Review
‘Beyond all doubt the puzzle in The Moving Finger is fit for experts. ‘ The Times
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
A BBC Radio full-cast dramatization starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple. Recuperating from a flying accident, Jerry Burton needs to take a break somewhere peaceful. He and his sister rent a house in the little village of Lymstock, where they know no-one and hope to be able to relax. Their quiet life is shattered, however, by the arrival of an obscene anonymous letter accusing them of impropriety. Jerry refuses to take it seriously and throws it on the fire. But he soon discovers that other village residents have been similarly harassed. Su
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This review is from: The Moving Finger (Miss Marple Mysteries) (Paperback)
This story is told by Jerry Burton, an RAF flyer recovering from a crash. He has been sent to the village of Lymstock to get rest and quiet. Accompanied by his sister Joanna, Jerry soon finds that all is not as peaceful as he might have hoped. A series of poison pen letters detailing the explicit and often illicit facts of the residents’ lives is causing quite a stir. The fear escalates when an apparent suicide is followed by a murder. With so much wickedness abounding, the vicar’s wife calls in her old friend Jane Marple, whom she considers an expert on wickedness in village life. This book is notable for its excellent characterizations. From the community-minded doctor’s sister, to the charming spinster who rents the Burtons her home, to the dazzling governess of the lawyer’s young boys, Mrs. Christie gives us a village filled with quirky and interesting people. Most notable is Megan Hunter, perhaps her finest young girl protagonist, who is transformed from the dowdy stepdaughter to an exquisite Cinderella. The narrative style is light and entertaining, the romance sweet, and the murder quite deadly in this fun and always ingenuous offering from the mistress of mystery. Mrs. Christie herself recalls this story in her autobiography as a personal favorite that has stood the test of time. As charming as it no doubt was when first published in 1943, The Moving Finger is a most satisfying read.
This review is from: The Moving Finger (Miss Marple Mysteries) (Paperback)
In addition to the delights one gleans from Christie’s deft, skillful plotting, incisive wit, and rich characterizations, the true strength of “The Moving Finger” is Christie’s examination of evil underneath the pristine surface. This “wickedness” lies not only beneath the beautiful exteriors of the sleepy village, but also beneath the shiny faces of its inhabitants. Christie is quite adept at communicating the “atmosphere that seemed tinged with evil. ” When confronted with the distressing and distasteful poison pen letters appearing in the village, one of the characters exclaims, “Such a peaceful smiling happy countryside-and down underneath something evil. . . . It’s full of festering poison and it looks as peaceful and innocent as the Garden of Eden. . . ” In addition, Christie recognizes the dark side of human nature, and that it is often extremely difficult to tell what people are really like beneath their poilte behavior. “I’m beginning to realize how little I really know about anyone. . . In everybody’s life there are hidden chapters which they hope may never be known. . . ” Christie makes it clear, however, that this evil is not a supernatural phenomenon divorced from human intervention in a particulary perceptive and profound passage, “There’s too much tendency to attribute to God the evils that man does of his own free will. . . God doesn’t really need to punish us. . . We’re so very busy punishing ourselves. . . ” And although “it isn’t very pleasant to look upon the fellow creatures one meets as possible criminal lunatics,” Christie takes a realistically pessimistic view of human nature and a depicts a village filled with “gossiping, whispering women” and “selfish, grasping natures. “ ”The Moving Finger” is an absorbing account of a sociopath. “Such apparently unlikely people do the most fantastic things. ” Christie reminds us that the most horrifying evil usually comes from the most unlikely source- seemingly upright, normal people who are hiding the most unfathonable and terrifying wickedness. “The Moving Finger” is one of her most skillfull and insightful productions.