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Spider's Web
Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. ‘Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?’ she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent.
Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all.
This novelisation by Charles Osborne is based on Agatha Christie's play, Spider's Web.
Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all.
This novelisation by Charles Osborne is based on Agatha Christie's play, Spider's Web.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2000
About the author
Charles Osborne
101 books89 followersCharles Thomas Osborne was a journalist, theatre and opera critic, poet and novelist. He was assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1971 until 1986, and chief theatre critic of Daily Telegraph (London) from 1986 to 1991. He is the only author the Agatha Christie Estate has ever allowed to produce adapted works in her name. (wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 702 reviews
October 18, 2015
This book is a lie. Call me old fashioned , but usually, you would be correct in assuming that when an author's name is splayed out over the front cover, that said author wrote this book, right?
Well obviously not.
I picked up this book with the naive assumption that Agatha Christie, Hailed Queen of the Crime Genre Past, Present and Future, engineered this novel.
After about one chapter, I knew this wasn't the case.
Let's create a small analogy to convey my surprise in realising that this novel was an adaption:
Agatha Christie's masterpieces are chocolate lava cake. Explosive. Rich. Intense.
This adaption was the flourless sultana version- the kind of 'healthy' substitute you'd eat on a diet.
On its own, not a horrifically offending mystery.
But please.
One does not simply 'adapt' Agatha Christie.
End of story.
Well obviously not.
I picked up this book with the naive assumption that Agatha Christie, Hailed Queen of the Crime Genre Past, Present and Future, engineered this novel.
After about one chapter, I knew this wasn't the case.
Let's create a small analogy to convey my surprise in realising that this novel was an adaption:
Agatha Christie's masterpieces are chocolate lava cake. Explosive. Rich. Intense.
This adaption was the flourless sultana version- the kind of 'healthy' substitute you'd eat on a diet.
On its own, not a horrifically offending mystery.
But please.
One does not simply 'adapt' Agatha Christie.
End of story.
June 10, 2022
الحبكة التي تكتب بها أجاثا كريستا يجب حتماً دراستها و تدريسها.
من أين لها بهذه التفاصيل و القدرة علي ربط الأحداث بهذه الطريقة.
تستحق أن تكون بلا شك أكثر من تم بيع رواياته في التاريخ. 🖤🌠
( كلاريسيا) فتاة مليئة بالحماس ، تزوجت من رجل دبلوماسي غني ، ترعي ابنته و تعيش في قصره الفسيح حياة مملة مع بعض أصدقائها المملين ، تلك الرتابة التي قد تواجهك حين تعيش في الأرياف.
و لتقضي علي هذه الرتابة اخترعت لعبة " فلنفترض ..."
فلنفترض أنك قابلتي لصا !
فلنفترض أنك خنت زوجك !
فلنفترض أنك وجدتي جثة !
و تنتهي الرتابة حينما تصطدم بجسم غريب أسفل المكتب لتتفاجئ أنها جثة!!
و كأنها انبثقت من الظلام لتحقيق حلمها أخيراً.
من أين جاءت ، ما كان هدفها ( إنه حتما هذا المكتب الغريب الذي كان يملكه صاحب القصر السابق ) ، ماذا ستفعل الآن ، و زوجها علي مقربة للوصول رفقة أحد الوزراء الكبار ؟
في إطار من التشويق تعيش هذه الليلة العصيبة مع أشخاص عديدة ( كل منهم مرسوم بعناية) في هذا القصر ، و تقترح لهم الحلول و تشاركهم الوجل و القلق .
و كل من في القصر ينسج الخ��وط ليوقع بفريسته ، و ليحقق هدفه.
مشكلتها الوحيدة أن القصة كُتبت علي عجلة خاصة في النهاية ، و السبب أن القصة كانت أصلا مسرحية و كتبها ( شارلس أوسبورن ) مرة أخرى كرواية.
قصة مليئة بالغموض و المفاجئات. 🌠.
من أين لها بهذه التفاصيل و القدرة علي ربط الأحداث بهذه الطريقة.
تستحق أن تكون بلا شك أكثر من تم بيع رواياته في التاريخ. 🖤🌠
( كلاريسيا) فتاة مليئة بالحماس ، تزوجت من رجل دبلوماسي غني ، ترعي ابنته و تعيش في قصره الفسيح حياة مملة مع بعض أصدقائها المملين ، تلك الرتابة التي قد تواجهك حين تعيش في الأرياف.
و لتقضي علي هذه الرتابة اخترعت لعبة " فلنفترض ..."
فلنفترض أنك قابلتي لصا !
فلنفترض أنك خنت زوجك !
فلنفترض أنك وجدتي جثة !
