Sunday, October 4, 2020

Agatha Raisin and the Day the Floods Came by M.C. Beaton

Here is some Harp music for a change.



https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391489495l/181664.jpg

This is my third or fourth Agatha Raisin and she's beginning to grow on me. Agatha starts out on an island where she is drowning her sorrow over her marriage to James Lacy who has left her for a monastery.

She returns to England and new adventure. She goes to her pilates class, determined to get in shape, quit smoking and all round start fresh. In her class she overhears a pretty young woman talk about getting her legs waxed in preparation for her marriage. Nothing to remember.

Except that the next day there are torrential rains that flood the local village river and Agatha sees the woman from the pilates class floating down it in a wedding dress, holding a bouquet. She is frozen stiff.

What the heck happened? That is what Agatha Raisin is determined to find out.

In this book I see a very human side to Agatha. She is middle-aged, overweight and smokes too much. Her self-esteem is garbage because of her recent divorce. Then a famous author moves in next door. Hmmm....

He is a mystery writer and he is willing to help Agatha investigate this mystery of a frozen bride. He's her age....might he be interested in Agatha?

We learn a lot about Agatha, her vanities and her vulnerabilities as well as John the mystery writer. I enjoyed the interplay between the characters as much as the mystery. 
 
Fall doesn't arrive here until November.  In the meantime I can at least paint and imagine.



11 comments:

mudpuddle said...

i believe i've read 2 agatha raisins and that's not this one; good to hear that she grows on the reader, maybe i'll try more of her adventures... intriguing painting: it looks like a satellite view of another planet with lots of cities... like harp music; it's seemed to me that it must be quite hard to learn...Harpo Marx was a great harpist...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi mudpuddle. Interesting perspective of my painting. Really, it's whatever you see. I've never been very good at concrete subjects, except in watercolor where I like to paint birds and butterflies. It's supposed to be a forest of trees in autumn, but really, I was trying to convey the warm colors and wood that I love.

I think that when we read a series, the protagonists become like friends, even if they're flawed. I've grown attached to Agatha and company. The murder plot is secondary.

I love the Marx brothers, Groucho was so quick witted and Harpo was a serious harpist. I think they all played instruments except Groucho.

How are things in your neck of the woods. Son and daughter alright?

Brian Joseph said...

Hi Sharon - Agatha Raisin sounds fun. I see that there are about 30 novels in the series. I guess that there was also a television series. These sound like books that my wife would like so I will mention them to her.

I do not know a lot about musicians who play the harp but there are some performances that I have seen on YouTube that were very impressive.

Have a great day.

Sharon Wilfong said...

HI Brian,

Yes, I've become attached to Agatha Raisin the way some people get addicted to soap operas. In some ways it is like a soap opera.

There are some very nice harp works out there. My favorite is Debussy's harp concerto. Very haunting, yet beautiful.

Have a great week!

mudpuddle said...

they are still in a state of shock, more or less, as regards the burned forest surrounding their houses. of course the electricity was out, so they had lots of spoiled food to dispose of. but they're just thankful to have not been left homeless... back to work in the pursuit of normality, i guess...

Sharon Wilfong said...

This year has been nutso.

Sharon Wilfong said...

I pushed publish too soon. I meant to add that I'm. Sorry about the waste of food and I hope their personal belongings were not harmed, but yes I am glad they are alive and not homeless.

ashok said...

Interesting book

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Ashok. It was a nice light, entertaining read.

Stephen said...

Oooh, I'll have to check out The Battle for Home. Architecture shapes our lives in more ways than we appreciate.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Stephen. I totally agree. I think it can expand or contract our spirits. It's very important to create a living space that allows us to function at full potential.

Glad you're out of quarantine.