Much Dithering (1938) by Dorothy Lambert

🔴 Much Dithering is the name of a small, tucked-away, and peaceful village in England, where nothing has ever stirred the existence of its inhabitants. The inhabitants are mostly proud and dignified people, from its landed-gentry to the working classes. Amidst them all, the young widow Jocelyn Renshawe (our heroine) is the most unlikely to have adventure, let alone romance. She had had a loveless marriage, hence does not have any inkling about love. Her existence has been dedicated in her household, the church and charity works, and in obeying her mother-in-law (the Honorable Lady Augusta Renshawe) and her aunt. As far as Jocelyn's concern, she would grow old a penniless spinster, since the inheritance would be passed on to Lady Augusta's long lost nephew.

🔴 As usual, there should be some newcomers who would stir the peaceful existence in such a quaint village. And that roles fall on these personages; Colonel Tidmarsh - a dull retired army man; the rich family (new money) of Murchison-Bellabys whose ambition was to settled down on the village as respectable family; Ermyntrude - Jocelyn's estranged mother - who is on the lookout for a rich husband to be settled down with; and, last but not least, Gervase Blythe - a young man with unknown past, but who'd charmed everyone. Lady Augusta and Jocelyn's aunt had decided that Jocelyn should marry the dull Colonel Tidmarsh, in order to secure their darling's future. The Colonel himself is attracted by Jocelyn, who, being a typical dutiful daughter, never realizes her innocent beauty and charm, and thus, appears more attractive than women who try hard to look beautiful (heavily made-up like Ermyntrude, for instance). 🔴 The Murchison-Bellaby's son Adrian, is the second man who's instantly attracted to Jocelyn. The problem is, he's also the one for whom Ermyntrude had been 'aiming'. Then, there's Gervase Blythe, whose accidental introduction to Jocelyn left a lasting memory to the young widow. So, you see, that the central comedy of this story is how Jocelyn, believed by everyone to be the dullest woman in the village, found herself wooed by, not one, not two, but three men at the same time. And the charming job of the readers is to guest who would win her heart and how she sorted herself out from these entanglements. Oh, you would easily guess the answer, as well as to 'solve' the mystery of some jewelry theft in the hitherto very peaceful village. All in all, it was the kind of a charming, delightful, lighthearted read that I always love!  

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (1938) by Winifred Watson #SpinsterSeptember

 

❤️ It's September again, and as usual I am going to do #SpinsterSeptember. It is an annual event found, and usually hosted, by Nora @pear.jelly. I have checked her Instagram; her last post was in March, and there were no sign that she will be hosting again this year. Well, in that case, I'm going solo. It is such a good idea to read and explore books about spinsters. My first read is Winifred Watson's Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - and what a "riot" it has been! I listened to the audiobook, and Frances McDormand did a fantastic job to enlivened this charming story, which was, as the title indicated, actually happening on the span of twenty four hours. I have learned too, that Frances McDormand herself plays Miss Pettigrew in the 2008 film.

❤️ The revolve around Guinevere Pettigrew, a spinster of almost forty years old. She was born and grew up in the 1930s of England, in a prudish family of a vicar. Her mother has brought her up as tightly as in a convent that she never had neither youthful fun nor adult love growing up. Currently she's working as governess - and not good at it either. Worst of all, Miss Pettigrew has been sacked from her last job - where she's become more of a nursemaid than governess - and if she doesn't find any new job soon, she will end up in a work house - penniless as she is now. Hence, when a position is opening, she snatched it up immediately, and with much trepidation, arrived at her destination, the home of a Miss LaFosse. ❤️ It turns out that Miss Delysia LaFosse is a glamorous nightclub singer, with apparently no children to be seen. Miss Pettigrew wonders what kind of children would be her charge, but before she has chance to inquire, Miss LaFosse tasked her to 'handle' her undesired beau. Successful at her first task, Miss Pettigrew soon gets herself entangled in the midst of London's glitzy society. Instead of handling unruly children, Miss Pettigrew finds herself being dressed, made-up, and "whirled around" from one dazzling party to another, witness of love affairs and the ensued drama, all in one day - one eventful day that will turn her life completely. ❤️ This book is a perfectly written comedy, and I love it! What I meant with perfect comedy is that it isn't the raw-slapstick one like Wodehouse's. It lays rather in the witty dialogs, particularly in Miss Pettigrew's part, and the good timing of the dialogs that created an opening for Miss Pettigrew's stage. The exhilarating adventures that Miss Pettigrew succeeded in having, out of the series of those mischances, coupled with her humble views of all that, are what I love most about this novel. In a way, there's a little of 'Cinderella touch' in the story - the poverty-crunched maiden getting a glittering moment of her life. The problem is, whether it will end with "happily-ever-after" kind of moment, or will it be a more heartwarming one? Anyhow, this is the kind of book I would cherish for a long time, and that I might want to re-read every now and then. Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Artists in Crime (1938) by Ngaio Marsh