و تنتهي الرتابة حينما تصطدم بجسم غريب أسفل المكتب لتتفاجئ أنها جثة!!
و كأنها انبثقت من الظلام لتحقيق حلمها أخيراً.
من أين جاءت ، ما كان هدفها ( إنه حتما هذا المكتب الغريب الذي كان يملكه صاحب القصر السابق ) ، ماذا ستفعل الآن ، و زوجها علي مقربة للوصول رفقة أحد الوزراء الكبار ؟
في إطار من التشويق تعيش هذه الليلة العصيبة مع أشخاص عديدة ( كل منهم مرسوم بعناية) في هذا القصر ، و تقترح لهم الحلول و تشاركهم الوجل و القلق .
و كل من في القصر ينسج الخ��وط ليوقع بفريسته ، و ليحقق هدفه.
مشكلتها الوحيدة أن القصة كُتبت علي عجلة خاصة في النهاية ، و السبب أن القصة كانت أصلا مسرحية و كتبها ( شارلس أوسبورن ) مرة أخرى كرواية.
قصة مليئة بالغموض و المفاجئات. 🌠.
March 5, 2023
Ok, so this is a novelization of one of Christie's plays.
Sometimes those work out, sometimes they don't. Personally, I thought this translated pretty well into a decent read. Or in my case, a decent listen.
Everything takes place in the home of the diplomat Henry Brown & his wife, Clarissa.
The setup is that Henry was divorced several years ago, and his young daughter lives with him and his new wife. Clarissa is incredibly protective of her stepdaughter, who has suffered quite a bit at the hands of her mother's addiction and her mother's boyfriend.
Ok.
After Henry leaves to meet an important and unnamed head of government, all hell breaks loose in the house.
Along with the houseguests they already had, an unwanted visitor pays Clarissa a visit and threatens her and the safety of her stepdaughter.
And then promptly ends up dead.
Whodunnit?
As far as these novelizations go, I'd say this is my favorite. Not just the plot, but the characters themselves. I really loved Clarissa.
That gal had smarts and spunk!
And for once, Christie wrote a part for a good mother.
Recommended.
Sometimes those work out, sometimes they don't. Personally, I thought this translated pretty well into a decent read. Or in my case, a decent listen.
Everything takes place in the home of the diplomat Henry Brown & his wife, Clarissa.
The setup is that Henry was divorced several years ago, and his young daughter lives with him and his new wife. Clarissa is incredibly protective of her stepdaughter, who has suffered quite a bit at the hands of her mother's addiction and her mother's boyfriend.
Ok.
After Henry leaves to meet an important and unnamed head of government, all hell breaks loose in the house.
Along with the houseguests they already had, an unwanted visitor pays Clarissa a visit and threatens her and the safety of her stepdaughter.
And then promptly ends up dead.
Whodunnit?
As far as these novelizations go, I'd say this is my favorite. Not just the plot, but the characters themselves. I really loved Clarissa.
That gal had smarts and spunk!
And for once, Christie wrote a part for a good mother.
Recommended.
June 24, 2018
Very tight and clever mystery - I am becoming a huge Agatha Christie fan - she is a word surgeon who always operates on the corpus delicti with efficient and swift skill.
December 27, 2021
Libro entretenido que es una novelización de Charles Osborne de una obra de teatro de A. Christie.
El libro se situa en una mansión o casa de campo donde una mujer joven, Clarissa, con una gran imaginación para crear historias para su uso y disfrute, (poniendo muchas veces en un compromiso a sus amistades) descubre un cadaver en su casa, concretamente en la biblioteca (guiño a otra obra de A. Christie) justo antes de una visita importante y empieza el lío.
Se van conformando una serie de mentiras (una red de telarañas) para ocultar la verdad a la policía la cual, debido a un chivatazo se presentan en la casa por sorpresa.
7/10
El libro se situa en una mansión o casa de campo donde una mujer joven, Clarissa, con una gran imaginación para crear historias para su uso y disfrute, (poniendo muchas veces en un compromiso a sus amistades) descubre un cadaver en su casa, concretamente en la biblioteca (guiño a otra obra de A. Christie) justo antes de una visita importante y empieza el lío.
Se van conformando una serie de mentiras (una red de telarañas) para ocultar la verdad a la policía la cual, debido a un chivatazo se presentan en la casa por sorpresa.
7/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2019
Bicu lenj pa cu samo copy/paste opis za drugu knjizicu :P Lenj sam.
"Pozorisna predtava Agate Kristi pretocena u roman od strane Carlsa Ozborna.
Vidim da ima puno zalbi da se knige na cita kao da je pislala Agata, da nije dovoljno dobra itd. E sada moguce da je do prevoda ali meni licno nista nije bolo oci i da mi je neo rekao da je to sama spisateljica napisalapoverovao bi mu.
