much earlier in the TV versions. An improvement, there!

[Tania]

I started this a couple of days ago. I'm at chapter 8 and have decided it's Mr Symmington so that he can run off with the governess, after all the typewriter was his. No doubt I shall change my mind several times over the course of the evening, I usually do.
I agree it is very late for the non arrival of the MC, but very enjoyable.

[LovesMysteries]

Tania wrote: "I started this a couple of days ago. I'm at chapter 8 and have decided it's Mr Symmington so that he can run off with the governess, after all the typewriter was his. No doubt I shall change my min..."

Please do tell us your other thoughts and suspicions as to whodunit as you progress with the book.

[Tania]

I would have, but I just raced through the book last night, not even stopping to check Goodreads. I found that I stuck with my original theory as everything seemed to point that way, once I read that the name on the envelope had been changed from Barton to Burton, I was convinced. It had been typed up before the typewriter was donated, and changed when they moved into the house. I couldn't decide whether the governess was involved though.

[Susan]

Hopefully, 'racing through it,' implies that you were gripped by the story, Tania and not just trying to get it over with :)

[Suki]

Sorry for posting so late...

I love the way this was such a simple, straightforward crime once all the obfuscations were dealt with. I suspected almost everyone except Symmington, which seems ridiculous, because everything really was out in the open all along, ever since his wife's murder.

I really liked the Jerry and Joanna characters (and I was very happy for them in their choices of partners)-- I wish Christie had written more books featuring them. I am starting the Tommy and Tuppence books in another group read, I hope they will be something like Jerry and Joanna. I like Miss Marple and Poirot, but they can both get a little stuffy.

It almost seems wrong to call this a Miss Marple book-- hers was more a cameo appearance. She didn't seem necessary to the story at all-- she was more a shortcut to the finale. As she said herself, Jerry had the keys to solving everything already, something could have happened in the story to give him a flash of clarity.

[Susan]

Suki, it would have been great to have had another novel featuring Jerry and Joanna, I quite agree. It was more of a standalone than a Miss Marple book, but I don't think that really spoilt anyone's enjoyment because, as you say, the other characters were so good.

[Judy]

I watched the Joan Hickson version of this last night, and it was so much better than the remake! It was true to the book in general, but made one noticeable change, by having a sister for the doctor.

It looked as if a lot of this had been filmed in Norfolk, including footage of the North Norfolk Railway (my husband is a rail buff and noticed this!) and some of the characters even had Norfolk accents, which is quite unusual on TV.