MISS PYM DISPOSES

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, well worth reading
Review: I first read "Brat Farrar" when I was about 14 years of age. Over the 20 years since then I have read all of Josephine Tey's other books, most recently, "Miss Pym Disposes".

If you have not read her other works, my advice is not to start with this one. Having said that, it is well worth reading. Her ability to create exactly the right atmosphere is amazing, definitely one of those "I cant put this down until I finish it" experiences.

However, to my mind, the ending is just "wrong" - I cant say more than that without giving it away - hence the four stars instead of five.

Rating:
Summary: Mysterious Ending
Review: I think the ending lacks closure but it makes you want to go back and reread the parts where Miss Pym speaks to Mary Innes after showing her the pin. I thought that the last few lines of the book were horrible but I liked the way the story ended with Miss Pym finding out just at the last moment who could have done it. The book gets four stars because it has a good solid plot. Overall, I liked it.

Rating:
Summary: Rather dated...
Review: I've always liked Josephine Tey , especially Brat Farrar, The Singing Sands and The Man in the Queue but, unlike those books, I found this book to be rather dated in terms of plot and dialogue and the character of Miss Pym to be somewhat tedious and pedantic. I don't think it's held up as well as the best of Tey's work. If you've never read Tey before, this is definitely not the book to start with.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly engrossing.
Review: Not really a member of the mystery genre, Miss Pym Disposes nevertheless keeps you fascinated. Her characters are complete and rich, and her setting descriptions create a true mental ambience. I agree with the previous reviewer who said the ending was a little weak. But I would have loved to know more about Miss Pym and Alan, wouldn't you?

Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and unsettling
Review: The setting of this book (a girls' school) is more claustrophobic than many of Tey's other mysteries, but her exploration of human nature is no less deep. A sullen, unpopular girl is awarded a valuable scholarship, instead of the candidate favored by their classmates and teachers. When the former is found "accidentally" dead under suspicious circumstances, Miss Pym is drawn involuntarily into helping to solve the mystery. Her analysis of who could have done it -- psychologically as well as physically -- is fascinating and logical. And the conclusion is stunning: Miss Pym discovers that her own desire to do "the right thing" is not all that different from the murderer's motives, and the results were no less devastating. The basis of the mystery novel, as a genre, is moral -- find out and punish wrongdoing -- but this is morally complex and will leave you thinking. A winner.

Rating:
Summary: Totally absorbing, fascinating characters: Great Mystery!
Review: ~ ~ - ~ ~
I first read "Miss Pym Disposes" as a young teen, and was immediately swept away into the young woman's physical therapy training school she is visiting. The same happened in re-reading this book as an adult. I was swept away again on this wonderful journey.
~ ~ - ~ ~
Josephine Tey does an astounding job of immersing the reader in the lives, worries, fears, and doubts of the young women attending the school. When an "unlikable" girl is murdered, Miss Pym, and the reader have our eyes focused on all the other girls, wondering about their motives.
But just when you think you understand, the view shifts, and everything has to be reinterpreted.
~ ~ - ~ ~
This is a beautifully written, rich, complex, absorbing mystery. The author's ability to interest us in the lives and dreams of the main characters is phenomenal. You'll find yourself cheering for the girl who is a shy mouse, and resenting the slyness and pettiness of the young woman who becomes the victim.
~ ~ - ~ ~
The surprise ending is inspired. But this mystery's greatness doesn't rely only on a surprising plot twist. What carries us in fascination all through the book is the way the characters come to life. Reading the story, we feel allied with the "guest", Miss Pym, hoping to solve the mystery, but worrying how the outcome will affect the "heroes" that we've come to know and love.

Rating:
Summary: Totally absorbing, fascinating characters: Great Mystery!
Review: ~ ~ - ~ ~
I first read "Miss Pym Disposes" as a young teen, and was immediately swept away into the young woman's physical therapy training school she is visiting. The same happened in re-reading this book as an adult. I was swept away again on this wonderful journey.
~ ~ - ~ ~
Josephine Tey does an astounding job of immersing the reader in the lives, worries, fears, and doubts of the young women attending the school. When an "unlikable" girl is murdered, Miss Pym, and the reader have our eyes focused on all the other girls, wondering about their motives.
But just when you think you understand, the view shifts, and everything has to be reinterpreted.
~ ~ - ~ ~
This is a beautifully written, rich, complex, absorbing mystery. The author's ability to interest us in the lives and dreams of the main characters is phenomenal. You'll find yourself cheering for the girl who is a shy mouse, and resenting the slyness and pettiness of the young woman who becomes the victim.
~ ~ - ~ ~
The surprise ending is inspired. But this mystery's greatness doesn't rely only on a surprising plot twist. What carries us in fascination all through the book is the way the characters come to life. Reading the story, we feel allied with the "guest", Miss Pym, hoping to solve the mystery, but worrying how the outcome will affect the "heroes" that we've come to know and love.

Rating:
Summary: Totally absorbing, fascinating characters: Great Mystery!
Review: ~ ~ - ~ ~
I first read "Miss Pym Disposes" as a young teen, and was immediately swept away into the young woman's physical therapy training school she is visiting. The same happened in re-reading this book as an adult. I was swept away again on this wonderful journey.
~ ~ - ~ ~
Josephine Tey does an astounding job of immersing the reader in the lives, worries, fears, and doubts of the young women attending the school. When an "unlikable" girl is murdered, Miss Pym, and the reader have our eyes focused on all the other girls, wondering about their motives.
But just when you think you understand, the view shifts, and everything has to be reinterpreted.
~ ~ - ~ ~
This is a beautifully written, rich, complex, absorbing mystery. The author's ability to interest us in the lives and dreams of the main characters is phenomenal. You'll find yourself cheering for the girl who is a shy mouse, and resenting the slyness and pettiness of the young woman who becomes the victim.
~ ~ - ~ ~
The surprise ending is inspired. But this mystery's greatness doesn't rely only on a surprising plot twist. What carries us in fascination all through the book is the way the characters come to life. Reading the story, we feel allied with the "guest", Miss Pym, hoping to solve the mystery, but worrying how the outcome will affect the "heroes" that we've come to know and love.