Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Black Beech and Honeydew: An Autobiography” as Want to Read:
Black Beech and Honeydew: An Autobiography
by
Ngaio Marsh
Hardcover
,
310 pages
Published
February 1st 1982
by Collins Publishers
(first published 1982)
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Black Beech and Honeydew
,
please sign up
.
Be the first to ask a question about Black Beech and Honeydew
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
166)
Originally published on my blog
here
in January 2000.
In the life of Ngaio Marsh, there are three major themes: her New Zealand background, her love of the theatre, and her writing of detective novels. Her autobiography, first published in the sixties and revised a few years before her death, concentrates on the first two to the virtual exclusion of the third. More is said of the journalism which began her writing career than of the Alleyn series. There are many possible reasons why she might do ...more
In the life of Ngaio Marsh, there are three major themes: her New Zealand background, her love of the theatre, and her writing of detective novels. Her autobiography, first published in the sixties and revised a few years before her death, concentrates on the first two to the virtual exclusion of the third. More is said of the journalism which began her writing career than of the Alleyn series. There are many possible reasons why she might do ...more
This memoir of a naive girl and young woman whose life in the theater began in the early 1920s was appealing for its evocation of place - Christchurch and Westland - and characters - especially her parents - more than for any great insights or revelations into her life. She is deliberately discreet and says very little about her detective novels, though fans of "A Surfeit of Lampreys" will meet the real family (under the Lamprey pseudonym) in these pages. Gets a fourth star because of its NZ set
...more
If you're interested in life in New Zealand and theatre and art, this is a lovely book. But if you were hoping to hear about Ngaio Marsh's life as a novelist and mystery writer, it's just not there. She mentions the books she's writing... throws in a comment here and there about characters... but there's really nothing about the writing life. On the other hand, for the theatre buff, it's chock full of plays, actors, quirks of theatres, touring stories, etc.
I thought I'd try Ngaio Marsh's autobiography, thinking her life in New Zealand and on the stage and writing could be interesting. I just couldn't really get into it---the writing style is roundabout, dwelling on one memory, then the next. Still kind of interesting, but I decided to leave it I realized I'd read five or six books from the to-read shelf while I was still "reading" this one.
very very frustrated with this book as it didnt give any real prominence to her life as a writer of crime novels. I wanted to understand why she had started writing them, where she got her ideas from and how her own life was reflected in her novels. What I read was all about her life as an actor, a producer and director of plays....
Aug 17, 2013
Margareth8537
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
autobiography-biography
Read this because of her detective novels, and learned next to nothing about that aspect of her life. As they do include a lot about the theatre it was interesting to see how much a part of her life that was
Ngaio Marsh's autobiography--a very entertaining picture of a fascinating life of a writer, theater director and actor, who lived a long, full life on several continents.
I read this as part of an omnibus with "Photo-finish" and "Light thickens". I enjoyed it but I should mention that she hardly says anything about her detective novels.
I was disappointed that there was so little about the writing of her detective novels, though I liked the parts about the theatre and acting.
A very interesting autobiography. Rather dreamlike, episodic, and very discreet, but full of interesting characters and places.
Feb 24, 2008
Krista the Krazy Kataloguer
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-biography
,
read-adult-nonfiction
Fascinating account of the early years of New Zealand mystery author Ngaio Marsh.
very interesting.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Dame Ngaio Marsh, born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900, but she was born in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand.
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh ...more
More about Ngaio Marsh...
Of all the "Great Ladies" of the English mystery's golden age, including Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh ...more
