"She's been up to something," he opined, as he took a last hasty drink of coffee. "Depend upon it, she's been up to something."
(That's the quote I'd like as my epitaph).
Synopsis: A jape appears to have gone horribly awry during a countryhouse weekend and a promising, if emptyheaded young man lies dead. But what does that have to do with the mysterious Seven Dials society, and how can Bundle Brent find a way to risk her life finding out?
Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent's main occupations in life are wearing trousers, driving motorcars very very fast and worrying her father. So when the opportunity arises for her to embroil herself in the mysterious death of Gerry Wade, she leaps in headfirst. And then runs down another young man in her fast fast motorcar. Fortunately he'd been shot first, so she comes out ahead there. And then the peril starts.
This was a great read, definitely one of Agatha's finest. It combines witty dialogue, fast-paced action, plot plot plot and more plot. And of course, Bundle Brent. It's a smart mystery combined with a drawing room comedy. The servants are all deferential and all-knowing, all the ladies are clever and determined, and all the young gentlemen are foppish, mildly confused and easily startled. There is a sort of casual misandry that runs throughout the book; Bundle and her female cohorts are basically beset by men who are in no way their equals. Much as I know the right thing to say is gosh how awful, I confess I did enjoy it quite a bit. It made a refreshing change from the rest of Western civilization.
And I did not see the ending coming one bit. At all. There were at least three plot twists that snuck by me like ships in the night, and at the end, I was flabbergasted. Completely flabbergasted. It was glorious.
My only complaint is that the pacing if anything, is too fast, which is an amazing change from pretty much everything I've read in the last 15 years. But at points it is a little hard to keep up with the quick scene changes and leaps of Bundle logic. Then again, what a great problem to have...
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I first picked up this book in about 6 grade. I loved it, for all the reason's you mentioned. I wanted to know Bundle, to BE bundle, who was my direct opposite in every way. I read it a lot. Years later I wanted to revisit it and bought a book called The Clocks. Buy, was I disappointed. I persisted in looking for Christie's 'clock' book.
ReplyDeleteFinally I stumbled onto Seven Dials and was a happy woman. I've reread it several times. but I can't say it's one of my favorites. It reads like a juvenile novel to me, which makes it no less good, just not as absorbing.
I'm glad you read and reviewed it, as it deserves to be read and enjoyed.
BTW, I'm glad I can now come out of the closet and admit the Sackett books will be hanging around despite the fact that Bill is gone. I'll keep them for his sake and mine.
Excellent on both counts! I wonder if the juvenile quality of Seven Dials is the thing that I was reacting against in feeling that the pacing moved too fast. I'd have to say that Bundle and all the other characters, for me at least, were amazingly well developed, and the plot truly snuck up on me. So my lingering feeling that this is not my favorite but a darn good show might be the pacing issue. Do you remember it as too fast, too slow, something else?
ReplyDeleteAnd go you in keeping the Sackett books. They really are gems.