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and then there were three
, August 17, 2008
Far from being an homage to Agatha Christie, Charles Osborne's adaptation of Spider's Web into a novel is an affront to those who hold Christie dear to their hearts.
I fully realize that, as a play, visual cues and constant action are necessary to keep the audience attention. However, as a novel it is too busy, too twee, too full of every cliche' known to the genre - from the feckless, scatterbrained hostess to the loud, mannish female gardener. Agatha Christie was masterful at character development; there was always a depth, a vulnerability, an empathy, which is missing in this book. Furthermore, the constant references to her other works irritated me as being too clever by half, and, while it may be expected on the stage, is out of place in a novel.
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