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A review by kimscozyreads
Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh
3.0
So many thoughts. I had a hard time getting into this book, I think in large part because there was so much dated slang that I had trouble making sense of- and even trouble finding translation for. However, parts of it were quite engrossing, and I thought the murder plot aspect of the book was fantastically well done- 5 stars on its own.
Much like my experience with A Carribean Mystery, parts of it were quite racist and orientalist- in this case to the Maori. However, despite being 30 years older, it also seems strikingly progressive in some regards here... Dr. Te Pokiha more or less complains about cultural appropriation to Alleyn's listening ear, a concept so many refuse to entertain even today. He even points out the white New Zealanders' common practice of giving their children Maori name for aesthetic reasons, which impressed me given that this is precisely what happened with Ngaio's own name!
Rude treatment of a tiki by the English in the presence of Dr Te Pokiha was squarely condemned, as was the bigotry and use of racial slur from a white character.
However, Alleyn's own thoughts are jarring to read pretty much every place the word "savage" is used.
This is the first book I've read from Ngaio Marsh. I did notice she's quite a bit wordier than Christie in general when it comes to descriptions.
Much like my experience with A Carribean Mystery, parts of it were quite racist and orientalist- in this case to the Maori. However, despite being 30 years older, it also seems strikingly progressive in some regards here... Dr. Te Pokiha more or less complains about cultural appropriation to Alleyn's listening ear, a concept so many refuse to entertain even today. He even points out the white New Zealanders' common practice of giving their children Maori name for aesthetic reasons, which impressed me given that this is precisely what happened with Ngaio's own name!
Rude treatment of a tiki by the English in the presence of Dr Te Pokiha was squarely condemned, as was the bigotry and use of racial slur from a white character.
However, Alleyn's own thoughts are jarring to read pretty much every place the word "savage" is used.
This is the first book I've read from Ngaio Marsh. I did notice she's quite a bit wordier than Christie in general when it comes to descriptions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs