The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Summer 2022 Group Read An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good in the category Fiction- Translated Short Stories. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

ok, so this was really short - which worked well because I finished up my other audiobook yesterday afternoon prior to the end of the challenge and was driving home from Richmond at like 1 am this am...so I finished it already (I mean it was only like 3 hours)...lol!

overall cute - although I think a better title would have been An Elderly Lady is a Serial Killer...the last 2 stories seemed a bit out of sync initially (people wondering if she could have killed the guy and then the cops trying to solve the case) - but ultimately not bad.

not the first book I've read by Tursten and I liked seeing her detective make an appearance (because it reminded me of a series I need to get back to)...

I agree with the title suggestion - she's not to be underestimated. I picked it up last week at the library in preparation for this challenge and liked it so much I ran back to the library as soon as I was done this morning to grab the second volume.

This book was highly entertaining. Maud is a feisty elderly lady who plays up her frailties in order to get what she wants (including getting away with murder) She has a very quick mind and uses it to her advantage. I found myself rooting for her, even when she was up to no good.

I loved almost every story in this book and would definitely be interested in reading more.

Do not cross Maud! This little old lady is a serial killer. She's clever and vindictive. When she has a problem with someone she just kills them off, presents herself as a confused elderly person with mobility issues, and gets away with murder. Darkly hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable. Who else has murderous fantasies and wants to be Maud when they grow up? Just kidding, sort of...

In general I'm not one that likes short stories. But I loved Maud. Having worked with the elderly, I had lots of chuckles because some of Maude's actions were similar to those of my former patients. Especially when they did something they knew they shouldn't and tried to act oh so innocent. The one difference was, to my knowledge, my former patients weren't serial killers. What a hoot she was pretending to not know anything, but chuckling on the inside when she got the revenge she sought. This was a nice change from the other cozy mysteries involving members of the "blue haired" gang that only solve mysteries. I will definitely be looking into the second book in this series.

My rating is 4 stars : )

Lois wrote: "Do not cross Maud! This little old lady is a serial killer. She's clever and vindictive. When she has a problem with someone she just kills them off, presents herself as a confused elderly person w..."

LOL Lois. I don't want to be a serial killer, but being spry and devious like her would be comical. We, as readers, often get asked what author or character would we like to meet and I always say none of them. Until now LOL After reading about Maud, I've finally found my answer to that question. But one of the detectives in the stories says she shouldn't be invited over for tea, but I disagree with him : ) ...I think : /

Aprilleigh wrote: "I agree with the title suggestion - she's not to be underestimated. I picked it up last week at the library in preparation for this challenge and liked it so much I ran back to the library as soon ..."

Have you read the second one yet? Was it just as likable as the first?

I'm not reading this for the challenge but I wanted to pop in because I've read both books in this series already and loved them. For those wondering the second book is quite different. Half of it is flashbacks through Maud's life giving context to why she is so comfy with murder. The second half is her trying to solve a crime herself.

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Aprilleigh wrote: "I agree with the title suggestion - she's not to be underestimated. I picked it up last week at the library in preparation for this challenge and liked it so much I ran back to t..."

Not yet, I had other books waiting but wanted to grab it right away since my library only has the one copy.

anyone have thoughts on where the second one can be slotted into a task? i just found it on my library hoopla account :)

belay that - found a spot (or several)

TraceyL wrote: "I'm not reading this for the challenge but I wanted to pop in because I've read both books in this series already and loved them. For those wondering the second book is quite different. Half of it ..."

Thanks for the insight!! I'm going to try to get it from the library ASAP.

Aprilleigh wrote: "Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Aprilleigh wrote: "I agree with the title suggestion - she's not to be underestimated. I picked it up last week at the library in preparation for this challenge and liked ..."

UGGHHH you were luckier than me : ) I placed a hold on it from my library. I am 7th in line. LOL I hope you enjoy it!

Dee wrote: "anyone have thoughts on where the second one can be slotted into a task? i just found it on my library hoopla account :)

belay that - found a spot (or several)"

Thanks for the heads up : ) In case my hold comes in I know it can be easily slotted in some where.

So I just got done listening to this. I listened to the audiobook form my library. I thought it would be a good book to listen to as I cleaned and did errands today and I was right. The narrator had a great voice for this book. My one criticism is that it seemed to end rather abruptly. She is kind of a hoot though. Murder is just part of her normal life it seems.

So, because of the previous comments, I checked for this book when I made my recent "holds" pickup. I got it...and read it quickly.

