Reviews

Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey

christinaoh's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This was well-written but I grew to detest the characters of most women in the book for their smugness, prejudice, and snobbishness. The moral querulousness of the protagonist was key but also her major failing. Miss Pym Disposes is not a taut, suspenseful read. I'm glad I pushed on to complete it, but I wonder if there were a better introduction to Josephine Tey, one I'd enjoy.

algordon_2025's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

iceangel9's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 A fantastic historical fiction mystery by the author of the Inspector Grant series. Miss Pym is a popular English psychologist, she goes to a private girls' school run by an old friend as a guest lecturer. She stops a girl from cheating on her final exam by destroying her crib notes - but her cover up of one crime leads to another. When another girl is found dead in the gym, Miss Pym does not believe it is an accident. But when she believes she has solved the crime, she may not have fingered the correct killer. A fascinating novel with a twist ending that will leave you wondering if Miss Pym does the right thing. It does start off slowly, but picks up later on. This would be an interesting book club selection. 

farmerguydan's review

Go to review page

lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Very unconventional story. Couple moments are really clever. Didn't love it, but enjoyed it. Takes a unique turn.

bibliovermis's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

gail_naomi's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is a very odd book. In my opinion way too much buildup and the climax and denouement come and end too quickly. But other people think that odd structure is part of the book's charms. Then there is the focus on physiognomy, which made me uncomfortable, but which is disproven (?) by the end? I was also left with a lot of unanswered questions, which perhaps could not be answered during the time of publication. Was Henrietta in love with Rouse? Is that why she did what she did? Nash and Innes seemed to be in love. We spend all this time seeing the world through Miss Pym's eyes, which are clever eyes indeed, only to have her judgment turn out to be very, very questionable. As I said, an odd book, which many love. I found it unsatisfying.

karen_unabridged's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Not a conventional mystery but quite good, full of memorable characters and recognizable dilemmas of right and wrong.

libraryassistant_4th's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

How I do love Tey’s writing. Her characters are all so fully realized and wittily detailed. There’s nothing particularly light about this theoretically cozy mystery, however.
As an aside: Knowing the occupation of her other nom de plume Gordon Daviot, it was so amusing to see the wry dismantling of the place for theater in the then modern age.

brendaentrelibros's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Éste es uno de esos libros que me dejan impresiones contradictorias, escogí este libro precisamente porque está catalogado como un libro de intriga y al ser de ese género y además de una autora inglesa, pues no me lo pensé mucho, me encantan estos libros.

Lo positivo es que la narrativa y el estilo de esta autora no tiene desperdicio, es un libro bien escrito y además tiene su punto dentro de la historia, por supuesto esto es si no estás esperando un libro de misterio y te encuentras con un libro que está mucho más alineado hacia la naturaleza humana y sobre todo el de unas chicas de un colegio de señoritas en los años cuarentas en Inglaterra.

Sin duda el personaje de la señorita Pym es bastante atractivo y todo lo relacionado con las personalidades de las estudiantes también lo es, en este sentido el libro me ha gustado.

Sin embargo, me pase esperando la parte de la intriga y avanzaba y avanzaba y nada más no entraba en materia, llegue a pensar que yo había comprendido mal tanto la sinopsis como el género en el que está catalogado este libro, pero no, lo que sucede es que nada de esto pasa en la historia si no hasta llegar al 75% del libro, por lo tanto, solo es un tema por el que casi se pasa por encima, una de las muchas cosas que suceden en este colegio e incluso, solo es utilizado para, nuevamente, poner en perspectiva la naturaleza humana, lo correcto e incorrecto por hacer en ciertas situaciones.

Es verdad que, a pesar de que no me ha sorprendido, el final tiene un pequeño giro de tuerca que le da un buen color a la historia, pero desafortunadamente para mí, no ha sido suficiente para llenar el hueco de esperar una novela de intriga y recibir un libro más bien de narrativa con una situación relacionada más bien con celos, frustraciones y malas decisiones.

El libro no está mal, pero me ha quedado a deber en cuanto a lo que yo esperaba

kdpm's review against another edition

Go to review page

slow-paced

3.5