Book Club

Marple Stories

Christie never intended Miss Marple to rival Poirot in the publics affections, but this spinster sleuth soon proved a hit with the public.  Here's the place to discuss her stories - but beware spoilers!

If you can't find your favourite Miss Marple story, don't worry - more will be added shortly.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

A Murder is Announced

Jemma 05 Sep 09 at 12:44 p.m. GMT

With remarkable calmness "Little Paddocks" becomes the focus for this murder. How does Christie make us believe that the villagers follow their instincts and go to the scene of the crime? Why would they when they believe it to be nonsense?

Full of clues which manifest themselves as "red herrings" Christie unearths a multitude of suggestions for the culprit. How well does the author allow us to believe that Craddock's sesitive ego results in him listening to Miss Marple?

As Christie's characters unfold we are also given insights into which newspapers she read. If Christie were alive today, which paper do you think she would read and why?

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78 replies

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Tommy_A_Jones 17 May 12 at 2:09 p.m. GMT

The name slips were important and seeled the fate of the person who made them.

Miss_Sherlock 17 May 12 at 9:55 a.m. GMT

I just finished reading this yesterday evening. I really enjoyed the book. Perhaps my favourite MM so far. I spotted who the murderer was, mostly because at the time of the crime, something didn't ring true. I also spotted the name slips, and decided that they were worth noting, whether they were intrinsic to the plot, or just typos! MM seems to be making a habit of staying with the local vicar and his wife when not at St Mary Mead.

billdawg 02 Apr 12 at 1:27 p.m. GMT

This was a Fantastic Read, kept me guessing all the way througth, it started off so simple and then went deeper and that really made it so brillaint, simply couldnt put it down.   was gutted though when Dora (Bunny) died, she was one of my favourite charecters was very funny. you would be barking mad not to read this 

youngmrquin 17 Mar 12 at 1:10 a.m. GMT

Hello to everyone! I am new here, from Argentina (so please sorry about my amateur English). This novel is one of my favourites. You basically feel that anyone can be the killer by nearly the end of the book. Miss Marple is amazing here, really using her knowledge about human nature but also logical deductions.

judyjohn 26 Dec 11 at 9:33 p.m. GMT

Please tell Matthew Pritchard to cough up some money for a top level security system to resolve this spam problem.  It is a problem most irritating as Poirot would say.

Tommy_A_Jones 21 Nov 11 at 1:13 p.m. GMT

I wish someone would do something about the spammers on this site.

Tommy_A_Jones 08 Nov 11 at 1:45 p.m. GMT

I love this Book, It is my joint favourite along with 4.50 From Paddington and Sleeping Murder I agree with you about the Joan Hickson, Great Performances by not only Joan Hickson and Ursula Howells but also Paolo Donniosti, Joan Sims, Sylvia Syms, Samantha Bond, Simon Shepherd, John Castle and others I have not mentioned as I don't recall their names, I have only seen the Geraldine McKewan Adaptation once but I liked Zoe Wanemaker's Performance but don't remember much oif the Adaptation, I also have the radio Version and love that one too, Ian Lavender is EXcellent as Inspector Craddock, I would thoroughly reccommend the Book and the 2 versions I have got and too be honest I think the GM version is one of the Good ones she did as Miss Marple, along with Murder At The Vicarage but that is just my Opinion.

murder_is_easy123 16 Oct 11 at 10:05 a.m. GMT

My fave Agatha Christie!  Love it.  I have no idea how she thought of such an amazing idea.  Miss Marple at her best, definitely.  The characters are more normal than in other novels.  There is no fancy wealth or aristocracy, just plain old England, and it works so well!  Retired colonels, batty old ladies and foreign refugees are the cast of this book

The 1985 adaptation with Joan Hickson and Ursula Howells is a must-see.  The 2005 film with Geraldine McEwan and Zoe Wanamaker is...OK.  It strays a bit from the book and changes a few things, but is still quite enjoyable

If you like listening to the Marple Mysteries, then this is available, with a full cast including June Whitfield, Ian Lavender and Judy Cornwell

Love this book!

