The detective novel known in Russia as "The Pointing Finger" was released in 1942 in the United States of America. Other titles: "Vacation in Limstock", "Finger of Destiny".
Author of the work
Agatha Christie is an English writer of the twentieth century. She is called the most famous author of detective fiction. She has published over a hundred works. Among them were detective novels, plays, short stories, psychological novels.
One of the characters that Christy created was an old maid named Miss Marple. The old woman is a collective image. She resembles the heroines from the works of Braddon and Green. According to Agatha, her own grandmother became the prototype of the old detective. The author of detective stories loved her heroine very much. She considered her an old, smart English lady with traditional values.
Miss Marple first appeared in The Tuesday Evening Club, which was published in 1927. In the novel The Pointing Finger, the heroine, as always, investigates a complicated case, without drawing special attention to her person.
Origin of the name
Roman got histhe name is from one of the Rubaiyat of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam. E. Fitzgerald's translation was taken. Why does the title of the novel have multiple variations?
Russian translation in the literal sense is not entirely clear. This is due to the fact that this quatrain by Omar Khayyam sounds different in the Russian version. Because of this, some translators allow themselves a rather free translation. They strive to keep in touch with what is happening in the novel The Pointing Finger.
Main characters
- Miss Marple is an elderly woman who is a friend of Maud C althrop. Came to the village at the request of a friend to help in the investigation of a complicated case.
- Gerald Burton is an Air Force Major who settled in the countryside to recuperate from an injury. The story is told from his perspective.
- Joanna Burton is the pilot's sister. Attractive young lady.
- Emily Barton is the owner of the house rented by the Burtons.
- Owen Griffith is a country doctor.
- Aimee Griffith is the doctor's sister. A woman is distinguished by her energy.
- Richard Simmington is a second-generation country lawyer.
- Mona Simmington is Richard's wife and has three children.
- Megan Hunter is Mona's daughter from her first marriage. The girl is twenty years old, but she looks and acts like a teenager. The mother is worried about the future of her daughter.
- Elsie Holland is the nanny of Richard and Mona's children. The woman looks gorgeous, but has a poor command of the ability to speak.
- Beatrice is the maid at the Simmingtons' house. An honest girl who loves her boyfriend.
- Caleb C althrop is the village vicar. The people of Limstock respect Caleb for his high moral standards.
- Maud C althrop is the vicar's wife.
- Mr Pye is a pensioner living in Limstock. In the past, he was engaged in antiques.
- Inspector Nash is investigating a crime. Sent by authorities from Scotland Yard.
Like any work by Agatha Christie, "The Pointing Finger" has its own intricate and full of surprises plot.
Storyline
Gerald and his sister decided to rent a house to live in the countryside for a couple of months. They gradually get to know the people of Limstock, but one day they receive an anonymous letter. It says that the Burtons are not relatives, but lovers.
Later it turns out that many villagers received similar accusatory letters. Everyone begins to vigorously discuss those who received anonymous letters. Maud fears the consequences of such behavior among the people of Limstock, and rightly so.
The lawyer's wife soon dies, she was poisoned by cyanide. The jury decided it was suicide, which provoked the anonymous letter. The deceased was accused of having one of her children illegitimate.
An inspector from Scotland Yard is sent to the village. He determines that the author of the anonymous letters is a woman - a resident of Limstock. The investigation is barely moving forward, so the vicar's wife calls in her expert for help. This is how Miss Marple appears.
"Finger pointing" - a novel in which the shadow of suspicion falls on different people. Miss Marple examines all circumstances andcomes to the conclusion that the anonymous story is nothing more than a way to divert attention from the preparation and execution of cold-blooded murder.
The old lady was right. The main reason for all this was the murder of Mona Simmington. Thus, the husband decided to get rid of his annoying and always nervous wife. His perfect plan was thwarted by a maid who got into an argument with her boyfriend that day.
Film adaptations of the novel
The story about Miss Marple ("Pointing Finger") has two adaptations:
- In 1985, a British television series was released about an elderly lady who easily unraveled the most incredible crimes. Starring Joan Hickson. The novel became the basis for the second series.
- In 2004, a television series starring Geraldine McEwan was created in England. The film "Pointing Finger" became the third series of the project.
