Sights Unseen

Written by Kaye Gibbons

Narrated by Kate Fleming

The bestselling author of Charms for the Easy Life reads "her best novel since Ellen Foster."

Kaye Gibbons' award-winning novels of Southern family life have won rave reviews coast to coast. Now, she tells the "story of family dislocation and crisis in restrained prose of unflinching clarity, with a honing eye for the small domestic details that conjure a time, place and emotional atmosphere." (Publishers Weekly)

To the people of Bend of the River Road, Maggie Barnes is "the Barnes woman with all the problems." To her family, she is the unpredictable wife, elusive mother, and adored daughter-in-law, and to her maid, Pearl, she is the mistress who must be cared for like a child.

Between the suicidal lows and delirious highs, young Hattie Barnes struggles to find a place in her mother's heart. She observes her mother's vain attempts at normalcy, and then watches as she is driven off to the hospital psychiatric ward. Only later will Hattie discover the deep-seated hopes and fears of the woman she loves unconditionally, and her inevitable connection to her family's past.

In heartfelt and potent prose, through Hattie's hushed voice, Sights Unseen tells the story of a troubled relationship and the courage it takes to see it through.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442350014

Kaye Gibbons

Kaye Gibbons was born in 1960 in Nash County, North Carolina, on Bend of the River Road. She attended North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying American and English literature. At twenty-six years old, she wrote her first novel, Ellen Foster. She is also the author of A Virtuous Woman, Charms for the Easy Life, On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon, A Cure for Dreams, Sights Unseen, and Divining Women.

Reviews for Sights Unseen

[endersreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Back in 2007 David Suchet had spoken of wanting to complete the filming of all of the Poirot stories by 2011, in which he will have turned 65. In February 2009 it was announced that another series of four stories has been commissioned by ITV. The four novels comprise "The Clocks," "Three Act Tragedy," "Hallowe'en Party," and "Murder on the Orient Express".I can't help but think what a rather "Poirotless" film "The Clocks" would be. It was not until page 112, Chapter 14 that Poirot first made entrance into "The Clocks". I can't help but think of Agatha Christie's feelings towards the little Belgian, viz. By 1930, Christie found Poirot 'insufferable', by 1960, she felt that he was a 'detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep'. Yet Christie claimed that it was her duty to produce what the public liked, and what the public liked was Poirot.I should hope that I would never feel as a writer, come to despise my creation (hmm...). I can only imagine what she would have created if she killed Poirot off and pursued writing of which her heart was in. It was nice of Christie to include Poirot at the end of this story again, to give us the mystery solved. I very much would like to visit the quaint Wilbraham Crescent one day (which backed in onto itself), though not to visit a blind communists such as Miss Pebmarsh, nor crazy cat ladies such as Mrs. Hemmings, and certainly not to visit Sheila Webb, as I absolutely despise her stupid lying face. I can only agree with Detective Inspector Dick Hardcastle in his opinion of Colin Lamb and his marriage—the man has lost his marbles.Wheels within wheels within the Crescent that backs in on itself. That's what made this mystery worthwhile, as well as the short but sweet appearance of Hercule Poirot. Also, I am a fan of clocks, which are made up of wheels within wheels; and I very much enjoyed Poirot's further elucidating us on the appearance of such clocks, as well as his encyclopedic knowledge of crime fiction. Unfortunately Hastings was in South America, I believe it was.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Clocks is one of Agatha Christie’s later books, published in 1963. I read it before but kind of forgot the story and now I finally read it again. I got to know it has a TV version too which now I am planning to watch. This book also contains the famous character of Hercules Poirot, but he does not appear until about halfway into the book.Wilbraham Crescent, The Cavendish Secretarial Bureau, and a secret service agent - all are tied up with the mysterious happenings in house No. 19. On a certain day, they all unexpectedly collide when Sheila Webb a typist-for-hire, who arrives at her afternoon appointment on Wilbraham Crescent in Crowdean on the Sussex coast finds a well-dressed corpse surrounded by six clocks, four of which are stopped at 4:13, while the cuckoo clock announces it is 3 o'clock. When a blind woman enters the house about to step on the corpse, Sheila comes screaming out of No. 19 straight into the arms of Colin Lamb. He reports the death to Detective Inspector Hardcastle and together they investigate. Later the famous Poirot gets involved because Colin knows him.This book is definitely a good read and certainly explains why Agatha Christie is known as the Queen of Crime.

[ralphmalph_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book as most of Christie's are. This is a little quick at the ending as she tries to finish the book - I would have preferred more story vs. the quick ending. The title does play a roll but I got more out of the characters which are developed well.