Moderator2 11 Oct 11 at 9:03 a.m. GMT

It wasn't the first Christie book I read but it's my favourite, for sure!

carlotta_adams 11 Oct 11 at 6:50 a.m. GMT

this was the first christie book i read and a loved it!

Moderator2 13 Sep 11 at 8:36 a.m. GMT

Hi there, hopefully no more spam on the page now. Please do let us know if you see more!

thanks again for alerting us

LauraPoirot 11 Sep 11 at 12:43 p.m. GMT

What's going on??? Spammer Mafia? We need the Report Spoiler and abuse button back!

Mr_west 10 Sep 11 at 2:24 p.m. GMT

OMG! the whole page is full of spam messages, moderator please do something about it.

GKCfan 18 Mar 11 at 11:57 p.m. GMT

It's true– the killer could have surrepticiously slipped into the hotel and poisoned Rudi's lunch or something like that, and no one would ever have suspected that the killer had anything to do with it.  That's what the killer should have done.  But you have to remember the psychology of the killer.  The killer was a recluse for several years, a shut-in for almost the entirety of her youth, because of her goiter.  She never saw anyone except for her father, sister, and a couple of very close friends.  She was deprived of attention for years, and now... she saw the opportunity to be the center of attention, the star of the show (the intended victim), and she couldn't resist the chance to set up a murder where she'd be involved.  As you see in the attempted murder of Mitzi, the killer doesn't always think about getting away with it so much as dealing with the problem as soon as possible.

Mr_west 18 Mar 11 at 9:31 p.m. GMT

there is one thing I just couldn't understand about this book.

why do the murderer planed such a complicated murder?

there are much easier way to kill the victim which had no family or friends.

GKCfan 16 Mar 11 at 10:45 p.m. GMT

Bottom line, sufficient legal pressure could've led to Blacklock's medical records and goiter scar being uncovered.  She couldn't risk even a hint of the truth, for the merest rumor could cost her the money.

GKCfan 16 Mar 11 at 10:42 p.m. GMT

Here's why the Rudi murder was necessary from the killer's perspective.  Suppose that Rudi had blabbed about what he knew.  Blacklock continued the impersonation so she could inherit the Goedler millions.  If Rudi told enough people, most people would have ignored him, but word might have reached the next heirs: Pip and Emma.  No one but Pip and Emma and Patrick knew that they (or at least one of them) were in Chipping Cleghorn at the time, but that doesn't matter.  If Pip or Emma learned that Blacklock might have been a fraud, they could hire lawyers and sue for the millions, since the real Leticia was dead.  Rudi would've testified at the trial, probably for a fee.  One person who knew he was telling the truth was Dora Bunner.  The lawyers would've cracked her under cross-examination.

cat1234 16 Mar 11 at 8:01 p.m. GMT

I've just finished reading A Murder Is Announced for the fifth or sixth time (I absolutely adore this book) and I came to the conclusion that Rudi Serz's murder wasn't necessary.

Ok, Blacklock killed him so that he wouldn't reveal her true identity but even if he did recognise her as 'Charlotte' she could easily have called his bluff. After all nobody at Chippin Gleghorn knew her true identity and based on the comments that everybody made about Mitzi and generally foreigners being liars, who would have believed him - a foreigner with an added bad record ( forgery ) - over her, an elderly, English lady with good reputation. It was his word against hers and I am sure that everyone would have believed her! And since Letticia planned the whole hold up so calmly, surely whe could hold her nerve and call his bluff.

I understand the Rudi's character was very important for the whole plot to unfold, but based on everyone's opinions regarding foreigners, in my opinion it would have been far more realistic if for example Rudi was British and knew Letticia while he was workind in Switzerland during the war... What everybody else thinks?

Tommy_A_Jones 13 Jan 11 at 4:44 p.m. GMT

Funmny how the answer is so simple and obvious but Agatha Christie makes it so complicated but the Murderer is the only one who could have done it.

