The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side

The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side (1962) Agatha Christie (Miss Marple)

The famous movie star Marina Gregg as moved to St Mary Mead and she and her husband completely renovated Gossington Hall, and have invited the public to visit to support St John’s Ambulance Association.

We also get Mrs Bantry, who is just as much of a delight as she was in earlier books.

“Oh, Mrs. Bantry, it is nice of you to come.” “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” said Mrs. Bantry and moved on purposefully towards the Martinis.

One of the things I enjoy is that although we never know quite how old Miss Marple is (she was described as old in the first book written in 1930) she does get frailer as the series continues, yet she tries to accept the changes around here.

I also adore the looks into what the world was like even in the 1960s.

“This is vodka,” Mrs. Allcock regarded her glass suspiciously. “Mr. Rudd asked if I’d like to try it. Sounds very Russian. I don’t think I like it very much….”

One had to face the fact: St. Mary Mead was not the place it had been. In a sense, of course, nothing was what it had been. You could blame the war (both the wars) or the younger generation, or women going out to work, or the atom bomb, or just the Government— but what one really meant was the simple fact that one was growing old.

I’ve read this book so many times before, yet this is the first time I considered the time of publication and the world at that time. Was Marina Gregg loosely based upon Marilyn Monroe? Just something interesting to wonder.

This is another of my favorite stories.

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Rating: 8.5/10

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