This is the first book I’ve ever read on my Kindle. Yes I gave in at last and bought one, just because I want to be able to get out of print books and free classics. No I’m not a mean Scot – just canny!
Anyway it is also the first book that I’ve read by Mary Roberts Rinehart and I did enjoy it although it was first published in 1908 so it isn’t my favourite era of vintage crime – that’s the 1930s/40s – but still well worth reading if you like your crime fiction to be a bit of fun too.
Miss Innes is a wealthy woman who became the guardian of her young nephew and niece when their parents died. It’s years later and Gertrude and Halsey have grown up but they still want to spend the holidays with their aunt. They persuade her to rent a large old
house in the country and almost immediately scary things start happening. It’s all bangs and bumps in the night and I suppose it seems a bit cliched but I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of it.
Apparently The Circular Staircase was put on Broadway in 1920 and ran for years but for some reason it was called The Bat.
I downloaded it from girlebooks which is a wonderful site which Peggy at Peggy Ann’s Post told me about. It has loads of free books which I hope to read sometime, by authors like Willa Cather and Elizabeth von Arnim – too many to mention, have a look! I felt like it was Christmas when I saw it so a big thanks to Peggy for pointing me in its direction.
There are several movies made of the Circular Staircase also Katrina very old ones. Called the Bat also. The Great Mistake was written in 1940 I believe and you will like it better. She wrote for years and years. I love all of her books. Glad you liked it!
Peggy Ann,
I love old films and used to watch them with my dad when I was wee but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film of this book. I’ll be looking out for more by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
I recognize the name but I’ve never read anything by her – and I had no idea she was writing that early. I am amazed at the number of free ebooks available – and so pleased at the number of women authors whose books are almost impossible to find otherwise.
Lisa,
Yes I was thrilled to see so many free Elizabeth von Arnim books as I really like her writing and lots of them seem to be out of print s I was relying on finding them in secondhand bookshops, until now.
Canny, yes that is the best way to be with a kindle! Thanks for the recommendation will add it to my list. So many books so little time.
I am reading Grand Bablyon Hotel on my kindle at the moment.
Jo,
Now if I had had a Kindle last year I could have done that instead of buying the book! I really enjoyed The Grand Babylon Hotel. It was years since I had read anything by Arnold Bennett and it seemed very different from his other books, like Anna of the Five Towns which was published in the same year, he must have been very busy.
Congratulations on your Kindle! I absolutely love mine.
I’m glad to hear a positive opinion of The Circular Staircase. I also downloaded it and plan to read it sometime this year. I didn’t know much about it, but it sounded good – it turns out it is!
Anbolyn,
I’m really not a gadget person but I think I’m going to end up loving my Kindle too. I hope you do enjoy the Circular Staircase when you get around to it, but if not, at least it was free!
I had a 1908 copy of this book on my bookshelf when I was a girl. My parents had picked it up for me at an estate auction. Already, in the ’60s, I knew it was old and hung onto it – although I can’t remember if I ever read it! And where it is now? Good question…
Debbie,
That must surely have been a first edition too!