Sem toga ovo je manje vise klasicna Agata prica i meni je bila zabavna za citanje i prepoucio bi dalje. U detalje necu ulaziti da ne kvarimo misteriju.
Cheers"
"Pozorisna predtava Agate Kristi pretocena u roman od strane Carlsa Ozborna.
Vidim da ima puno zalbi da se knige na cita kao da je pislala Agata, da nije dovoljno dobra itd. E sada moguce da je do prevoda ali meni licno nista nije bolo oci i da mi je neo rekao da je to sama spisateljica napisalapoverovao bi mu.
Sem toga ovo je manje vise klasicna Agata prica i meni je bila zabavna za citanje i prepoucio bi dalje. U detalje necu ulaziti da ne kvarimo misteriju.
Cheers"
May 9, 2019
Another of Christie’s stage plays novelised by Osborne.
Clarissa always wonders what she would do if she came across a dead in the library, it seems her wish has come true as she finds one in the drawing room!
I liked that Osborne sticks rigidly to the original play, so didn’t mind that the opening quarter of the book was more of a scene setter.
Once the plot really kicks in, it’s easy to be swept along.
I think this has been my favourite of the three play novels.
Clarissa always wonders what she would do if she came across a dead in the library, it seems her wish has come true as she finds one in the drawing room!
I liked that Osborne sticks rigidly to the original play, so didn’t mind that the opening quarter of the book was more of a scene setter.
Once the plot really kicks in, it’s easy to be swept along.
I think this has been my favourite of the three play novels.
October 11, 2021
Novelización de una obra teatral de Agatha Christie. Divertida y ligera.
No está nada mal, aunque me gustan más las novelas de la autora.
3,5🌟
No está nada mal, aunque me gustan más las novelas de la autora.
3,5🌟
November 17, 2020
3,5/5
Esta es la novelización de la obra de teatro más famosa de Agatha Christie por Charles Osborne. Es una novela muy divertida gracias a su protagonista Clarissa, una mujer casada con mucha imaginación.
En esta novela todo ocurre en un día en que Clarissa tiene invitados en su casa de campo, resulta que se encuentra un cadáver en el salón y decide pedir ayuda a sus invitados para deshacerse de el, ya que su marido está por llegar con una importante político......Hugo, Jeremy y Sir Roland(su tutor) trataran de ayudar a Clarissa en sus maquinaciones pero la situación se les va a complicar un poco....
Esta es la novelización de la obra de teatro más famosa de Agatha Christie por Charles Osborne. Es una novela muy divertida gracias a su protagonista Clarissa, una mujer casada con mucha imaginación.
En esta novela todo ocurre en un día en que Clarissa tiene invitados en su casa de campo, resulta que se encuentra un cadáver en el salón y decide pedir ayuda a sus invitados para deshacerse de el, ya que su marido está por llegar con una importante político......Hugo, Jeremy y Sir Roland(su tutor) trataran de ayudar a Clarissa en sus maquinaciones pero la situación se les va a complicar un poco....
July 18, 2022
La telaraña es una novelización de una obra teatral de Àgatha Christie. La novelización va a cargo de Charles Osborne, que es la única persona en el mundo con permiso para publicar en nombre de la autora.
Si buscáis en google os saldrá como Charles Osborne un señor que estuvo 68 años con hipo. Pues ese no es, es otro🤣
Es una lectura superágil, yo lo devoré en días. Se trata de un libro muy corto y también muy entretenido.
Nos encontramos todo el rato en em mismo escenario y los personajes son pocos, pero eso no nos libra de que la trama vaya enroscandose y dando vueltas.
Mantiene la intriga durante toda la lectura, hasta que se resuelve el misterio sorprendiendo a cualquiera.
Tiene escenas incluso divertidas. Vaya, que lo tiene todo. Por eso nuestra querida Àgatha es la reina del misterio.
Si buscáis en google os saldrá como Charles Osborne un señor que estuvo 68 años con hipo. Pues ese no es, es otro🤣
Es una lectura superágil, yo lo devoré en días. Se trata de un libro muy corto y también muy entretenido.
Nos encontramos todo el rato en em mismo escenario y los personajes son pocos, pero eso no nos libra de que la trama vaya enroscandose y dando vueltas.
Mantiene la intriga durante toda la lectura, hasta que se resuelve el misterio sorprendiendo a cualquiera.
Tiene escenas incluso divertidas. Vaya, que lo tiene todo. Por eso nuestra querida Àgatha es la reina del misterio.
September 30, 2023
لطالما تبهرنا "أجاثا كريستي" بحبكتها للأحداث, وكيف تتلاعب بنا كيفما تشاء.