Maud is a delight! She doesn't seem to have the moral sense to see her actions as wrong but rather justified to protect her space. I love her problem-solving and the use of society's perceptions of the elderly, although I doubt that I would be able to carry through nor even think of the same actions as solutions!

I did think she was going to get caught...especially in the last story...and might have without those old lady perceptions by the police.

I did notice that the stories were written years apart. That rather amazed me.

Bea wrote: "So, because of the previous comments, I checked for this book when I made my recent "holds" pickup. I got it...and read it quickly.

Maud is a delight! She doesn't seem to have the moral sense to s..."

I was a little confused by the stories being presented out of order, too. There doesn't seem to be an internal chronology as the events of one story don't show up in the others, except for the last two, of course, which are about the same event from two different perspectives.

KSMary wrote: "So I just got done listening to this. I listened to the audiobook form my library. I thought it would be a good book to listen to as I cleaned and did errands today and I was right. The narrator ha..."

it looks like the second one (An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed picks up right where the first one ended

Dee wrote: "KSMary wrote: "So I just got done listening to this. I listened to the audiobook form my library. I thought it would be a good book to listen to as I cleaned and did errands today and I was right. ..."

That's awesome to know : ) I've got a hold on the second one which I hope comes in soon. I'm ready for more of Maud's antics lol

Like others i enjoyed these stories about a lady who will brook no disruption to her ordered life and takes extreme steps to counter any such events. There is a humour under running the stories and they are a very easy read. However I don't think there is enough in them to make me want to read more - perhaps i will keep them in mind for a future SRC challenge as they are short

I had never heard of this series and now I want to read them all. I thought the premise was really different. The way the stories were told were charming. Maud points all the ways we underestimate the elderly and assume they aren't sophisticated. I listened to this while putting together a puzzle and it was kind of perfect.

FYI i just wrapped up the second one in the series - still decent but i still had questions from book 1

I am going to be the odd one out and say that I didn't particularly like it. I only finished the book because it was so short. I didn't like Maud and I thought she was lucky that some of the "accidents" turned out the way she planned them. I quickly tired of the way most of the stories spent so much time on her background although I this this is so that they are stand alone and can be published separately.

Maud is so calculating and cold-hearted that it becomes disconcerting to follow all her evil deeds. Although her (supposedly) frail age counterbalanced against these egregious acts breathes humor into the stories, it is difficult to imagine Maud pulling these murders off and then having absolutely no remorse.
It is interesting that the beginning stories are written from Maud’s point of view, and the last two stories are told from the neighbor’s and detectives’ perspectives. Of course, Maud did have to step in and tell us how she murdered the antiques dealer (in her own words).
A short, funny read.

I was planning to read The Maid for my Group Read, but the wait list for it was so long, that I decided to switch to this one. I still want to read The Maid, but I was glad I switched and got to discover the cold and calculating Maud. I actually loved the title because the first murder took me completely by surprise. I was expecting her to solve crimes or manipulate people or some other less brutal definition of "up to no good", but she was a full fledged murderess! I listened to the audio and the narrator definitely did the book justice. I'm not sure when I will get to it, but book2 is on my list!

I also enjoyed this book. I am usually not one to read short stories but in this case I think it worked. I want to read the second one now. This book reminded me of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared which had ridiculous events turn into murders, except the old man in that book did not intentionally cause them and Maud does.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was that it ended! I wanted more stories! This book was right up my alley. I love characters like Maud. Moral of the story: Don't underestimate octogenerians lol. Fantastic! Now I need to find other books like this ... I'm open for recommendations!

This book is short but truly a delight. I wish it had been a bit longer. I've been a fan of old lady characters since being exposed to Agatha Christie's Ms. Marple. Having a similar character with the same level of sharpness, except as an anti-heroine, a villainess instead of the traditional detective role makes a really interesting book. The final story is very satisfying and is sufficiently ridiculous. I'll definitely check out the next book in the series.

I found it charming, but ultimately fairly flat. The last murder especially (covered by the final two stories) seemed the most ludicrous. (view spoiler)[She wanted money for a trip to Africa - so how did she end up getting it? The timeline easily disproved her alibi about being away when the murder happened. What was the point of going to the spa between the murder and informing the police, then? And really, all of the murders were a little too lucky that no one survived the initial assault - which seems unlikely with an old lady - even one described as unexpectedly strong - doing the attack. (hide spoiler)] I guess the final point was just that she was never going to be suspected because of her age and that we as a society treat the elderly as useless or something easily overlooked. Like Miss Marple but without the cleverness.

I was planning on reading The Maid but from the discussion on this thread decided to switch. I'm not a short story fan but really enjoyed this book as Maud was very interesting to me. I'd love to have an entire novel on her back story and will definitely be picking up other books by this author and other books with Maud as a character. I think any of these stories would make a great feature film!