[riida_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i remember a few years back, i made a conscious decision not to read agatha christie books the way i eat pop corn...they are that special to me, and i was afraid of running out of christie books before my appetite is satisfied.just finished 'clocks', and i'm so glad that it has lived up to my memories of a proper christie novella :)an unidentified man is found dead in a blind lady's sitting room by typist-for-hire Sheila Webb. The blind lady, Mrs. Pebmarsh, denies knowing the dead guy. in fact, she denies knowing Sheila Webb, and even denies hiring a typist at all. and just to make things a bit more interesting, six different clocks were found in the same room as the dead guy, and four of them points to the wrong time!someone connected to the investigation decides to bring the case to his retired friend far away in london, hercule poirot, who has always boasted that "it was perfectly possible to lie back in one's chair, just think about it all, and come up with the answer."upon first hearing the details of the case, poirot declares matter of factly, "One thing is certain. It must be a very simple crime." red herrings galore! vintage christie! :D

[tess22_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Clocks is OK, but not one of her best. There are too many characters involved and the plot goes round in circles. Poirot barely appears, not doing any direct investigating or interviewing, which makes his deduction process less interesting. However there are a few genuine surprises and likeable narrators that redeem it.

[arielfl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was another entry in my cool down with AC summer reading challenge. I read this ahead of viewing the Masterpiece Movie which aired last Sunday. The set up was very much like Three Act Tragedy, my least favorite AC read so far. Hercule Poirot was again a peripheral character who was in the novel very little. He just show up in the end to call everyone stupid and solve the mystery. Also like Three Act, this story had a lot of characters to keep track of and a quick solution to the mystery. It was actually two mysteries and like the AC mysteries I've read before, everything is summed up on the last two to three pages. This book is slightly better for me than Three Act just because I liked the characters better. The mystery certainly starts off intriguing enough, how did a dead man come to be found on a blind woman's floor with four clocks in a room that had never been there before? I did not figure out the solution but this wasn't one of the books that kept me on the edge of my seat. There were also references to communism that was an important issue in Chrisite's time but are out of my reference field. I think all of his AC is worth a read although this did not rank in my favorites. I'll watch the movie now and see that if that clarifies things further.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dead man is found in a room in a house where he is not known, with four clocks (none of which belong to the house) ll stopped but set to one time. The man turns out to be a minor con man who preyed on women with pretended offers of marriage. He is identified by his former real wife, a minor actress --a type who appears I other Christie novels, vulgar but good-hearted. Poirot is brought into the case relatively late.

[tulikangaroo · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A light, pleasurable read - not enough Poirot, however!

[aliciamay_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A young stenographer finds a body in the home of a blind woman in a room with four extra clocks set to 4:13. Things get more interesting when it turns out that the blind woman did not hire the stenographer, no one knows who the dead man is, and more murders are committed. The town’s Detective investigates the case with the help of his friend, a British secret agent, who just so happens to be chummy with Hercule Poirot. Even though this is one of the Hercule Poirot mysteries, he plays a minor role, appearing in only three scenes as an armchair detective. I thought I had the case solved and was growing frustrated by the lapses of the police and secret agent, but I was humbled when the all-knowing Poirot revealed the more complex solution. One thing that detracted from the book was the side case that the secret agent was pursuing, his hunt for Communists. This concern has always been baffling to me, so I can’t take it seriously. But I suppose it was part of the times and necessary to bring his character, and therefore Poirot, into the fold.

[therebelprince · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In which a blind woman, six clocks and a mysterious murder lead Poirot to attempt solving a complex case from afar.

"The Clocks" is an utter letdown. Again, there’s no surprise, since this was one of Christie’s last books, but – unlike those cited above – "The Clocks" begins with a fascinating premise, one which I remember being delighted in as a child, and then does nothing with it. On a personal level, I’m probably overly bitter about this book, but I remember being delighted by the opening chapters – and again by the opening of the David Suchet adaptation – and realising both times that things would soon devolve into a mess of unlikely (to say the least) coincidences and clues that go nowhere. Poirot seems as bored with the case as Christie does with involving him in the first place.

Poirot ranking: 37th out of 38.

[daniel5estes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This Agatha Christie mystery is branded as a Hercule Poirot novel but that's a little misleading. Poirot doesn't make an appearance until almost halfway through, and once he does, he's in more of a supporting role. Agent Colin Lamb is the narrator here and he is aided chiefly by Inspector Hardcastle, and somewhat lesser by Poirot himself.The plot is well thought out and intriguing, and I expect that from Agatha Christie, but the lack of appearances by Poirot made it less enjoyable. Listening to Poirot figure out the crime and ultimately walking us through his thought process just barely made the whole effort worth it for me. 

