Spanish 1 Expresate!

by Nancy A. Humbach

Acknowledged authors Nancy A. Humbach wrote Spanish 1 Expresate! comprising 128 pages back in 2008.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Romance, Comedy, Humor, Historical

128 pages, Paperback

Published March 30, 2008

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 STARS
Objectively, this is probably more of a four star book but I so thoroughly enjoyed it I'll bump it up to five stars. I thought it was delightful! Just enough mystery to be intriguing, a dash of romance, winsome humor and keen characterization. Kit is such an engaging narrator and Mr. Harbison so swoon-worthy, I kept hoping he would be found innocent and that Kit would swallow her pride! (No spoilers here, just saying what I hoped would happen.) It's a breezy read without being fluff and I enjoyed every moment of it (well, except for the few un-PC comments about the Japanese butler and South Americans.)

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great work of laughable entertainment - I thoroughly enjoyed this read from 1909 and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nonsensical, slight mystery/slight romantic comedy. It's similar in humor to P. G. Wodehouse but perhaps with more sarcasm than straight silliness.

It's not the characters themselves that stand out, but the situations they find themselves in and how they react that makes this such a fun read. And the plot - I wasn't sure just where it was going (if it was going anywhere) and how it would all end. But I was pleased with the outcome and thought it ended just as it should.

So, don't take the story too seriously - just be willing to laugh at its irony!

Cleanliness:

Profanity
Mild Obscenities and Substitutions - 6 Incidents: D*mn, d*mnably, d*mned, h*ll
Religious Profanities - 21 Incidents: Heaven knows, heaven's sake, thank goodness, heavens, Ye gods, The Lord knows, Lord, Gad, good gracious, God's sake
Derogatory Terms - 9 Incident: Jap, Hussy

Sexual Content: There are a handful of scenes with kissing - they are short and not very detailed. A man is divorced - he wanted to stay married to his wife. "Breastpin" is used. "Bosom" is used twice, meaning heart or chest. An artist does not wish to move the paintings in his studio as that would reveal some photographs and drawings of chorus girls. "Lingerie waists" and undergarments are mentioned.

Conversation Topics: Mentions smoking and drinking a few times throughout the book. A man cracks a joke, asking what color a Mongolian would be with scarlet fever. Roulette, dice, craps, and poker are mentioned. There is half a page about reading palms and seances are mentioned briefly. A fictitious character that committed suicide is referenced.

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[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This worked fine as one of my take-a-walk videos. It was easy to see it being made into a 1930s screwball comedy. Unfortunately, the Librivox reader kept mispronouncing words, and not just the foreign ones. Light entertainment, but not as good as some of Rinehart's mysteries.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several months ago, my sister encouraged me to read this 1909 comedic mystery, and I thought that her description of the story sounded great. Since I don't like reading online, I never got around to trying to read the free version on Gutenberg, but my sister recently acquired an antique copy of the book, and I borrowed it on Saturday night, thinking that this would be a fun, fluffy read in the midst of my stress about COVID.

It was. However, I was not prepared for just how perfect it was, and let out a hysterical peal of laughter when I made it a few chapters into this book and realized that a smallpox quarantine is the driving force of the plot. I'm sure that my sister told me about this when she described the book's premise before, but I had absolutely forgotten it, and was undone over the entertaining timing.

[Virginia Hume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know people who gnash their teeth about e-readers, but the Kindle has been responsible for introducing me to some really great pre-copyright authors, and Mary Roberts Rinehart (aka "the American Agatha Christie") is a prime example. She was one of the most popular and prolific writers of her time. How had I never heard of her? If I had to wait for someone to publish her again her "on dead tree," I probably never would have. so thank you, Kindle! (Oh, and it cost zero dollars and zero cents, also a bonus).

This book was silly, but so much fun. A group of friends are quarantined together in a house in New York City, and one is, due to a series of events, pretending to be married to another. There is a little mystery, a little romance. Silly, but fun.

[Marci · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't want to know the plot. All you need to know is, when you need a laugh, and I mean an unrelenting, side-splitting, face-aching, I-can't-believe-I'm-falling-for-this-silliness type of laugh, this book will provide it. It's in the early 20th-century madcap, screwball, zany farcical comedy vein, like Wodehouse, or the Cary Grant - Katherine Hepburn movie Bringing Up Baby. It was originally written as a Broadway play that was produced in 1909, and then she rewrote it as a novel and published it in 1910. Highly recommended.

