The Secret Adversary

From the book cover
Hiring themselves out as "young adventurers willing to do anything" proves to be a smart move for Tommy and Tuppence. The first job sounds likes a dream. All Tuppence has to do is take an all-expense-paid trip to Paris and pose as an American name Jane Finn. But with the assignment comes a bribe to keep quiet, a threat to her life, and the disappearance of her new employer. Now Tuppence's newest job is playing detective - because if there's a "Jane Finn" that really exists, she's got a secret that's putting both their lives in danger.
----------
The Secret Adversary is Agatha Christie's second novel and my second Agatha Christie novel. I'm trying to read all of her novels in order of publication. So far, I think it's going to be a pleasurable challenge.

Young Adventurers Tommy and Tuppence are super cute and lots of fun. I really hope Dame Christie has a few more novels about this young couple.

The Secret Adversary is completely different from Dame Christie's first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Set in London, England shortly after the first world war, money is in short supply for many young people, including Tommy and Tuppence. To earn some cash, T&T decide to form Young Adventurers, an adventure/spy agency.

Coincidences abound as T&T find themselves working for the government to try to track down Jane Finn and some important documents that were in-trusted to her five years earlier on board the sinking Lusitania. While trying to track Jane Finn the young adventurers must also work against the mysterious Mr. Brown, who appears to be one of the main characters. Rather than the typical whodunit, the reader must figure out where is Jane Finn and who is Mr. Brown.

T&T's youthfulness, combined with the colourful colloquial language Dame Christie employs in the characters' direct speech make this novel a hoot. It's not at all realistic, but who needs realism when you've got a cast of international characters fighting over England's political future.

3/5

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

From the book cover

Set in Essex in the English countryside, The Mysterious Affair at Styles is one of the great classic murder mysteries. The victim, Mrs. Emily Inglethorp, is the wealthy mistress of Styles Court. After an evening of entertaining family and guests, she is found poisoned in her locked bedroom. The long list of suspects include her gold-digging new husband, her stepsons, her best female friend, and a visiting doctor. As luck would have it, a brilliant, if rather eccentric, detective is among the company at Styles. Here, in her first published mystery, Agatha Christie introduces us to her beloved Belgian protagonist, inspector Hercule Poirot, who methodically pieces together the intricate evidence of this bewildering crime. From his very first appearance, Poirot amuses us with his oddly fastidious habits - then astonishes us with the power of his razor-sharp mind. Christie keeps us guessing as to the murderer's identity until Poirot finally present his ingenious solution to this landmark mystery. And, voila, one of the genre's most famous sleuths is born.
----------
The Mysterious Affair at Styles is my first Agatha Christie novel and the first novel she published. I'm hoping to read all of her novels in order of their publication dates.

This classic whodunit reminds me of a Murder, She Wrote and Columbus mysteries. It's a nice easy read with lots of little twists and turns so the reader thinks they have solved the mystery at several points.

I enjoyed reading this novel, despite my lukewarm feeling towards the narrator, Mr.Hastings. He claims to have an interest in one day becoming a detective yet he has absolutely no instinct. He is just slightly more clued in than Inspector Gadget. He came across as being a bit too naive. And, Hercule Poirot came across as the typical detective.

I feel like I've read this book before... will this feeling continue as I make my way through Agatha Christie's collection?

I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a light read.

3/5

The Midwife of Venice

From the book cover
Hannah Levi is known throughout sixteenth-century Venice for her skill in midwifery. But when a Christian nobleman appears at her door in the Jewish ghetto, imploring her to help his wife who is dying in childbirth, Hannah's compassion is tested. Not only is it illegal for Jews to render medical treatment to Christians, it's punishable by torture or death.
Yet Hannah finds she cannot refuse the chance to make more money than she's ever seen in her whole life. With such a handsome sum, she could save her husband, Isaac, who months earlier was captured at sea and forced into slavery in Malta by the Knights of St. John. Aided by her forbidden "birthing spoons" - rudimentary forceps she invented to coax reluctant babies out of their mothers' wombs - Hannah agrees to assist the nobleman and attend to his ailing wife and child. Will she be able to save the mother and the baby? And if she does, will she also be able to save herself?
Woven through Hannah's travails in Venice is the story of Isaac and his life as a slave in Malta. Fearing that Hannah has perished in the plague, he pins whatever hopes he has of returning home to her on his talent for writing love letters that melt even the hardest of hearts.
The Midwife of Venice is an enthralling historical adventure and a gloriously satisfying tale about midwifery, motherhood, and the lengths to which one good woman will go for love.
----------
Novels like The Midwife of Venice reaffirm my view that historical fiction is the most compelling genre.