تجعلنا نشك بالجميع, إلا بالشخص المناسب.
وهكذا كنا مع هذه الحكاية, التي يناسبها العنوان تماماً.
.
ماذا لو تحولت أحلام اليقظة إلى حقيقة, ماذا سوف تفعل وقتها؟
هذا ما حصل لزوجة الدبلوماسي "كلاريسا" عندما وجدت نفسها فجأة أمام جثة في مكتبة منزلها.
ماذا سوف تفعل الآن, بعد أن كانت تتخيل طوال يومها, أحداثاً مثيرة ومشوقة مثل هذه؟
كانت تتساءل مع نفسها ماذا سوف أفعل لو حصلت سرقة كبيرة في منزلي؟
أو ماذا سوف أفعل لو وجدت جثة في مرسمي؟
وهكذا كانت تعيش أحلامها النهارية, إلى أن تحولت إلى حقيقة.
والآن، السؤال الحقيقي هو، ماذا سوف تفعل "كلاريسا" بعد تحول الحلم إلى حقيقة! وكيف سوف تتعامل مع هذه الحادثة الشائقة وغير المتوقعة إطلاقًا؟
.
على الرغم من أنني من عشاق السيدة "أجاثا كريستي" إلا أنني وجدت نفسي أعاني في بداية القصة, لم تعجبني الحبكة أو الأحداث, إلى أن بدأت جريمة القتل, وحتى مع الجريمة, كانت الأحداث هذه المرة فوضوية وغير منطقية, على عكس قصصها السابقة التي تتميز بسلاسة الأحداث والتحركات الشائقة.
لا أنكر أن سوء الطبعة والترجمة كانا مؤثرين للغاية, للأسف العديد من الأخطاء الإملائية, بالإضافة إلى أخطاء في تسلسل الحوار, مما جعلني أتششت أكثر بين التنقل في سطور المحادثات وتوضيح الأحداث المهمة.
في نهاية الأمركانت تجربة ممتعة ولطيفة, أتمنى فقط أن تكون تجربتي القادمة أفضل من هذه.
تجعلنا نشك بالجميع, إلا بالشخص المناسب.
وهكذا كنا مع هذه الحكاية, التي يناسبها العنوان تماماً.
.
ماذا لو تحولت أحلام اليقظة إلى حقيقة, ماذا سوف تفعل وقتها؟
هذا ما حصل لزوجة الدبلوماسي "كلاريسا" عندما وجدت نفسها فجأة أمام جثة في مكتبة منزلها.
ماذا سوف تفعل الآن, بعد أن كانت تتخيل طوال يومها, أحداثاً مثيرة ومشوقة مثل هذه؟
كانت تتساءل مع نفسها ماذا سوف أفعل لو حصلت سرقة كبيرة في منزلي؟
أو ماذا سوف أفعل لو وجدت جثة في مرسمي؟
وهكذا كانت تعيش أحلامها النهارية, إلى أن تحولت إلى حقيقة.
والآن، السؤال الحقيقي هو، ماذا سوف تفعل "كلاريسا" بعد تحول الحلم إلى حقيقة! وكيف سوف تتعامل مع هذه الحادثة الشائقة وغير المتوقعة إطلاقًا؟
.
على الرغم من أنني من عشاق السيدة "أجاثا كريستي" إلا أنني وجدت نفسي أعاني في بداية القصة, لم تعجبني الحبكة أو الأحداث, إلى أن بدأت جريمة القتل, وحتى مع الجريمة, كانت الأحداث هذه المرة فوضوية وغير منطقية, على عكس قصصها السابقة التي تتميز بسلاسة الأحداث والتحركات الشائقة.
لا أنكر أن سوء الطبعة والترجمة كانا مؤثرين للغاية, للأسف العديد من الأخطاء الإملائية, بالإضافة إلى أخطاء في تسلسل الحوار, مما جعلني أتششت أكثر بين التنقل في سطور المحادثات وتوضيح الأحداث المهمة.
في نهاية الأمركانت تجربة ممتعة ولطيفة, أتمنى فقط أن تكون تجربتي القادمة أفضل من هذه.
October 14, 2018
Ortada bir cinayet ve ceset vardır. Ancak iş o kadar da basit değil. İşin içinde birden fazla sır ve gizem vardır. Agatha Christie benim için ustalığını bir daha göstermiştir.
https://kitapokurum.blogspot.com/2018...
https://kitapokurum.blogspot.com/2018...
October 21, 2020
Ένα από τα 3 θεατρικά της Κρίστι σε διασκευή ως μυθιστόρημα από τον Charles Osborne. Τα άλλα δύο είναι Απρόσμενος επισκέπτης και Πικρός Καφές. Έχοντας διαβάσει και λατρέψει το πρώτο, ανυπομονούσα να πιαστώ στον ιστό της αράχνης.