[Lynn Hartter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, easy to read, and the solution was one of Rinehart's "Had I But Known," once again. The comic elements, and the romantic comedy ensuing, in an almost spoof of the classic British house party mystery, made this far more enjoyable. In 1910 New York, society girl Kit throws a dinner and card party in sympathy for her former suitor, a now divorced friend, at his home, to cheer him up on the anniversary of the divorce. All joining are friends except for a dashing stranger, fresh from work as an engineer in South America. The butler is taken ill, and sent away by ambulance, when a visit from an elderly (and financially supporting) aunt is announced. Kit is put upon to play the part of Bella, and has arranged a house tour for the aunt, when ex-wife Bella arrives! The servants vanish, and the house is quarantined as the butler may have smallpox. The society folks must amuse and care for themselves for the next several days, while deceiving Aunt Selina, jewels turn up missing, and Kit must hide her interest in Mr. Harbison. A comedy of errors, and lighter than many mysteries due to comedic elements and mistaken identity. . . and a short read made for an entertaining evening or two. This, and many of other Rinehart's more serious mystery novels, are available free or for 99 cents, when purchased individually for Kindle.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Roberts Rinehart is best known for her mysteries, of which I've read and enjoyed a few. But I prefer her romantic comedies. The first one I read was Bab: A Sub-Deb, and it will never be bested.

But this is another corker. It's a funny, frothy, madcap tale of socialites who attend a party to celebrate/mourn the anniversary of their host's divorce. His fearsome aunt drops in unexpectedly, and the narrator Kit agrees, against her better judgment, to impersonate his ex-wife. Then the ex-wife also shows up. The group is faced with the unfamiliar project of fending for themselves when the butler comes down with smallpox and they are quarantined in the house, along with the imperious aunt and a relative stranger--a handsome engineer who dislikes the idle rich. Some jewelry goes missing, and from there things spiral into mystery, squabbling, romance, and hilarity. Another reviewer said they could picture this made into a screwball comedy film, and I concur.

"And down inside of me I had a premonition that I was going to do just what they wanted me to do, and get into all sorts of trouble, and not be thanked for it after all. Which was entirely correct."

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of MRR's better efforts, a light and frothy novel, very much of its time. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of it before.

There's an anniversary party thrown by half a dozen of Jim's friends to cheer him up - his divorce was final two years ago. Throw in a surprise visit from a conservative aunt who pays Jim's allowance, who was never told of the divorce, Jim's ex-wife, a quarantine, and the occasional theft of jewelry, and you begin to get the idea. Romance also makes an appearance, of course.

Just when the chaos reaches maximum, the mysteries are resolved, the jewelry found, the guy gets the girl, and the quarantine is lifted.

A satisfying read, with a happy ending. Recommended.

[Soothing Rays · Rating 5 out of 5]

A harmless deception gets unwittingly prolonged leading to heartache but it all gets tied up in the end, so don't worry.
Moral:
1. Don't try to fool aunts.
2. Don't get caught up in friends' stupid ideas.

Verdict: One of the funniest books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

[Molly Rawls · Rating 3 out of 5]

1909 book I read before making a junk journal out of it. Fast read and it kept my attention with the ridiculous plot about socialites having to fend for themselves with zero real-life skills while quarantined.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review coming, but this was my first Mary Roberts Rinehart and I loved it!

[Elsie Stoltzfus · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Tim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my review at http://tims-reviews.blogspot.com/2018....

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic screwball comedy with echoes of what would become Rinehart's famous "had I but known" formula. The mystery, and someone will be hauled away in handcuffs, is very slight and ends up being as whimsical as all the rest. Luckily I have a battered but complete hardcover copy with all the pictures of this 1909 novel. Drawings of Kit and her friends by Harrison Fisher and Mayo Bunker add to the fun.

[Mandolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When she agreed to help a friend deceive his maiden aunt by posing as his wife, Kit never guessed the trouble that would follow. Quarantined along with a group of society's elite, including her friend's aunt and his former wife, due to exposure to smallpox, Kit soon finds herself in the midst of a series of crazy events including several burglaries, bungled escape attempts and a slew of mysterious occurrences...with a little romantic confusion, too! Who is stealing from the household? The same man she suspects of kissing her on the stairwell or someone else? Events gradually grow more and more strange and the solution more murky until the final chapters of the book when all is revealed and Kit determines whether or not the man who both attracts and repels her so much is worth her heart.