This action-packed tale of love, religion and compassion is a quick read at 329 pages. What I like most about this novel is Roberta Rich's treatment of the opposing societies of 1575 Venice. Rich exposes the hypocrisy of both the Christian and Jewish communities and the bravery of three very different types of women: Hannah the Jewish midwife, Lucia the Christian noblewoman and Jessica, Hannah's sister who is now a courtesan and converted Christian.

Although the Jews are at a disadvantage in 16th century Venice, Rich does not portray them as being all innocence. In fact, Hannah and Isaac's Rabbi is depicted as a mean-spirited and duplicitous man in an unhappy marriage, who is most concerned with making his flock follow his orders rather than helping them to live honest and fulfilling lives. He refuses to pay Isaac's ransom unless he divorces Hannah despite previously telling Hannah that Isaac's ransom would be paid.

The Catholics don't fare much better. Asunta, the Catholic nun who purchases Isaac at the slave auction in Malta quickly sells him to Joseph, a cruel slave owner whom she admits will most likely work Isaac to death, after Isaac refuses to convert to Catholicism. She is cruel and hypocritical. After Isaac refuses to convert, she makes him pull her in a cart, like a horse to town so that she can sell him to Joseph. Before leaving the convent Isaac asks her to hold on to silkworm eggs for him. Once she realizes how valuable the eggs could be for the convent she refuses to return them to Isaac.

Despite the easy-read and the vivid descriptions, there are some holes in the plot. The Conte is suppose to be a wise man yet he can't see what's under his nose. His brothers don't want him to have a heir. They want the estate to fall into their hands so they can cover the debts they've incurred from reckless living. There's even some hinting that his brother's might be responsible for the death of other kids the countess has borne who died mysteriously in early infancy. Plus, it doesn't add up that the count and countess would labour so long for a child and then leave him unguarded to go off to see her ill father. They have more than enough money to secure a wet nurse and the most comfortable accommodations during their travels.

In regards to Isaac's storyline, why would the Knights of St. John sell him to someone that might work him to death if they plan on ransoming him?

At the end of the day, despite the plot gaps, The Midwife of Venice is one of the best historical fictions I've read in a while.

4/5

Secret Daughter

From the book cover

On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to Asha. But in a culture that favours sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband Krishnan see a photo of baby Asha from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion for her. Somer knows life will change with the adoption, but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and Asha, "Secret Daughter" poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families - one Indian, one American - and the child that indelibly connects them.
----------
Secret Daughter was recommended by one of my former coworkers. It was suppose to be the July book for our book club, sadly our club didn't make it past February. I'm really glad I decided to keep it on my personal reading list because Author Shilpi Somaya Gowda's first novel is all-consuming. From the first page to the last, every word is written with such care. The food, the stifling humidity and congestion of Mumbai, the stench of the Dharavi, the opulence of an upscale Indian wedding - Ms.Gowda's descriptions are so vivid one can't help but feel like a fly on the wall.

Secret Daughter touches on a lot of controversial topics while avoiding the pitfalls of sermonizing. On the surface this novel is about motherhood but under a very thin cover it's about India. At the midway point of the novel, Asha takes over the narration, and provides an honest look at India. I found myself falling in love with the country described as "a five-star pile of contradictions."

In terms of the plot and dominate themes, Secret Daughter examines the fear, desires and hopes that govern the decisions we make and the reality of having to live with our choices. In addition to the obvious theme of motherhood, the novel explores the contrast between Indian and American culture (specifically gender relations), the contrast between wealth and poverty in India and what it means to be a family.

Hands down, Secret Daughter is one the best books I've read this year. I highly recommend this novel to all of female readers.
5