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Clocks was a bit of a twisty one, every time you turned around the finger happened to be pointing to someone who you didn't want to be guilty. There just 'happened' to be quite a few coincidences in a sleepy little neighborhood, but other than that it was a good read and a good whodunit. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was one of her best, far from it. If your new to Christie I would suggest starting off with a different one.

[riverwillow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This has quite a convoluted plot, almost as convoluted as the layout of Wilbraham Crescent which backs onto itself - 19 Wilbraham Crescent is where the murder takes place. Poirot makes a late appearance and solves the mystery. Not one of my favourite Christies, but not a bad read either.

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I figured out a small portion but nit "who done it" or why..... That was the twist away from the given clues.....I basically skimmed the first 12 chapters (Poirot didn't come in until after that).....I really dislike chatter/filler.....

[lahochstetler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel begins with one of Christie's creepiest murder scenes. A young woman arrives at her employer's house to find an unidentified dead man and a room full of stopped clocks. The rest of the book is spend unraveling the mystery of the dead man's identity and his presence in the home. To complicate matters the homeowner is blind, so visual identification is impossible. Before the mystery is solved a young secretary is also murdered, likely in connection with the mystery man. I found the clues offered in this book to be far less subtle than in some of Christie's other mysteries. Indeed, the list of characters at the book's outset gives away a great deal. Ultimately I found the solution to the mystery to be rather odd. Suffice to say that it is very much a product of its time. This is not one of Christie's more haunting efforts, but the reading of it was entertaining nonetheless.

[foreigncircus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been a Christie fan since 8th grade and have read them all so many times that I always remember whodunit. Nevertheless, I find them a relaxing and enjoyable read when I'm taking a break from more weighty fiction. This offering is not one of my favorites, mostly because Hercules Poirot, though he makes an appearance, is not central to the story which focuses instead on a young friend of his who finds himself pulled into a murder mystery when he is investigating a case of espionage. The mystery itself is quite enjoyable and the solution satisfying as always; I just prefer to snuggle in with Poirot or Miss Marple when I have the chance. 4 stars.

[Michelle Schmidt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautiful and poignant story. The way in which the bipolar illness is so graciously described, without harsh judgment. But what a person goes through and how, when untreated, can cause such damage to one’s life and those who love them. I’m very grateful for the kindness in how the story was written. And there could not have been a better choice for a narrator.

[dawnbirduk_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hercule Poirot made a surprise appearance.Brilliant

[tomdonaghey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Clocks (1963) (Poirot #37) by Agatha Christie. Here we have Poirot proving his point that a detective need not snoop about like a bloodhound, traipsing across the countryside, magnifying glass in hand, just to catch a killer. Sitting and thinking after the facts have been presented to him is all he does in this outing. And, of course, it works.Here the problem presented is one so extraordinary that it could never happen in real life. Sheila Webb is a young woman who is a typist in an agency that specializes in temporary office workers. She is sent to an upscale address where she discovers a murdered man. There are six clocks set about him, four having been stopped at 4:13 while a cuckoo clock sticks 3.Sheila runs from the house and into the arms of a Special Branch agent looking into a mystery of his own which has brought him to the same address. Questioning the locals gives him an odd assortment of answers and, puzzled, he turns to Poirot for revelations. It seems the young man’s father and Poirot worked on cases of their own and he had heard marvelous things about the little Belgian.This is a nice tale and a good puzzle and we find Poirot at his best, sitting and thinking. This is a good read for people who are currently loathe to leave their residences for any reason and proof positive that important work can continue from your own home.Yeah!

[figgles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Late Poirot (1963 not between the wars as portrayed in the TV adaptation), a little ridiculous but still entertaining! Plot doesn't bear too close an inspection, with two intersecting strands only sorted out by the use of the little grey cells... - all the same I enjoyed it!