Και πέρασα ωραία, το διάβασα γρήγορα. Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα όπως σε άλλα δικά της. Θεωρώ πως υπήρχαν περιθώρια για πιο εντυπωσιακό φινάλε. Μου άρεσε επίσης πως στο τέλος κάθε κεφαλαίου, γινόταν μια ανατροπή που σε τραβούσε να συνεχίσεις την ανάγνωση!
Συνολικά, ένα ευχάριστο αστυνομικό, που εύκολα το φαντάζεσαι να το βλέπεις στο θέατρο. Παραστατικό και με ανατροπές.
Συνανάγνωση με την Αθηνά και περάσαμε υπέροχα όπως πάντα, αν και ήταν σύντομη, οι υποθέσεις μας και τα σχόλια, απολαυστικά! 😚😚
Και πέρασα ωραία, το διάβασα γρήγορα. Δεν ενθουσιάστηκα όπως σε άλλα δικά της. Θεωρώ πως υπήρχαν περιθώρια για πιο εντυπωσιακό φινάλε. Μου άρεσε επίσης πως στο τέλος κάθε κεφαλαίου, γινόταν μια ανατροπή που σε τραβούσε να συνεχίσεις την ανάγνωση!
Συνολικά, ένα ευχάριστο αστυνομικό, που εύκολα το φαντάζεσαι να το βλέπεις στο θέατρο. Παραστατικό και με ανατροπές.
Συνανάγνωση με την Αθηνά και περάσαμε υπέροχα όπως πάντα, αν και ήταν σύντομη, οι υποθέσεις μας και τα σχόλια, απολαυστικά! 😚😚
May 31, 2009
This book started out as an Agatha Christie play, and decades later was adapted to book form by Charles Osbourne. First things first, to get it off my chest, this book reads much like a play. Set in one main scene, in a single timeframe (a night), and heavily (and I mean heavily!) dialogue driven it feels like you are reading the play script.
Once you get past that fact, you get a very short and very average Agatha Christie mystery. The story, once you get passed the first 50 pages reads relatively quickly and ties you in, and you get glued into reading it. However the pay-off at the end is kinda a let down. It's very watered down Christie.
The Characters apart from the lead are very bland, and you never really care one piece about them. The lead (which reading the liner notes that go with the book, the play was written for, at her request so she could show her funny side), Clarissa is mildly entertaining and can be very humorous , but still feels very one-sided. I'm sure this is perfectly acceptable in the play but I expected in a novel adaption for more to be added to the characters (and the plot for that sake).
If your a hardcore Agatha Christie fan (like me), you will read this book and enjoy it. It will take you an afternoon or less to get through, and its just one more Christie to devour. Just don't think it's going to live anywhere up to any of her novels.
Once you get past that fact, you get a very short and very average Agatha Christie mystery. The story, once you get passed the first 50 pages reads relatively quickly and ties you in, and you get glued into reading it. However the pay-off at the end is kinda a let down. It's very watered down Christie.
The Characters apart from the lead are very bland, and you never really care one piece about them. The lead (which reading the liner notes that go with the book, the play was written for, at her request so she could show her funny side), Clarissa is mildly entertaining and can be very humorous , but still feels very one-sided. I'm sure this is perfectly acceptable in the play but I expected in a novel adaption for more to be added to the characters (and the plot for that sake).
If your a hardcore Agatha Christie fan (like me), you will read this book and enjoy it. It will take you an afternoon or less to get through, and its just one more Christie to devour. Just don't think it's going to live anywhere up to any of her novels.
August 5, 2019
Originally written as a play, it has been novelized by Charles Osborne. This is an interesting murder mystery centered on delightful character of Clarissa. Being a philatelist, I loved the plot since it centers around a philatelic rarity. Quite fast paced, the plot is made interesting by the various scenarios played by Clarissa. Great read
September 28, 2016
Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive! (Sir Walter Scott)
The irony of Spider’s Web, of course, is that our plucky heroine, the pretty, clever Clarissa Hailsham-Brown, only gets into trouble when she tries to tell the truth. An inveterate prankster, Clarissa is used to spinning tales and being believed. What makes things difficult is when Clarissa actually does stumble onto a dead body in the drawing-room. Then the ingenious Clarissa springs into action.
To say any more would be to spoil this short novel, which first appeared as a play in 1954, but was turned into a novel by Charles Osborne and published in 2000. Let’s just say that there are plenty of twists and turns and that I was caught completely by surprise by the ending. Even without either Hercules Poirot or Jane Marple, Spider’s Web has to rank amongst the most charming of Agatha Christie’s works.