🎨 Chief Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn was on his annual leave holiday when he first met Agatha Troy. The encounter happened right after Alleyn, on board a cruise from Fiji, "exercised" his visual observation on the scenery of the wharf and the shore. Agatha Troy, a painter, was finishing her paint on the same scenery on deck, and Roderick commented upon it, which he regretted instantly. The brief introduction left a significant effect upon both persons, and would affect their next involvement in a murder case.

🎨 Agatha Troy lives in Tatler’s End House, very near the resident of Alleyn's mother, Lady Alleyn. She (Troy) housed several student-artists, who work at her studio. A model was engaged to pose every day, while the students perfecting their paintings or sculpting. One of the students got a commission to illustrate a crime novel's cover, where the victim was stabbed with a knife that's hidden under a drape. The students discussed about the feasibility of it, experimenting with real knife and drape, to suggest the pose for the nude model, Sonia Gluck. One morning, when she preparing herself for the pose, she was knifed through from under the dais/bench she's supposed to pose on. A clever murderer has put the knife in the right position. But which one of them done it? 🎨 Alleyn handled the case since he was staying at her mother's house, which was near the crime scene. He was reluctant, because it was clearly to us, readers, that Alleyn had been smitten by Miss Troy! The romance aspect added a little spark for this mystery, where the mystery itself was rather far from satisfaction. Speaking about motive vs opportunity, the motive is not clear, because apparently Sonia Gluck was a 'pain-in-the-ass' as a model; she's a spoilt girl, fidgeted too much, and seemed to be deliberately ruin everyone's work. Nobody liked her, and it gave them all, including Troy - whose 'masterpiece-painting-to-be' was ruined by Gluck, a motive. About the opportunity, though, I saw instantly who had the best opportunity of all. It's right there, clear as day, and I wondered how nobody even suggested it. Not even Alleyn, not at first, at least. I wonder, have I read too many detective novels to be able to be unsuspecting enough to enjoy one?

🎨 Anyway, all evidence pointed to one student who'd left the studio for London, where he would finish his big sculpting commission - a gig which many believed would give him a breakthrough to his career. But his whereabout was unknown to anyone, and even after some police broadcasts, he never showed up. I knew instantly that this man would be the second victim. And it was right enough. On this second murder, too, I have instantly suspected the murderer due to their ambiguous story. It's not really fun when you can guess the whodunnit of a crime novel that easily. Luckily, the artistic aspect of this novel made up for it a little; I loved reading about the student's daily routine, as well as following Alleyn's train of thoughts while tracing for clues from the student's art works and their scattered tools - left behind suddenly after the tragedy. The character of Lady Alleyn - to whom Alleyn was fond of, and in whose presence he became a son, instead of detective - added a charm to this novel, although I don't really like how Alleyn (and his journalist friend Bathgate) told her many aspects of the investigation. Though I guess, that must be normal in real life? Anyway, Lady Alleyn's concern about her son's love affair (or the lack of it) is really sweet.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐1/2