tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post8975460732497719373..comments2024-03-28T09:33:29.705+00:00Comments on Clothes In Books: Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio MarshClothes In Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-83148663218997657132017-07-03T19:28:44.477+01:002017-07-03T19:28:44.477+01:00I loved the footman, I thought it made up for some...I loved the footman, I thought it made up for some weaker aspects... <br />I can't remember much of the solution, which I think tells its own story as this was posted only in March. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-55088052699708900732017-07-03T18:40:32.203+01:002017-07-03T18:40:32.203+01:00I had completely the wrong idea why the footman wo...I had completely the wrong idea why the footman would be dancing, the actual occurrence was much better. And it is not one of Marsh's titles which should be read in a surprising way. (Scales of Justice, say.)<br /><br />It was quite enjoyable, but not to difficult to guess the general idea of the solution. I confess I did not totally understand the description of how the murder happened. Johanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14957635441637987216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-53788965824505815532017-04-03T22:13:58.351+01:002017-04-03T22:13:58.351+01:00If the books are not drawing you in you should pro...If the books are not drawing you in you should probably leave them for now... not as if you don't have anything else to read!Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-1144270239627278752017-04-03T22:13:04.772+01:002017-04-03T22:13:04.772+01:00If you were writing novels that would be the start...If you were writing novels that would be the start of something big - what? Maybe you find a note in your pocket, but it's meant for the other girl?Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-34887127194121167922017-04-02T20:32:51.060+01:002017-04-02T20:32:51.060+01:00I think it was sold by Sears, so it's not too ...I think it was sold by Sears, so it's not too odd that we had the same one. Most of the clothes I had as a kid that weren't made by my mom were from Sears. And the three of us were pretty close in size and shape, so that didn't clue us in. I had no idea I had the wrong one until one of the other moms called about it!carrpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726596939143045758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-58451915459011301132017-04-02T18:35:14.225+01:002017-04-02T18:35:14.225+01:00I am glad you asked since looking into made me rea...I am glad you asked since looking into made me realize that I don't have all the remaining books by Marsh, and I thought I did. Last book I read was Night at the Vulcan, August 2012. The 15 before that I read in 2003, all in two months time. Of the remaining 16 books, I have nine. I liked Night at the Vulcan but it wasn't as enjoyable as I had remembered and I guess other books have called to me more since then.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-84070020157863502592017-04-02T12:49:04.461+01:002017-04-02T12:49:04.461+01:00I'm never too sure where you are up to with Ma...I'm never too sure where you are up to with Marsh - will you be reading any soon? I always think they'll be handy for Rich's Crimes of the Century, as she wrote a book most years in her heyday, but somehow it rarely works out. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-16782538587209715862017-04-02T12:48:02.315+01:002017-04-02T12:48:02.315+01:00It sounds like a beautiful coat (I'd like one ...It sounds like a beautiful coat (I'd like one now) but it's very specific for there to be 3 identical ones! Were you different sizes and shapes - was someone squeezed into a too-small one while another was swamped...?Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-61507224163402121512017-03-31T23:39:12.723+01:002017-03-31T23:39:12.723+01:00I like country house mysteries, but I don't th...I like country house mysteries, but I don't think I will go back and reread this one, even though I don't remember a thing about it.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-90956103527722905772017-03-31T23:06:04.641+01:002017-03-31T23:06:04.641+01:00The bit about the matching coats reminded me of wh...The bit about the matching coats reminded me of when I was six (but not Christopher Robin), and Janet Donais, Chrissy D'Amico and I had identical car coats and one day all left school with the wrong coat. I remember exactly what it looked like: small wale bright red-orange corduroy, dull red and grey plaid flannel lining, hood and toggle closures. So stylish -- no wonder three of us had the same one!carrpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726596939143045758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-63300533183372857512017-03-31T22:12:55.655+01:002017-03-31T22:12:55.655+01:00That's excellent analysis: she can be so funny...That's excellent analysis: she can be so funny - and as you say gossip-y and bitchy, and I can never understand why she turns it on and off. But feeling she 'ought' to be more of a traditional crime writer is a very good explanation, it's very convincing.