The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club

  - Richard Osman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don’t recall how this book came onto my radar, but I do remember being intrigued by it when I checked it out. I can’t be sure whether it indeed drew inspiration from Agatha Christie (though I suppose all books of the genre must do) but to me, it was highly reminiscent of Miss Marple mysteries – starting from the title, through the setting in a close-knit community, to the elderly residents playing sleuths.

In a luxury retirement village, new arrival Joyce is welcomed into their fold by a group of septuagenarians, who love murder mysteries and meet every Thursday to discuss old unsolved murders and find their possible solutions. Inevitably, they find themselves involved in brand new murders and enthusiastically take it upon themselves to solve them.

The story alternates between the first-person narrative of Joyce (in the form of her diary entries) and a third-person narrative. Joyce’s voice is quite rambling, reflecting her chatty personality that is a little lacking in confidence. Both the styles took some time to get used to. There are some red herrings thrown in, that begin as a promising lead but end with a perfectly benign explanation. For once, not only did I not mind all this meandering in a murder mystery, I even enjoyed the tangential stories to some extent. I liked getting to know the backstories of the characters; the unfruitful trails were done well, and in a way, reflect a real investigation where there may be several false leads before hitting the correct path.

However, my reading experience was marred by an utterly unsatisfying conclusion, that made me feel that the effort of going through the 400 pages was not worth it. Further, in what is the biggest killer (no pun intended!) for a mystery, the false leads are carefully investigated by the group, but in the end, they just “know” the identity of the real murderer.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

I did not find a reasonable explanation for the wait between the causal events and Tony’s murder, and no rational reason for Ian’s. On top of it, the group’s attitude towards the two murderers was conflicting and unjustified. They propose to turn in their elderly friend John, whose wife is in an assisted living facility, to the police and it is implied that he is to take his own life. On the other hand, there is no retribution for Bogdan, who has committed more than one murder – even though only Joyce is confirmed to be aware of his role, it is indicated that Elizabeth will soon discover it.

 Overall, it is a quirky, cozy murder mystery that could have been much more entertaining with a better denouement.

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

  - Helene Hanff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is almost one and a half years since I read ‘84, Charing Cross Road’, the delightful memoir by Helene Hanff. The 20-year old friendship cultivated over a shared love of books comes across beautifully in Helene’s engaging writing interspersed with humor and full of charm in this work. Ever since then, I have wanted to read ‘The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street’, but I wanted to buy the paperback for both the books and kept waiting for the price to come to a reasonable level; in the end, I gave up and went with the kindle version of The Duchess also.

In this book, Helene describes her long-awaited visit to London, a fulfillment of her lifelong dream. The few weeks that she manages to stay there, are full of meeting old friends and making new ones, visits to places with close ties to her literary heroes, and of course, literary events. It must have been a bittersweet experience for her, with Frank Doel gone and Marks and Company, the bookshop where this journey started, closed down. But what comes through in the writing is her unbridled joy in here and now, and the thought that impresses upon you is – here is a woman who knows how to experience life.

Related in a warm, conversational tone, it is full of her own brand of humor, which I found really captivating. I found it even more enchanting than the first book - we experience the city and other places through her eyes, share in her excitement and disappointments and feel the charm of not just her words, but also her personality. It is made richer by her in-person interactions with people, from old and new friends, to editors and readers, to hotel staff and strangers.

I highly recommend both the books!

We Should All Be Feminists

We Should All Be Feminists

-- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although I knew this is a short book, it turned out to be even shorter than I expected. In this brief work, Ms. Adichie has related her views on feminism - what it means to her, and how it is an often misunderstood term. The essay carries a great deal of warmth and is interspersed with engaging personal encounters and experiences.

Now, I completely agree with the thoughts and views that Ms. Adichie has expressed in this book, but I did not feel that it was as groundbreaking a work as it has been cited as. Growing up in a middle-class Indian family, this has been a reality for me for most of my life. And as for the bias that women face at work, it is universal anyway.

Yet, I am glad that she has used her voice, which carries an influence on the global stage, to bring these concerns to the forefront. I do hope, even if it is a thin hope, that at least some people will listen to it with an open mind, understand it and help to move towards a better social balance.