tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post4308521238462159503..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: Torn TwinsTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-19920536121726471782017-08-04T21:50:09.746+02:002017-08-04T21:50:09.746+02:00You're welcome Yvette! And keep Come Away, Dea...You're welcome Yvette! And keep <i>Come Away, Death</i> in mind. It might be the best thing Mitchell wrote. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-67469021965174505902017-08-04T21:19:56.318+02:002017-08-04T21:19:56.318+02:00I read a couple of Gladys Mitchell books a while b...I read a couple of Gladys Mitchell books a while back and liked them. Though I wasn't crazy about DEATH AT THE OPERA. I've always meant to read a few more. So now I have some recommended titles to add to my list. Thanks!Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08919246184376538331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-11649522789195850882017-08-03T15:54:57.065+02:002017-08-03T15:54:57.065+02:00Thanks for your sage advice, Nick! Devil at Saxon ...Thanks for your sage advice, Nick! <i>Devil at Saxon Wall</i> will be my next stop. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-75802772205298602872017-08-03T05:25:02.990+02:002017-08-03T05:25:02.990+02:00Glad you enjoyed it; it's quietly excellent. ...Glad you enjoyed it; it's quietly excellent. If you're wondering whether to read Saxon Wall or Griffins, there's no contest. Read Saxon Wall. Hugely imaginative, atmospheric, and ingenious. Contemporary critics praised it; I think it was in his review of it that Torquemada (Observer) said a new Gladys Mitchell was as much an event as a new Dorothy L. Sayers.<br /><br />Griffins is good, but it's also one of Mitchell's last books, and ties together motifs she used in earlier books.Nick Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05668031989499870182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-90491324659110051832017-08-02T18:14:07.001+02:002017-08-02T18:14:07.001+02:00I liked how Mitchell used the child narrator and t...I liked how Mitchell used the child narrator and the general atmosphere of <i>The Rising of the Moon</i>, but the plot, and explanation, is really messy. So would never place it in my top 10. However, <i>Merlin's Furlong</i> and <i>When Last I Died</i> are great!<br /><br />Currently, I'm torn between <i>The Devil at Saxon Wall</i> and <i>The Greenstone Griffins</i>. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-78301457386994599672017-08-02T17:07:11.660+02:002017-08-02T17:07:11.660+02:00Along with The Echoing Strangers these other four ...Along with <i>The Echoing Strangers</i> these other four are, I think, exemplary of her style, her favorite motifs and themes, and as superior detective novels: <i>Merlin's Furlong, Dance to Your Daddy, When Last I Died, The Rising of the Moon.</i><br /><br />If I were to make it a Top 10 (I'm not quite there yet) I'd add: <i>Here Comes A Chopper</i> and <i> The Greenstone Griffins</i> ...others to follow<br /><br />Utter dud: <i>Faintly Speaking</i><br /><br />I have not yet read (though I have copies of all of them) <i>Come Away Death, St Peter's Finger</i> or <i>The Devil at Saxon Wall</i>. Based on suggestions from readers and critics I trust I think all of three may end up on my "Top Ten Mitchell" list.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-70690499120377075732017-08-02T08:44:12.265+02:002017-08-02T08:44:12.265+02:00What are the other four titles on your top five of...What are the other four titles on your top five of Mitchell novels? It might help selecting my next Mitchell. <br /><br /><i>Death and the Maiden</i> is overrated, especially when rated as a detective story, but the bizarre scene with the local villagers standing in queue and paying money in exchange for a view of the body of a murdered child is unforgettable. You can say about Mitchell what you want, but she knew how to write a good set piece. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-89233488634983321342017-08-01T23:59:09.598+02:002017-08-01T23:59:09.598+02:00So glad you enjoyed this one. It's in my top f...So glad you enjoyed this one. It's in my top five of Gladys Mitchell novels I've read. I'm not too fond of ...BUTCHER'S SHOP and I think DEATH AT THE OPERA and DEATH AND THE MAIDEN are both overrated. ECHOING STRANGERS, however, was the book that made me change my opinion of Mitchell and seek out all her highest rated books. With the exception of GROANING SPINNEY, sort of middling for me, I've not been disappointed in those I've chosen to read after many years of having given up on her.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.com