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-64561503989046921962017-03-31T22:11:10.011+01:002017-03-31T22:11:10.011+01:00Thanks, interesting info. I guess cosmetic surgery...Thanks, interesting info. I guess cosmetic surgery did develop from doctors trying to help those wounded in WW1. I remember reading about the paraffin injections, it made me shudder.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-81898204097252375162017-03-31T21:21:10.411+01:002017-03-31T21:21:10.411+01:00It's a recent book, but Louisa Young has a lot...It's a recent book, but Louisa Young has a lot of detail about the early days of plastic (rather than cosmetic) surgery in WWI in "My Dear I Wanted to Tell You". And in the sequel "The Heroes' Welcome" one of the characters has some rather gruesome cosmetic treatments (chemical peel type things) and I think there's mention of some dodgy techniques (injecting paraffin wax etc).Susanna Taylernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-19842399293108329062017-03-31T17:27:59.860+01:002017-03-31T17:27:59.860+01:00At times it feels as though Marsh was scared by Fr...At times it feels as though Marsh was scared by Freeman Wills Croft at an early age and never quite got over it. I suspect that she would really have been much happier saying nasty things about the characters and giving us lots of gossip about behind-the-scenes of whatever the setting of the novel is. But she always drags in those 'If-x-was-in-the-library-then-Y-could-not-have-taken-the-shortcut-to-the-study' discussions that read like a book I had as a teenager that showed one how to program computers with the help of little murder mysteries that could be cracked by giving the computer the right instructions. Solving crimes by mathematics is dull.<br /><br />The fact that Alleyn turns up three quarters of the way through does rather suggest that she wasn't that bothered about having him in this book but a) she couldn't be bothered to invent another detective b) the publisher was pressuring her for another Alleyn!<br /><br />That quote about the rubber pelicans was wonderful.<br /><br />ggaryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-2180070351840222102017-03-30T16:45:01.072+01:002017-03-30T16:45:01.072+01:00Oh YES! It's you to a T. Take it up at once.Oh YES! It's you to a T. Take it up at once.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-19553557991315777802017-03-30T16:44:09.498+01:002017-03-30T16:44:09.498+01:00I'm not sure it's the worst one. It's ...I'm not sure it's the worst one. It's ludicrous, but so are many of her plot devices... I think Overture to Death was worse. Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-8034266375075595272017-03-30T16:40:06.567+01:002017-03-30T16:40:06.567+01:00Not even a little bit your kind of book...Not even a little bit your kind of book...Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-64654241231429880522017-03-30T16:39:38.596+01:002017-03-30T16:39:38.596+01:00Well if anyone knows if it's a topic in any ot...Well if anyone knows if it's a topic in any other story it will be you! I'll expect you to think hard and adjudicate.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-8753960627247449462017-03-30T16:38:55.158+01:002017-03-30T16:38:55.158+01:00Yes - she cant't help herself with those long ...Yes - she cant't help herself with those long boring middle bits can she? But I could live with that for the incidental joys.Clothes In Bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14680610242823846662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-50708177858921781482017-03-30T13:45:01.596+01:002017-03-30T13:45:01.596+01:00From now on, I'm going to call myself Madame L...From now on, I'm going to call myself Madame Lisse....Lissanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-27353959970005679382017-03-30T13:23:29.946+01:002017-03-30T13:23:29.946+01:00Isn't this the one with the, er, plot device t...Isn't this the one with the, er, plot device that you figure any mystery writer worth her salt wouldn't use . . . but then Marsh does, and you have to ask why Ronald Knox wasn't standing over her shoulder admonishing her? Brad (ahsweetmystery)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12012914349226406144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-57614843951484224152017-03-30T12:47:47.786+01:002017-03-30T12:47:47.786+01:00Hmm...I'm glad you haven't spoiled things ...Hmm...I'm glad you haven't spoiled things for me! Hahacol2910https://www.blogger.com/profile/06422138069939709043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-87775822217424056712017-03-30T12:42:05.197+01:002017-03-30T12:42:05.197+01:00It is interesting, isn't it, Moira, that Marsh...It is interesting, isn't it, Moira, that Marsh would have included cosmetic surgery as a plot thread. That really wasn't common as a plot thread (I wonder if it is even now?). I've always liked the way Marsh set up her stories, too. You usually get to know some of the characters, etc., before the actual murder(s).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6129427507761315524.post-11727392314825706052017-03-30T12:01:34.125+01:002017-03-30T12:01:34.125+01:00For me I enjoyed the setup of this one, but found ...For me I enjoyed the setup of this one, but found as usual the investigation of the crime let Marsh down. The Dancing Footman bit is definitely funny though. Katehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05616800837907092489noreply@blogger.com