REVIEW: The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side

 The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side
Author: Agatha Christie

The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side was first published in the UK in 1962 and in the US in 1963. 

I didn't have a copy of this book on my shelves. I listened to an audio book version [HarperCollins, 2013, 8 hrs 23 minutes, narrated by Emilia Fox. Emilia does a great job of narration as usual.  

The Basics: An actress and her husband purchase an estate in St Mary Mead. A fete is held on the estate to help the local ambulance service, but drama happens when a local woman is poisoned and dies. Miss Marple is on the case, as it seems that the actress may have been the intended target. Can Miss Marple figure out the culprit before another attempt is made on Marina Gregg's life or before someone else dies?  

The premise of this novel may have been inspired by an event in the life of Actress Gene Tierney. Not saying any more than that, as it would be a spoiler. Read the book --- then look up the story. It's very interesting reading (and sad).  

I had a bit of a hard time finishing this book. The plot moved a bit too slowly, and it just wasn't really grabbing my attention like earlier Marple mysteries. I'm finding that I'm starting to agree that Agatha Christie's books after 1950 are a bit hit or miss. Some are great, and some are just......well, a little boring. Or, it could also be that after reading Christie's mysteries in publication order since 2020 to read them all.....that I'm getting a bit tired of classic mysteries?  I'm leaning towards a mix of both. 

As I listened, I was looking forward to watching the adaptations, rather than finishing the book. Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple!! I had to see the 1980s movie! And, I really wanted to watch the two television episodes as well. :) 

So....not a favorite Miss Marple mystery, but I did finish it. 

Adaptations: 

Movie (1980): Angela Lansbury plays Miss Marple. As most of the 1980's Christie movies, it's a star studded cast including Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis. I enjoyed seeing all of these famous performers, but as is common with the 80s Agatha Christie movies, it was very melodramatic and a bit over-done. There were some changes to plot and characters, but it kept relatively true to the original. I enjoyed watching, but I preferred the Miss Marple and Marple television episodes to this movie. 

Television: Miss Marple - This 1992 adaptation is the final episode of the television series featuring Joan Hickson as Miss Marple. The episode stays with the original plot for the most part. Very enjoyable.

Radio drama: BBC Radio 4 broadcast an audio drama in 1998 based on this book, featuring June Whitfield as Miss Marple. The radio dramas based on Agatha Christie's mysteries are always so good!! Very enjoyable, and full-cast with sound effects. June Whitfield does a great job as Miss Marple. These Marple radio dramas are always so good! Very entertaining! 

Television: Agatha Christie's Marple -  Julia McKenzie plays Miss Marple in this 2010 episode. There were a few changes, but mostly true to the original story.

Television (France) - Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie offered an episode in 2017 based on this book. As usual the setting is switched to France and the detectives are french. This show makes significant changes to the stories but is fun to watch. If your local library offers Kanopy, that streaming service offers all of the episodes. 

Television (Japan) - TV Asahi adapted this story as part of a 2 night special. The first night was an adaptation of The 4:50 from Paddington and the second night was The Mirror Crack'd. I couldn't find a streaming version of this show, so didn't watch this episode. 

Theater: A stage production opened in the UK in 2019.  

Glad I read this book, but I enjoyed the adaptations more than the audio book. 

Moving on!!