If you have the chance to enjoy Hugh Fraser reading this work on Audible, don’t pass it up. And special thanks to Claire Wilson, who brought this book to my attention.
June 9, 2018
Kısa sürede okunan, akıcı bir hikayeydi. Zaten anladığım kadarıyla aslında oyun olarak oynanıyor. Katili tahmin etmek zor değil ama ben okurken kurguya dalıp düşünmedim bile. Gerçekten elinize aldığınız gibi bitirebileceğiniz bir kitap diyebilirim.
July 5, 2015
It keeps you guessing to the end!
December 12, 2019
أعتقد أن الروايات البوليسية لم تعد تثير إهتمامي 😑🙄
April 6, 2024
Entertaining relationship listening
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account
DNF
This is a play by Agatha Christie. This was not for me.
I would recommend that you give it a try. 2024
This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account
DNF
This is a play by Agatha Christie. This was not for me.
I would recommend that you give it a try. 2024
August 28, 2020
I thought this was a really fun mystery from Christie/Osbourne, very lighthearted. The main character - Clarissa Hailsham-Brown - was written really well. The story was good, and a satisfying ending.
March 1, 2022
For a while, I have been thinking about how to tell you all of my feelings on this book. At first, I didn't think the book was worthy of a review because there's not much to be said about it, but today I woke up and realized that the book that made me angry the whole way through (aside from the very beginning) deserves at least a mini-review. Here's a list of all the reasons I didn't like this:
1. The main character, Clarissa, whom we are supposed to like, is very annoying. She has almost no personality aside from liking to tell lies all the time and then being shocked when people don't believe her when she tells the truth. What did she expect? I know it's supposed to be a part of her character arc, but at the end of the book, she remained rather immature and frivolous, so obviously I never enjoyed reading about this person.
2. Her two male friends serve only as comic relief characters and "male friend" cliches.
3. Her third male friend, Jeremy, is such an obvious villain that it's unbelievable, even if this weren't an Agatha Christie novel. Also, his motive is senseless. He killed the rich guy and then threatened to kill both Clarissa and the nine-year-old child she takes care of for money, although he's already rich. I understand the lust for more money, but I don't think it's worth three murders.
4. Speaking of the rich guy, Oliver, he's every jerk father figure cliche inside of one character, conveniently like that so that the plot could move along easily and that there would be more suspects because he's simply that despicable.
5. I wish that Miranda, Oliver's wife, had shown up at some point in the story. She's only talked about when the plot demands it, so we never get to see her perspective or anything of her personality outside of those stories, and for not only Oliver's wife but also the mother of Philippa (the child), she's a strangely unimportant character.
6. Philippa isn't a convincing child character. The arc of the spider's web is the best she (and Clarissa) get, but aside from that, she's merely annoying comic relief. She keeps on saying that she's hungry and complaining about school and stuff, and I would have expected a bigger spark of life from a nine-year-old.
7. Every attempt at humour falls flat. I've already talked about the comic relief characters, and we could also say that Clarissa is one of them with her "quirky" untrue stories, but there's also a recurring theme about Jones being a cliche surname, and that's all for humour, which makes it seem like there was no effort put into it.
8. The book contains no prose whatsoever. Only the speech tags from the play remain, but with "X said" from time to time instead of "X:" I could never imagine anything. I never got a sense of setting. I couldn't tell you what a single room in the house looks like. It's obvious that Charles Osborne took advantage of the fact that Christie was senile at the time (hence all the books from that era having bad reception and this being written terribly for sure, so now I know that all of it must have been deserved) to make some money, but when you adapt a play into the written form, you do what was done with the plays of writers like Shakespeare, Wilde, etc. and simply transcribe the dialogue, stage directions, introductions and all that stuff. It's that easy!
9. I've read solely one Christie novel aside from Spider's Web, The Murder on Orient Express, but I know that she could do so much better than this, and that is also seen in the police investigations and the final gathered evidence. In the latter, the investigations are done carefully and every little clue matters, but in the former, the investigations don't really matter and there is barely any evidence. The final unravelling is simply Jeremy explaining how he came to have his stupid motive and how he managed to hit Oliver with the baseball bat while making it look like it was Philippa without being noticed. How underwhelming.
Now that I have finally cleansed myself of all these negative feelings, do I have any positive ones?
No. None. Even the length doesn't feel too right, but that's enough complaining for today. Thank you and goodbye.
1. The main character, Clarissa, whom we are supposed to like, is very annoying. She has almost no personality aside from liking to tell lies all the time and then being shocked when people don't believe her when she tells the truth. What did she expect? I know it's supposed to be a part of her character arc, but at the end of the book, she remained rather immature and frivolous, so obviously I never enjoyed reading about this person.
