The Woman in the Alcove Anna Katharine Green 9781516988037 Books
Download As PDF : The Woman in the Alcove Anna Katharine Green 9781516988037 Books
I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest—up to one o'clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate. I was not made for love. This I had often said to myself; very often of late. In figure I am too diminutive, in face far too unbeautiful, for me to cherish expectations of this nature. Indeed, love had never entered into my plan of life, as was evinced by the nurse's diploma I had just gained after three years of hard study and severe training. I was not made for love. But if I had been; had I been gifted with height, regularity of feature, or even with that eloquence of expression which redeems all defects save those which savor of deformity, I knew well whose eye I should have chosen to please, whose heart I should have felt proud to win.
The Woman in the Alcove Anna Katharine Green 9781516988037 Books
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Tags : The Woman in the Alcove [Anna Katharine Green] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest—up to one o'clock. Then my whole world crumbled,Anna Katharine Green,The Woman in the Alcove,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1516988035,Classics,Fiction,Fiction Classics,Literature: Classics,Reference
The Woman in the Alcove Anna Katharine Green 9781516988037 Books Reviews
I'm so happy to see some of the great works of Anna Katherine Green; she has become one of my favorite writers, after I ran out of Christie's books to read. I found out that Agatha Christie, got into writing after reading Greens' books, who was a bestselling author who publishing about 40 books. I read she was first poet and later became a novelist to get attention to her poetry, however, she was so successful at mystery plotting, (she was an expert at the gradual unfolding of the mystery through the successful unearthing of clue after clue), that she dove right into mystery writing only.
She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing legally accurate stories, something like Law and Order in the way that the stories are accurate and sometimes based on actual cases. Her many fans besides me, include such literary luminaries as Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and Agatha Christie. In fact, not just Christie, but Rinehart wrote that it was the novels of Anna Katharine Green which first inspired her to become writers of mystery fiction to.
The Woman in the Alcove is one of her best novels, and a great mystery, I'm such a fan, and so happy to have found these books, that a year ago I had never heard of. Here's how this mystery starts..."I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest - up to one o'clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate...." I'll let you in on one thing and one thing only it wasn't the Butler!
If you love a mystery, if you love Christie, or Rinehart, you'll love this book too! Green has the ability to make her novels feel rich and complete, and the mystery sound.
Now back to my mystery!
A forerunner of the classic English mystery genre, The Woman in the Alcove was written by an American in 1905. Miss Van Arsdale, short and plain, is a member of the lower echelon of New York's high society, and has recently resigned her self to a life as a spinster nurse. As the story opens, she is attending a grand party at the Ramsdells' mansion, and is swept off her feet by Anson Durand, who proposes marriage. But the star of the evening is not a person; it is the spectacular diamond worn by the elegant Mrs. Fairbrother.
During the course of the evening, Mr. Durand and Miss Van Arsdale are often separated, and she notices some decidedly odd goings-on in the curtained alcove at the end of one of the large salons. It comes to pass that Mrs. Fairbrother is murdered there, ostensibly for her diamond, and Mr. Durand, alas, is the prime suspect.
But Miss Van Arsdale is certain that her one true love is innocent. Could this be a set-up? She determines to discover who is the real perpetrator, and manages to convince Inspector Dalzell to assist her in quest to identify that true villain.
This book is a delight to read if only for its illustrations. The plot is an intriguing one, but it is narrated in the first person, which by necessity makes it a "talky" sort of mystery, with only brief episodes of action. The vocabulary and speech patterns of the day contribute to that quality. Also, it was rather difficult to believe that Miss Van Arsdale could fall so instantly and completely in love with a man with whom she had never spoken to prior this meeting. Finally, Inspector Dalzell comes across as a rather blinkered detective, having made up his mind that first night that Durand had to be guilty.
Miss Van Arsdale is a true Edwardian heroine. The Woman in the Alcove, despite its naivete, is a very proper yet very enjoyable little mystery that deserves a modern readership.
a very proper mystery thusly to boring for me in fairness i guess i enjoy more of a thriller that is a page turner
Very much enjoyed this read. The ending was a bit of a surprise. I would recommend this book and its author.
I enjoyed the story. The plot was well written and the atmosphere was not overdone. Told in first person, the story was more interesting.
Miss Van Arsdale is an unusual member of a detective team, a newly trained young nurse, unexpectedly pursued and won by an attractive man, only to find that he has blundered into being the prime suspect in a murder and diamond theft. Detective Stillwater, too, makes a notable appearance, and Inspector Dalzell officially closes the case.
The plot is too complex and contrived, and a bit too drawn out, to be one of Greene's best, but the writing is good.
eBook
There are a couple issues with the electronic version. There are some typos, most noticeably the fact that "lie" is sometimes used where the word "him" should be. There are also references to floorplans and a writing sample, but these do not seem to be included in the electronic version. While the writing sample is not crucial, the floorplan would help clarify movements of characters during the commission of the crime.
Content
All in all this is a good story. I read "The House of the Whispering Pines" just recently and this is very much in that style. Lots of fainting and several comments about a "woman's place," combined with detailed detective work and an impressive grasp on crime. It's an unusual combination. It's a quick read - I had a hard time putting it down as I wanted to know what happens next. All in all very enjoyable story.
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