tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post5273320097362368951..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: The Case of the Seven Bells (1949) by Christopher BushTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-84441675386630090622021-09-11T19:17:09.961+02:002021-09-11T19:17:09.961+02:00I think we're closer to birdwatchers than orni...I think we're closer to birdwatchers than ornithologists. We can identify a cliché when we spot one, but there's nothing academic about it. :) <br /><br />By the way, Punshon was recovering from surgery at Bush's home around the time he was writing <i>TCOT Seven Bells</i>. So perhaps that could explain why the story has an ambitious, poorly executed plot. Bush had to divert some of his attention to his recuperating house guest. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-84643302238900919872021-09-11T15:08:34.482+02:002021-09-11T15:08:34.482+02:00Yes, this one is a bit of a dud! Part of the reaso...Yes, this one is a bit of a dud! Part of the reason might be that I had quite high expectations; the Observer called it "the best Ludovic Travers episode for several books ... hard to guess". But Anthony Boucher found it "unusually transparent, which any cliché expert should solve in record time". Like you - are we cliché experts? - I had it figured from the start! Nick Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05668031989499870182noreply@blogger.com