2. Her two male friends serve only as comic relief characters and "male friend" cliches.
3. Her third male friend, Jeremy, is such an obvious villain that it's unbelievable, even if this weren't an Agatha Christie novel. Also, his motive is senseless. He killed the rich guy and then threatened to kill both Clarissa and the nine-year-old child she takes care of for money, although he's already rich. I understand the lust for more money, but I don't think it's worth three murders.
4. Speaking of the rich guy, Oliver, he's every jerk father figure cliche inside of one character, conveniently like that so that the plot could move along easily and that there would be more suspects because he's simply that despicable.
5. I wish that Miranda, Oliver's wife, had shown up at some point in the story. She's only talked about when the plot demands it, so we never get to see her perspective or anything of her personality outside of those stories, and for not only Oliver's wife but also the mother of Philippa (the child), she's a strangely unimportant character.
6. Philippa isn't a convincing child character. The arc of the spider's web is the best she (and Clarissa) get, but aside from that, she's merely annoying comic relief. She keeps on saying that she's hungry and complaining about school and stuff, and I would have expected a bigger spark of life from a nine-year-old.
7. Every attempt at humour falls flat. I've already talked about the comic relief characters, and we could also say that Clarissa is one of them with her "quirky" untrue stories, but there's also a recurring theme about Jones being a cliche surname, and that's all for humour, which makes it seem like there was no effort put into it.
8. The book contains no prose whatsoever. Only the speech tags from the play remain, but with "X said" from time to time instead of "X:" I could never imagine anything. I never got a sense of setting. I couldn't tell you what a single room in the house looks like. It's obvious that Charles Osborne took advantage of the fact that Christie was senile at the time (hence all the books from that era having bad reception and this being written terribly for sure, so now I know that all of it must have been deserved) to make some money, but when you adapt a play into the written form, you do what was done with the plays of writers like Shakespeare, Wilde, etc. and simply transcribe the dialogue, stage directions, introductions and all that stuff. It's that easy!
9. I've read solely one Christie novel aside from Spider's Web, The Murder on Orient Express, but I know that she could do so much better than this, and that is also seen in the police investigations and the final gathered evidence. In the latter, the investigations are done carefully and every little clue matters, but in the former, the investigations don't really matter and there is barely any evidence. The final unravelling is simply Jeremy explaining how he came to have his stupid motive and how he managed to hit Oliver with the baseball bat while making it look like it was Philippa without being noticed. How underwhelming.
Now that I have finally cleansed myself of all these negative feelings, do I have any positive ones?
No. None. Even the length doesn't feel too right, but that's enough complaining for today. Thank you and goodbye.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2022
A fun mystery, that you could tell was not a Christie novel but a play.
It cluncked along, at rather an odd pace, filled with odd characters but with a great mystery threaded through it.
I'd love to see it on stage but I was left disappointed by the book.
It cluncked along, at rather an odd pace, filled with odd characters but with a great mystery threaded through it.
I'd love to see it on stage but I was left disappointed by the book.
June 29, 2023
OH MY GOD
March 10, 2022
Benim gibi polisiye delisi birinin ilk kez Agatha Christie okuyor olması çok garip gerçekten. Aslında ilk kez mi ondan da emin değilim, yıllar önce On Küçük Zenci’nin çizgi romanını okumuş olabilirim ama tek kelime bile hatırlayamıyorum. O yüzden bu kitaba ilk diyebiliriz. Nereden bilmiyorum ama Agatha Chrsite’nin tarzına bir kulak dolgunluğum varmış, kitap da tam beklediğim gibi çıktı. Bir cinayet işleniyor, polisler sorguya geliyor, olayı çözdüklerini düşünüyorlar ama kitap bitmek üzereyken bir plot twist oluyor ve katil başkası çıkıyor.
Arka kapaktaki iddiaya göre bu kitap yazarın ilk kez Türkçeye çevrilen bir eseriymiş. Yani çok uzun değil zaten, akıcı ve keyifliydi.
Arka kapaktaki iddiaya göre bu kitap yazarın ilk kez Türkçeye çevrilen bir eseriymiş. Yani çok uzun değil zaten, akıcı ve keyifliydi.
February 5, 2016
If you have never read an Agatha Christie story before, DO NOT READ THIS!!! This is NOT an Agatha Christie mystery novel. This reads as an amateurish fan-fic adaptation of a play - very heavy on trite, superficial dialogue, no character development, and stupid cinematic chaotic moments of idiotic actions and reactions. Clarissa is obviously a construct designed solely to play to the audience, falling prey to all the predictable pitfalls of being one of the 'weaker, vapid sex'. She continually whines that no one believes her when she does nothing but lie and for no apparent reason. The convoluted lie upon lie that unfolds is just too contrived and ridiculous to be used as a literary plot device as opposed to a more acceptable simplistic theatrical intrigue, which can be entertaining if acted well and you are feeling amenable. Only the basic plot outline and the layered lie itself sounded at all like Agatha Christie. The actual writing sounded like a high schooler's attempt to write their own murder mystery. The guilty party was fairly obvious from the beginning as you watched their initial actions in Scene One. Everyone else acted like they were recreating the Keystone Cops. Very disappointing. And with all that, I am downgrading its rating to the 1 star it deserves.
June 30, 2015
OMG. I had so much fun reading this. This is a novel adapted by one of Christie’s plays. It’s short and quick read. I read this during my one hour and 15 minutes flight from London to Amsterdam. I simply cannot put it down. Definitely a page-turner. (Being a Christie’s fan myself, I probably be biased about this.)
I love the plot, it’s simple and not complicated. The whole event took place at Clarissa’s house (heck, only one part of the house). Unpredictable, as usual. (I kept thinking that the gardener is the suspect)
I love the main character, Clarissa Hailsham. She’s charming, loveable and funny. I love her wittiness.
Overall, definitely worth read and I love it! (Not as good as And Then There Were None, but I love it!)
I love the plot, it’s simple and not complicated. The whole event took place at Clarissa’s house (heck, only one part of the house). Unpredictable, as usual. (I kept thinking that the gardener is the suspect)
I love the main character, Clarissa Hailsham. She’s charming, loveable and funny. I love her wittiness.
Overall, definitely worth read and I love it! (Not as good as And Then There Were None, but I love it!)
April 19, 2023
Livre trouvé dans une boite à Abel Tasman. Première lecture en anglais. Ça faisait longtemps que j'avais pas lu de polar.
January 20, 2019
Četvrta knjiga pročitana 2019. godine je "Paukova mreža" ("Spider's web" by Agatha Christie) najprije pisana kao pozorišni komad kojeg je Čarls Ozborn pretvorio u roman. Agata je jedinstvena i neponovljiva, nije bez razloga svjetski poznata sa najvećim brojem prevedenih i štampanih primjeraka svojih knjiga, odmah nakon Biblije i Šekspira. Jednostavno pisana, pitka, interesantna, priča, ne možete ostaviti knjigu dok je cijelu ne pročitate... Ovdje je glavna junjakinja sklona šalama, izmišljanju i simpatičnim smicalicama, a onda joj je u nekoliko sati izdešava toliko stvari da joj ni policija ni muž neće povjerovati da je to istina, a ne tek jedna od njenih izmišljotina.
August 25, 2021
An adaptation of Ms. Christie’s play into a novel, which I felt was more successful than Black Coffee. This novel did not have the feeling that everything was happening in one room, although of course it was in the play. Clarissa and her diplomatic husband, Henry, are renting a county house in order to get Henry’s daughter from his first marriage, Pipa, out of London after her mental breakdown due to her mother’s abandonment. Clarissa is entertaining some friends, Sir Rowland, Hugo and Jeremey, and they head over to the golf club. While they are gone, she is confronted by Oliver, the new husband of Henry’s ex-wife, and he seems surprised to see her. He claims that he is there to make arrangements for Pippa to move back with them. Pippa overhears and is adamant that she will not go back. Clarissa makes him leave and gets the gardener, an oppressive woman named Mrs. Peek, to escort him out. Clarissa sees to calming Pippa, getting her dinner, and then returns to the room to prepare it for her husband’s arrival with a foreign diplomat for a top secret meeting. It is then that she discovers Oliver’s dead body behind the sofa! She immediately calls the men back from the golf club and asks for their help in hiding the body. She says that she can’t call the police because of the impending arrival of her husband with the diplomat but before they can act, the police arrive on their own claiming an anonymous call told them there was a murder. The men managed to hide the body in the secret passage just in time and Clarissa tries to tell them that they were mistaken but they insist on searching the house and eventually find the body. They suspect that Clarissa killed him, thinking that he was a burglar, so that is the tale she tells them in order to protect Pippa who had “confessed” to Clarissa before the police arrived. It turns out that Pippa thought she had killed him because she put a spell on him, not because she actually struck him. Sir Rowland remembers that Pippa found a secret drawer in the desk and suspects that Oliver was really after something in the desk, left by the previous owner, and that someone else was after the same thing and killed him. That turned out to be true and it was Jeremy who killed him to get the rare stamp hidden in the desk. He snuck back to the house, hit him with his golf club, snuck back to the course and called the police, planning to frame Clarissa and Henry with the murder. A solid mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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