[smik_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I seriously could not remember if I had read THE CLOCKS before.I think perhaps I must have because I worked the solution out well ahead of time.What I found particularly interesting is the way an aging Hercule Poirot tries to demonstrate his ability to solve the mystery from his armchair. Eventually he comes to London to be closer to to the scene of the crime, to satisfy his curiosity, he says.Colin Lamb, into whose arms Sheila Webb flees when she rushes out 19 Wilbraham Crescent after finding the body, decides to consult Hercule Poirot, a friend of his father's, when he is stumped by the mystery, and Poirot uses him as his sniffer dog, interviewing the residents of nearby houses.The plot is similar in ways to Christie's previous novel, THE MIRROR CRACK'D FROM SIDE TO SIDE, written the previous year, in which an aging Miss Marple does a spot of armchair detection, and uses her friend Dolly Bantry to get the facts so she can work out who killed Heather Badcock.The admission here is that both Christie's popular detectives are aging, as indeed the author herself is. To be honest they haven't aged as quickly as she has, having already been quite elderly when they made their debuts 50 years before. The inference is of course that though they are each becoming more infirm, that their brilliant minds are still capable of deduction. This despite the fact that those around them sometimes regard them as a little "gaga".Of course armchair detection has to be possible if one is given all the relevant facts, because that is what we, the readers, indulge in.There are a few little things that don't quite work in THE CLOCKS, and I thought the story became rather too convoluted, as if the author had changed her mind several times about which solution to adopt in the end, resulting in rather too many red herrings

[jrsearcher · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I cheated. I had an idea of what was going on, and then couldn't stand the suspense and read the end.

[aliceap-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was written very differently and the plot development was unique also. For starters, the narrative voice changed several times from third person to first person (and it wasn't Poirot as first person either). I thought at first this might create problems like with time jumping but after a few chapters the transitions felt familiar and smooth. Secondly, Poirot never set foot on the crime scenes and he never spoke to any of the suspects. From what I've read, this is the only time Christie employed this tactic and it was mostly to show that it was possible for the Belgian detective to accomplish such a feat. As per usual, I thought I had the whole thing figured out only to discover that it was all a pile-up of red herrings and I'd been duped again. Oh, Agatha!

[sueincyprus · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young typist becomes a suspect in a dramatic case. Hercule Poirot gets involved, and uses his brains and logic to solve the puzzle - which, as so often, left me mystified until the murderer was unmasked. Very cleverly written.

[bontley · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Unworthy of her.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5***Hercule Poirot takes a somewhat minor role here, while Inspector Hardcastle and Colin Lamb take the lead.A young woman stenographer/typist is specifically requested at No. 19. She’s instructed to come in if no one answers the door and to wait in the sitting room. She arrives just a couple of minutes early, and waits as instructed. When the cuckoo clock strikes three she goes over to it to inspect it more closely, which is when she discovers the body of a man who has been stabbed. She runs screaming from the house just as the owner, a blind woman, arrives from her shopping, and she runs right into Colin Lamb who just happened to be walking past looking for another address. Who is the dead man? Who murdered him? Why? How is the girl involved? Why didn’t the neighbors see anything?As usual there are red herrings everywhere and a double plot involving an international spy ring. Lamb goes to his good friend Hercule Poirot, who is suffering boredom in retirement, with the challenges of the case. Poirot has claimed he can solve the case just sitting in his chair (as long as someone else has done the leg work and brings him the clues). Of course, Poirot is as good as his word.The book was written in 1963 so there is the specter of Communism and the cold war here, which makes it quite dated, but Christie is a master and I really enjoy going along for the ride.I listened to the audio book, expertly narrated by Robin Bailey.

[rubyscarlett-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite fun this one was! Loads of good psychology here too and it was refreshing to have a disabled character as one of the main protagonists. Didn't quite feel like a Poirot novel since he makes such a small appearance but I didn't care - Colin was lovely.

[bcrowl399 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I truly enjoyed this Christie mystery. It wasn't too convoluted at the end when they revealed the killer.

[lucybrown_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent look at the affect of bipolar disorder on a family. Well written, with memorable characters and wit

[moonshineandrosefire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the minds of the good people of Bend of the River, North Carolina, the exotic Maggie Barnes is 'not right', 'flighty' or, put more politely, 'the Barnes woman with all her problems'. To Maggie's immediate family - her husband Frederick, son Freddy, and young daughter, Hattie - she is a maddening and beloved paradox: quite clearly depressive, yet also a beautiful, generous, satin-clad siren.Maggie is at times vivacious and captivating, but at others she is infuriating, violent and heartless to those who love her. Through Hattie's now adult eyes, a devastatingly poignant portrait of her mother emerges - wry, irresistibly comic yet unsparing in its depiction of a child's despairing love for her mentally disturbed mother. Sights Unseen is also the story of the marvelous extended Barnes family. Each with their own strategies for dealing with the impossible Maggie, the members of the Barnes family struggle to understand her and to preserve a nurturing, loving family relationship with her.I really enjoyed this book, although at certain points I found the story incredibly poignant. Sights Unseen by Kaye Gibbons clearly illustrates how mental illness affects the entire family, however I think that during my reading, I kept expecting the author to branch out more into the community with this story. I ultimately gave Sights Unseen by Kaye Gibbons an A!