This was my first Agatha Christie book. I thought I should read it before I saw the movie remake, even though I knew who committed the murder. It's crazy to think that it was written in 1934. I think it's interesting that Poirot and the doctor discuss the type of weapon, the depth of the blows (some "glancing" and some strong enough to sever blood vessels), right-handed stabs vs. left-handed stabs. It was like reading an episode of CSI. ;)
I thought it was clever how AC strung the reader along. The kidnapping and murder of Daisy Armstrong was mentioned in relation to Samuel Ratchett, but no one else seemed tied to it. Poirot spent time thinking about the eclectic group of people gathered together on the train: an Italian chauffeur, an English governess, a Swedish nurse, a French lady's amid, etc and came to the conclusion that only in America would there be a household comprised of so many different nationalities.
Poirot proposes two theories to the assembled group about who committed the murder - and the timing of it all. After laying out both theories, it was decided unanimously that the first theory would be presented to the police. Now THAT would NOT happen on a CSI episode, where truth always wins out, no matter what the consequences.
This was a quick read. An old-time detective novel. It was almost like playing a game of Clue. I enjoyed it and will definitely watch the movie now.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
This story is set in a Chechnya village that is being terrorized by Russian soldiers on the lookout for Chechen rebels. This wasn't the easiest book to follow sometimes. Even though each chapter heading highlighted the year the events happened, it was still confusing at times. One thing that adds to the complexity is that you are introduced to each character as they appear towards the end of the story. As the story progresses, you go back in time and find out so much more about each character and they become much less one-dimensional. The main characters in this book cannot be labeled as "good" or "bad", "kind" or "evil". They all experience life-threatening experiences which change them forever. They make hurtful decisions at times. They are brave; they are scared; they succeed; they fail. Most of them are downright lonely. Another interesting technique the author uses is telling the future of the characters randomly, like how many more years they would live, or when they would die, or what they would end up doing. It wasn't foreshadowing, it was simply stated as a fact.
There are also the connections that you don't know about right away. Secret loves - and the babies/deaths that are the results of those relationships. Each character had some admirable traits - but also some rather deep flaws. The most misunderstood person in the book would be Khassan's son, Ramzan. Khassan & Akhmed obviously knew what had happened to Ramzan the first time he was taken to the Landfill, but they didn't seem to understand that most of his actions were a result of trying to always have access to the insulin and food that his father needed to stay alive. I also felt bad for Ramzan because his own father favored another man, who happened to be one of his best friends. I thought it was horrible that Ramzan betrayed his two best friends, among others, but when we find out what he did to save Dokka's life initially - in addition to his father's life - it just makes Ramzan's character complicated, not "evil". I liked Khassan, but I wished he would have loved Ramzan as much as Akhmed - and understood the reasons he did what he did.
I liked Sonja, as crabby as she was at times. I loved that she and Akhmed developed a relationship, short-lived as is was. (Unfortunately). Sonja carried the weight of the world on her shoulders - and many things did not turn out how she hoped it would. I felt sad that she lost everyone she cared for - except Havaa. I am so happy that Sonja and Havaa found each other.
Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. What a perfect title for this book. The story itself is a great definition of what the title means. When the subject outlasts its experiment.
Wendy's Rating: ****
There are also the connections that you don't know about right away. Secret loves - and the babies/deaths that are the results of those relationships. Each character had some admirable traits - but also some rather deep flaws. The most misunderstood person in the book would be Khassan's son, Ramzan. Khassan & Akhmed obviously knew what had happened to Ramzan the first time he was taken to the Landfill, but they didn't seem to understand that most of his actions were a result of trying to always have access to the insulin and food that his father needed to stay alive. I also felt bad for Ramzan because his own father favored another man, who happened to be one of his best friends. I thought it was horrible that Ramzan betrayed his two best friends, among others, but when we find out what he did to save Dokka's life initially - in addition to his father's life - it just makes Ramzan's character complicated, not "evil". I liked Khassan, but I wished he would have loved Ramzan as much as Akhmed - and understood the reasons he did what he did.
I liked Sonja, as crabby as she was at times. I loved that she and Akhmed developed a relationship, short-lived as is was. (Unfortunately). Sonja carried the weight of the world on her shoulders - and many things did not turn out how she hoped it would. I felt sad that she lost everyone she cared for - except Havaa. I am so happy that Sonja and Havaa found each other.
Life: a constellation of vital phenomena - organization, irritability, movement, growth, reproduction, adaptation. What a perfect title for this book. The story itself is a great definition of what the title means. When the subject outlasts its experiment.
Wendy's Rating: ****
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Never judge a book by its cover! This novel centers around three women - and the cover of the book has three women, arms locked together, walking along a path. I assumed the "lilac girls" were the three main characters. Boy was I wrong! I kept wondering how the German doctor would join forces with the Polish girl and the American to fight against Hitler and the Nazis. Ha! Not even close.
As most stories written about World War II, this story was disturbing, sad and enlightening. Up to the point in the story when Herta arrives for her new position at the "re-education camp" Ravensbruck, I felt bad for her. She was being sexually abused by her uncle - and her aunt apparently knew about it. She was a female doctor and wasn't even allowed to study surgery because she was female. When she showed up at Ravensbruck and seemed disturbed by some of the things she witnessed that first day, I thought for sure that if she stayed there, it would only be to try to save people. I still cannot believe how wrong I was! She was evil. She was a horrible person. To think that she operated on all of those healthy young girls, contaminating them with contagions, watching them suffer week after week - and then wanting them all executed to cover up what she did. I wanted her hung like the rest of her "colleagues". She didn't deserve to live after the physical abuse, emotional abuse and deaths she caused by her actions. They took away her medical license?? Big frickin deal.
Kasia was understandably slow to work through the abuse she suffered and the guilt she felt about her mother's death. I have to admit that I became very impatient with her though! After 12 years, she was STILL shutting out the people who loved her: her dad, her "stepmom", her husband, her daughter.... I felt like shaking some sense into her. She was so reluctant to support her beloved sister, Zuzanna, who just wanted to be happy with the man she loved and adopt a child, even after finding out that Zuzanna was sterilized at Ravensbruck. It was really hard to take after awhile. Zuzanna deserved to be happy. She had been through as much as Kasia. I wasn't sure how Kasia was going to handle her meeting with Herta - but I was proud of how she handled it. Although we had to wait until the last page of the book, Kasia was finally able to move forward with her life as a woman, wife and mother. It was a long wait though.
Caroline was amazing. I really, really liked her and her mother. They were both so fierce and relentless and kind and loving. Caroline made some interesting decisions along the way, but those decisions were true to her character. She was definitely a one-man woman! Once she met Paul, there would be no one else for her. I completely agreed with her decision to not be involved with him after his wife, Rena, was found alive, but I still felt incredibly sad for her. I am glad that they were "reunited" (at least that was the inference) at the end. I actually thought that she would adopt a child, even before we found out that Serge and Zuzanna were adopting a child. She wanted a baby so badly. That made me sad too, that she didn't get to marry the man she loved or have a baby with him. It was astounding that she persuaded all of the Polish woman (the rabbits) to meet with her, fly to America, consent to various surgeries, stay away from home and their families for several months before returning home to Poland. She must have been very persuasive and charismatic. I understood Kasia's fear about all of that.
What makes this book all the more remarkable is that most of the people were real: Herta Oberheuser and her fellow doctors, Caroline Ferriday and her family, the "rabbits".... Very well-written story.
Wendy's Rating: *****
As most stories written about World War II, this story was disturbing, sad and enlightening. Up to the point in the story when Herta arrives for her new position at the "re-education camp" Ravensbruck, I felt bad for her. She was being sexually abused by her uncle - and her aunt apparently knew about it. She was a female doctor and wasn't even allowed to study surgery because she was female. When she showed up at Ravensbruck and seemed disturbed by some of the things she witnessed that first day, I thought for sure that if she stayed there, it would only be to try to save people. I still cannot believe how wrong I was! She was evil. She was a horrible person. To think that she operated on all of those healthy young girls, contaminating them with contagions, watching them suffer week after week - and then wanting them all executed to cover up what she did. I wanted her hung like the rest of her "colleagues". She didn't deserve to live after the physical abuse, emotional abuse and deaths she caused by her actions. They took away her medical license?? Big frickin deal.
Kasia was understandably slow to work through the abuse she suffered and the guilt she felt about her mother's death. I have to admit that I became very impatient with her though! After 12 years, she was STILL shutting out the people who loved her: her dad, her "stepmom", her husband, her daughter.... I felt like shaking some sense into her. She was so reluctant to support her beloved sister, Zuzanna, who just wanted to be happy with the man she loved and adopt a child, even after finding out that Zuzanna was sterilized at Ravensbruck. It was really hard to take after awhile. Zuzanna deserved to be happy. She had been through as much as Kasia. I wasn't sure how Kasia was going to handle her meeting with Herta - but I was proud of how she handled it. Although we had to wait until the last page of the book, Kasia was finally able to move forward with her life as a woman, wife and mother. It was a long wait though.
Caroline was amazing. I really, really liked her and her mother. They were both so fierce and relentless and kind and loving. Caroline made some interesting decisions along the way, but those decisions were true to her character. She was definitely a one-man woman! Once she met Paul, there would be no one else for her. I completely agreed with her decision to not be involved with him after his wife, Rena, was found alive, but I still felt incredibly sad for her. I am glad that they were "reunited" (at least that was the inference) at the end. I actually thought that she would adopt a child, even before we found out that Serge and Zuzanna were adopting a child. She wanted a baby so badly. That made me sad too, that she didn't get to marry the man she loved or have a baby with him. It was astounding that she persuaded all of the Polish woman (the rabbits) to meet with her, fly to America, consent to various surgeries, stay away from home and their families for several months before returning home to Poland. She must have been very persuasive and charismatic. I understood Kasia's fear about all of that.
What makes this book all the more remarkable is that most of the people were real: Herta Oberheuser and her fellow doctors, Caroline Ferriday and her family, the "rabbits".... Very well-written story.
Wendy's Rating: *****
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