The Chinese Shawl
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Audible Standard 30-day free trial
The Chinese Shawl
Buy Now for £14.24
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Narrated by:
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Diana Bishop
About this listen
Tanis Lyle was one of those passionate women who always get their own way. Her cousin Laura hated her. Most women did. But men found her irresistible and she used them mercilessly. So when Tanis was found murdered there seemed to be any number of suspects on hand. But Miss Silver had her own suspicions....
©1943 Patricia Wentworth Turnbull (P)2014 Audible, Inc.What has fascinated me are the manners and social mores. Being in my 70s I remember well how in the 1950s women were treated and here it is. Women fainting all over the place, untrusted by men, emotional and unstable etc. What is really annoying is Miss Silvers preference for the company of men. And that relationship with the detective? Bit weird that. She seems to have a real downer on women too, but that's how it was. Divide and rule. You had to keep your man, especially from dangerous women, who you notice here always end up dead.. My mother kept her make up and hair dye into her 90s for that reason. The men here are ghastly brutes. 'Snap out of it and think of me' was one comment. Huh!
I honestly think these books should be a part of the history of women in any University course of history or literature. Another bit is the total gap of silence around women of colour and men too.
Overall very enjoyable if you read or listen against what is said.
Social history
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Would happily recommend
Enjoyable whodunnit
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Cosy absorbing mystery
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Where does The Chinese Shawl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Who would have thought that an old-fashioned country house murder would be so entertaining? Maybe it's because it's such a welcome change from torture, horror and gore.Frightfully nice, well-dressed people get caught up in a suddenly dark story of vengeance and madness. The story may belong to another generation but the motives are very familiar. It held my attention with no difficulty through a rainy afternoon at home.Who was your favorite character and why?
Maud Silver is probably a better heroine than Miss Marple - she has the nerve to be a detective in a world where women still found it hard to be taken seriously. Wentworth avoids a good deal of the instinctive sexism of Christie and her ilk, and, knitting apart, at least allows her characters to treat her with respect.There's something of the tricoteuse about the knitting, as it unfolds the yarn of people's lives with great efficiency.Have you listened to any of Diana Bishop’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Diana Bishop's reading is faultless, and she has exactly the right voice and tone for this generation of writing.Any additional comments?
Decided to listen to some more of Wentworth which is my highest compliment.Classic tale sill worth listening to
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Would you listen to The Chinese Shawl again? Why?
Yes, I would. You can not beat Patricia Wentworth's Miss Maud Silver mysteries....pure classics.What other book might you compare The Chinese Shawl to, and why?
The nearest would be Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple in 'A Murder is Announced'.Which character – as performed by Diana Bishop – was your favourite?
Miss SilverIf you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Classic country house murder mystery, with a splash of romance.Any additional comments?
If you like 'Golden Age' classics or 'Cozy' mysteries, Patricia Wentworth will supply the goods every time.Classic 'Golden Age' cozy mystery
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