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A review by crazygoangirl
The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
First heard of this book on Miranda Mills’ YouTube Channel. Decided to read it since it had an intriguing premise and learnt that Hitchcock turned it into a movie called The Lady Vanishes.
The protagonist Iris Carr is a wealthy, pretentious young woman, prejudiced, inconsistent, selfish and juvenile. She’s young, has led a largely sheltered life and has ‘friends’, who seem more like hanger-ons than anything else. She’s quick to judge her fellow humans and rarely sees them in a favourable light. Indeed it feels like she dislikes people in general and avoids contact with them unless absolutely necessary to her own well-being. At the start of the novel, she abandons her ‘crowd’ (of friends), as she calls them and is returning solo to England after a vacation in a remote European village. She appears to have no practical skills that will help in travel, and yet is reluctant to accept help from kindly strangers always thinking the worst of them. Her prejudices and high-handed aloof manner are probably a cover for her own deep vulnerability and insecurities.
Then, Ms. Froy, an overtly gossipy fellow passenger in her compartment, with whom she’s forced into conversation, ‘vanishes’, and Iris, displaying uncharacteristic compassion and gumption, is determined to prove Ms. Froy’s existence and disappearance, both of which are forcefully denied by her fellow passengers!
White’s writing at this point becomes distinctly atmospheric and decidedly tense if a little repetitive and klutzy at times. It is intriguingly unpredictable enough to make me vacillate between make-believe and reality, leaving me hooked but making me wonder if there is a real mystery here or if it’s all some sort of fevered dream! Iris, though suffering from the unpleasant aftermath of a sunstroke, and battling a persistent fugue-like state perseveres in her single-minded hunt for the hapless Ms. Froy. Her determination although fluid is heartening. You’ll have to read the book to learn what happens!
This book started slow for me, but picked up speed and tension in the latter half. It’s a short book and I thought it could have been paced better and been even more atmospheric. At a certain point in the book I’d figured out the twist and that took the edge off the narrative for me. The cast of quirky fellow passengers each with their own back-story were interesting and their dynamics with Iris provided the necessary context.
All told, a decent enough mystery, although something tells me, the Hitchcock movie might be more thrilling! Will look for it online.
10th January 2024
Watched the movie - The Lady Vanishes and unfortunately it was nothing like I expected from Hitchcock. No steady build up of tension or suspense and a completely different story from the book. It was alright but rather a let down 😐🤷🏼♀️
The protagonist Iris Carr is a wealthy, pretentious young woman, prejudiced, inconsistent, selfish and juvenile. She’s young, has led a largely sheltered life and has ‘friends’, who seem more like hanger-ons than anything else. She’s quick to judge her fellow humans and rarely sees them in a favourable light. Indeed it feels like she dislikes people in general and avoids contact with them unless absolutely necessary to her own well-being. At the start of the novel, she abandons her ‘crowd’ (of friends), as she calls them and is returning solo to England after a vacation in a remote European village. She appears to have no practical skills that will help in travel, and yet is reluctant to accept help from kindly strangers always thinking the worst of them. Her prejudices and high-handed aloof manner are probably a cover for her own deep vulnerability and insecurities.
Then, Ms. Froy, an overtly gossipy fellow passenger in her compartment, with whom she’s forced into conversation, ‘vanishes’, and Iris, displaying uncharacteristic compassion and gumption, is determined to prove Ms. Froy’s existence and disappearance, both of which are forcefully denied by her fellow passengers!
White’s writing at this point becomes distinctly atmospheric and decidedly tense if a little repetitive and klutzy at times. It is intriguingly unpredictable enough to make me vacillate between make-believe and reality, leaving me hooked but making me wonder if there is a real mystery here or if it’s all some sort of fevered dream! Iris, though suffering from the unpleasant aftermath of a sunstroke, and battling a persistent fugue-like state perseveres in her single-minded hunt for the hapless Ms. Froy. Her determination although fluid is heartening. You’ll have to read the book to learn what happens!
This book started slow for me, but picked up speed and tension in the latter half. It’s a short book and I thought it could have been paced better and been even more atmospheric. At a certain point in the book I’d figured out the twist and that took the edge off the narrative for me. The cast of quirky fellow passengers each with their own back-story were interesting and their dynamics with Iris provided the necessary context.
All told, a decent enough mystery, although something tells me, the Hitchcock movie might be more thrilling! Will look for it online.
10th January 2024
Watched the movie - The Lady Vanishes and unfortunately it was nothing like I expected from Hitchcock. No steady build up of tension or suspense and a completely different story from the book. It was alright but rather a let down 😐🤷🏼♀️