Bunch_Marple 13 Jan 11 at 4 p.m. GMT

Haha perhaps thats more prosaic but I guess the way its written leaves us guessing to the end!

Tommy_A_Jones 13 Jan 11 at 3:22 p.m. GMT

iIt could be done the way you suggest, Y+The Murdereer could treat herself and Dora to a Holiday as soon as the Murder was Committed so Dora didn't read about it in the Gazette and then we would still have the book because one of the otherrs in the house decide on a whim to get the Gazette as a one-off and leave it lieing around and Dora finds it when she gets back, That would work I think.

Bunch_Marple 12 Jan 11 at 5 p.m. GMT

Oh of course it was much better the way its written, but I meant if it was in real life, it isn't a very simple way to commit murder... too many uncontrollable factors!

Tommy_A_Jones 12 Jan 11 at 4:08 p.m. GMT

If she had done it that way when Dora had read about the Death in the Chipping Cleghorn Gazette she would have said to Lettie 'Oh Look that man we met has been Murdered' also she wanted alot of people present so there were a lot of suspects, Anyway it made for a Much better book and it would mean it had to be set somewhere else and we wouldn't have Met Miss H and Miss M and they are brilliant. 

Bunch_Marple 11 Jan 11 at 11:08 p.m. GMT

It was a great book but I never really understood why she went to so much trouble to kill her blackmailer. Surely if she'd wanted him dead she could have easily arranged a meeting in some out of the way place and done it there!

Tommy_A_Jones 10 Jan 11 at 4:10 p.m. GMT

I saw the Joan Hickson version yesterday, I felt this adaptation was more sympathetic to the Killer, I didn't think the Adaptation with Geraldine McKewan wasn't as bad as some of the ITV Adaptations in the Series, When Miss Marple explains things in the Joan Hickson Episode Craddock seemed to have Sympathy for The Killer due to her Tyrranical Father., I felt the Acting in both was good, but is it me or was Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Murgatroyed too young in the GM Version or were they too old in the JH Version, I felt sdorry for the Killer in the JH version but not the GM version but there again I have only seen the GM version from Beginning to end once, like all the others from the ITV series.

Mr_west 02 Jan 11 at 7:11 p.m. GMT

i think this is my favorite Marple story.

the new version is completly not what AC meant when she wrote the book.

I almost feel sorry for the killer when she said:

"I'm sorry i'm sorry i'm so sorry"

whice is a great scene even if it's not like the book.

knottyceltic 30 Sep 10 at 10:35 p.m. GMT

sorry, I've erased my comment as I somehow put it under the wrong thread heading.  *blush*

Katiecars 08 Jul 10 at 8:19 a.m. GMT

This is the only book I KNEW the killer from the beggining. I was sure and now I am proud of myself. :)

Shino_Ellery 19 Jun 10 at 8:48 a.m. GMT

Have fun with it! This is a book with an ending that is totally unpredictable and the motive and method of murder is so perplexing that when I finish the story, I just let down the book and said a big WOW to AC for such an amazing work! 

Quin90 22 May 10 at 1:20 p.m. GMT

Am with u on tht!!I just started reading it,so am waiting to see the twist and turns in it.....there's no who brings old England better than she does!!!I jst lv AC and her works!!!

Shino_Ellery 15 May 10 at 8:38 a.m. GMT

I am blessed that I started reading AC's works when my high school library purchased an incomplete set of her books! This is one of my favourite books, from the description of village life to the atrocity of the murders! I really do envy people in UK because they would have felt the same atmosphere and culture in the stories! I only can rely on my imagination... But I guess that is why Dame AC is great, her stories are real classical mysteries that appeals to people everywhere! 

HeiseiHolmes 28 Jan 10 at 4:42 p.m. GMT

One of my favourite books of all time EVER. Regarding what people are saying about young people reading, I am 15 and I read every day. But it seems strange to me that some people don't. Oh, and this is another time I've successfully solved the case, right down to the tricks and finding all the proof. I love when books make me feel smart.

