A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage: A Story

Rating:
Summary: Unpublished for a reason
Review: Finding an unpublished piece by Mark Twain is reason to celebrate, but that doesn't mean its shortcomings should be ignored. Though the story begins well and has an interesting set up, the ending is abrupt and does not fit well with what has gone before. More was needed to make this a coherent and, more importantly, an interesting read. For reasons unexplained Mark Twain ended this story savaging Jules Verne. I never read any opinions he had on Verne but would be interested in finding them, should they exist. This story is only worth reading as a curiosity. However, after doing so, one understands why Twain chose to let it languish on the shelf.

Rating:
Summary: not impressed and not disappointed
Review: I am a major fan of Twain and have always held him in the highest esteem. His "The Mysterious Stranger" got me through some tough times in college with the help of other books such as "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" IS the Great American Novel. There is little left of his that I haven't read and just when you think you've read all his best stuff, another short story comes out of nowhere and totally amazes you with his insight. This is not one of those stories. However, it's not bad and it's a nice enough way to spend an hour or so. Bear in mind that the Preface and Afterword are together longer than the story itself. There is some nice information about Twain and the the times in which this story was written but it isn't essential that you read them. Twain had an idea of taking a basic, simple plot and having 20 or so other authors of his era write their version of the story. (OK, I DID get that much out of the Preface and Afterword). His motion, however, died for lack of a second and we are left with this; his briefly written entry. It reminded me a lot of his style in "The Gilded Age". That book was too long and this book is too short but the story has an interesting twist to it. The moment I saw this book on the shelves I bought it and I have no regrets. If you're a fan of Twain's, you should buy it too. After all, if you act quickly, you too can have a first edition of Mark Twain.

Rating:
Summary: LOL! My first Mark Twain book...
Review: This is my first Mark Twain book, and I got to say that I like it. For a short story, it's excellent and I usually don't like short stories.

This story tells exactly what the title is: a murder, a mystery, and a marriage. They all are excellently incorporated into each other and all has a purpose.

Also, the contributions from Roy Blount, Jr. and Peter de Sève are wonderful. The foreword and afterwords were informative about the book and the illustrations are beautifully, yet - in a way - comical. And the fact that this book is now first time published as one should cause a celebration.

Excellent book.