Filled with Rinehart's trademark suspense and action, this book may not be one of her best but it is still a satisfactory, entertaining read.

[Zena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the writing so very different from today's style but must admit that it was most refreshing and enjoyable. The story itself caused many laugh out loud moments for me and yet had many moments of cunning and intrigue and a touch of romance too.
The narration was good except I would ask Ms Commins to get a bit more coaching on her rendition of an Irish accent. Besides that, it was a great reading.
So, all in all this was a most enjoyable book and it is worth a read/listen.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed reading Mary Roberts Rinehart's mysteries. This one is quite humorous. Enjoyable read. The time period of the story is early 1900's. She mentioned Women's Suffrage in part of her story telling but it's not about that. I'm glad that I'm able to cook, dress myself etc., without the help of a maid. But this group sure knew how to have fun playing card games most of the day, reminds me of someone I know.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one of her best. Convoluted, but I finished it to discover the end.

[Effie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much of a mystery, but a great comedy.

[Lynne weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

not bad for a freeby. I highly recommend u try it. very entertaining :-)

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful, dotty, fluffy Edwardian screwball. It won't change your life but it's pretty diverting.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful quick read. There is something about the books from this era that put them in a class of their own.

[Elaine]

this would be a fun movie.

[Aiàlamode · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Ratchel Bwire · Rating 5 out of 5]

'It was Jimmy Wilson who started it...'

[Gypsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turn-of-the-nineteenth century novel, a precursor of Hollywood's screwball comedies of the 1930s, is a laugh-out-loud misadventure that is well-written, engaging and completely entertaining. Telling the plot would spoil it, I think, as so much of the pleasure is derived from wondering just WHAT could possibly happen next?! The best thing to do, is to let Kit (the narrator) tell it in her own words:

It began with Jimmy Wilson and a conspiracy, was helped on by a foot-square piece of yellow paper and a Japanese butler, and it enmeshed and mixed up generally ten respectable members of society and a policeman. Incidentally, it involved a pearl collar and a box of soap, which sounds incongruous, doesn’t it?

Rinehart, known for her popular mysteries, has a wonderful knack for writing conversation and ridiculous situations, both of which made When a Man Marries such fun. It is not perfect, and there are a few bits that could have been smoothed out better or explained more, as well as some dated, now offensive, language. Despite that, I got five stars worth of enjoyment out of it, and am truly sad that I can't honestly give it the full five rating

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I assumed When A Man Marries to be a romance of some sort, which it is, but it's mostly mystery and suspense from 1910. It's funny to see that writers even back then had discovered the joy of piling on cliches and milking them for all they are worth.

Rinehart gleefully traps her upper class characters in a house for seven days under the pretense of a smallpox quarantine--the butler comes down with spots and has to be carted away. The story is told from the point of view of a plucky lady named Kit (it wouldn't surprise me if she was a Mary Sue) has to fend off the affections of another man because she is pretending to be another's man wife. Being trapped without servants wreaks havoc on the group's noble sensibilities, and they all begin to grate on one another, especially when jewellery starts disappearing. It's a laugh out loud comedy of suspense and errors, and I can just picture Ms. Rinehart writing each word with great aplomb.

A small warning --as with most works from the past, both books contain mild racism and epithets towards Germans and Japanese people.

[Starry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diverting but not memorable except that it involves a house under quarantine (read during the COVID pandemic). In this book by “America’s Agatha Christie” (but published before Christie—1909), the mystery takes a backseat to comedy. This book was a bestseller in 1910.
The narrator Kit and her socialite dinner companions end up quarantined in a friend’s NYC mansion after the butler comes down with smallpox. The servants flee, leaving the wealthy guests to fend for themselves. Most don’t even know how to cook an egg. Meanwhile, there’s an elaborate farce at play (long story) in which the unfortunate Kit is impersonating her host’s absent (newly divorced) wife to soothe his wealthy (anti-divorce) aunt, now stuck in quarantine with them, as is the ex-wife. But who’s stealing jewelry amid all this chaos?

[Sunanda Gautam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Certainly not her best. Mary Roberts Rinehart switches from one genre to another with relative ease. This is certainly not a mystery thriller although there is a light thread of it in the story. Neither is it a powerful politico-social drama that she is so adept at writing. It was Wodehousean and fey and although humorous at parts, was mostly boring. I had to push myself to read it till its predictable end.