I was feeling bad about myself because I really like Maud...thankfully everyone else felt the same! I am going to find the next volume about Maud and based on the other comments, try the books in the author's other series too...

When I initially saw the cover for this book, I was expecting more of a cozy mystery and not the journey I was given. Maud has some spunk and is not a woman I would even want to cross. Who would have ever thought she was that cold-hearted and calculating.

I enjoyed this quite a bit - as many people have said, yes, I would not want to cross her! You hate to kind of root for the murderer, but it's like Dexter in that the victims DO tend to deserve it, and also having the killer be an elderly lady gives it an element of surprise and fun - which of course is what Maud relies on! I went on to read the second book and actually found it kind of different - some of the same but also a lot about her dreams and hopes (and even a little about her childhood). But I enjoyed the sequel too.

I liked Maud, and did enjoy her Dexter like qualities in terms of killing those that deserved it. I love the fact that she's an elderly serial killer - you don't always have to retire from your profession! It wasn't my favorite recent read though, because it kind of left me feeling flat. Maybe because it was so short? Or maybe because I was listening to it on audio and was doing other things at the same time, so I didn't catch all the nuances others found enjoyable.

I can't really add anything that others haven't already said. So many of us chose this book this season!

3 stars

I enjoyed the fun and quirky writing style of this short story collection. I liked the concept of the clever lady being overlooked and underestimated because she is old. But I think I would have enjoyed it more if she was actually just "up to no good"; turns out she was actually much worse. A bit too evil for me. Her complete lack of morals and feelings was not relatable. And even though I liked the fact that it was collected short stories about the same person, the stories were a bit too short and sometimes felt unfinished and superficial.

Just a note to the Moderators: When you open the thread for discussion, if you put the book title into the THIS TOPIC IS ABOUT box, then everyone's response will show their rating of the book, next to their user name.

An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good – Helene Tursten – 3***
This was a book group selection so I was expecting a fun romp of a story, and was surprised by the murder. The book is actually a series of short stories, all featuring 88-year-old Maud and her interactions with various neighbors in her apartment building. It’s a fast read with an interesting premise.
LINK to my full review

I read this book and found it to be amusing. I think it is interesting that the last two group reads have included a senior citizen perspective on murder: The Thursday Murder Club and now this one. I guess both books point out how easily people stereotype the elderly. I liked the dry writing style and the way the author showed just how calculating Maud was.

I was of two minds about this book. I did enjoy Maud's deviousness and the way she used people's underestimation of an elderly lady to her advantage. However, the stories did begin to feel a bit repetitive to me towards the end. I wanted more details on Maud's background to understand why she seems to turn to murder as a first-line solution for any problems that crop up. It sounds like more information about Maud is given in the second book, so maybe I will pick that up eventually.

I loved the way this book deals with the common misconception that all senior citizens are unable to deal with the everyday issues they face Maud takes this to extremes . . . murder as a way of dealing with noisy neighbours or sleasy con artists . . . but all in all I enjoyed it quite a lot.

I didn't like the last story as much as the others, mainly because the male detectives treated the only female detective in a very dismissive way, Of course, she was the only detective to see through Maud's deceptions.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Maude was a hoot. She is elderly and is always trying to solve the "little" irritations of life, quite successfully might I add. This was a fun read. So 4 stars.

Kristen IA

I think I enjoyed this darkly comic book by the end, even if I wasn't so sure about it halfway through. Even though I know it's just a story, it can be a struggle for me to "like" a character who resorts to murder, even if the people she kills are villains in their own right. In the end, I enjoyed looking at it from the angle of how the author explores how "invisible" or underestimated the elderly are, and also how the ending scene with the detectives demonstrates how women are dismissed in male-dominated fields. There's validation in knowing she's right about Maud, but so much frustration in them patting her on the head like a child and telling her she's ridiculous. I look forward to checking out other books by this author, and I do want to find out what Maud gets up to in the next installment of this series. 3.5/5 stars.

PAULA S
I don't normally enjoy books where you are supposed to root for the murderer, but Maud won me over. This frail innocent-looking old maid is a kind of an opposite Miss Marple, doing murder instead of solving murders. The victims mostly deserved it, but still...
4 stars.

I really enjoyed this collection of short story's about feisty Maud. She just wants to live out her days in peace but has a rather unusual way of dealing with those that try to underestimate her and take advantage, namely murder. I recommended this to my elderly neighbor who would enjoy the quirkiness of the book. A solid 4 stars from me.