Read more about this story: A Murder is Announced

aquaflute 10 Jan 10 at 1:47 p.m. GMT

This is IMO the best book with Marple in it. I had the murderer figured out however I guessed it with the wrong motive. I used to think the first victim was Pip!

Tommy_A_Jones 12 Oct 09 at 4:51 p.m. GMT

I agree withyou shaunnabbkevre but I still don't think the Books would be as interewsting if Working Class people were in the books more than they are,, I am currently reading a Book by Patricia Wentworth and the Working Class Characters are servants who are too busy looking after their employers needs, the one Working Class Character is a Scrounger and a very unpleasant person, ACs Working Class Characters aren't always Horrible, e.g. Albert and George  

Puffinjill 11 Oct 09 at 7:43 a.m. GMT

Thats a good point. There would have been a shortage of labour so those remaining would have had even less time for their own pursuits.

shaunabbkevrye 11 Oct 09 at 3:52 a.m. GMT

I think that AC was writing about middle class people for all the reasons given by all of you, and working class people are busy.  They have to work and work hard to survie.  I would assume that in the time she was writing mostly during the war and shortly after, those working class people would not have had the time to be going around getting involved in solving murders.

Puffinjill 08 Oct 09 at 6:19 p.m. GMT

Anytime!!

Tommy_A_Jones 08 Oct 09 at 3:54 p.m. GMT

Thankyou Puffinjill, you are a real friend.

Puffinjill 07 Oct 09 at 6:09 p.m. GMT

Not weird at all, Tommy - rather wonderful actually!

Tommy_A_Jones 07 Oct 09 at 4:35 p.m. GMT

I am really glad you like my idea, If it doesn't sound to odd another way of getting to Cristieworld is by just closing your eyes asnd imagining you are in the company of all ACs Characters and when in your mind you are talking to them you can imagine them as whoever you would cast in the role, IUf that does sound weird I don't really mind (I don't mean to be rude Puffinjill) having an imagination wasn't a crime last time I looked.

I am not about to read Pale Horse as I know it has alot of Characters from other books and I want to be able to say 'Well you're from X and You're from Y (If that makes sense so It will be the last I will read before re-reading some I am sketchy about 

Bundle_ 06 Oct 09 at 7:20 p.m. GMT

Puffinjill

Now, there's a thought! Bundle, Bobby Jones and Lady Frances.... together, that sounds a HUGE amount of fun!!

That would be awesome if they were all in a book together! Bundle would probably have stolen the show if that had happened, though :0)

Puffinjill 06 Oct 09 at 7:14 p.m. GMT

Now, there's a thought! Bundle, Bobby Jones and Lady Frances.... together, that sounds a HUGE amount of fun!!

I like you description, Tommy, of Christieworld. It is just like a little universe on its own. Just wish there was a way we could get to it ourselves!! Oh, I know we can through the books, but if only real life was as colourful and interesting!! I know my life doesn't come near! Anyone else want to join me there?

Are you about to read The Pale Horse? It's one I found difficult to begin with but really appreiciate now. I won't give the plot away for you but I now find it very satisafactory. Plus I love the characters (some old favorites plus new ones).

Tommy_A_Jones 06 Oct 09 at 3 p.m. GMT

I like that too, I wish it happened more in AC books, I wish Bundle and Lady Frances Derwent and Bobby Jones appeared in the same book and I hope Tommy And Tuppence met both. I also wish Characters in Poirot Books met Characters in Miss Marple Books. All though some Charactersd from Poirot Books and some from Miss Marplew Books appear in The Pale Horse I haven't read it yet. In a way ot is like there is one Christieworld and One town has Poirot one has Miss Marple although that is smaller, a smaller one has T&T and a smaller one has Chimneys and there are very tiny small Islands which are the Non-Series Books and Battle resides in some of them.

Puffinjill 06 Oct 09 at 2:15 p.m. GMT

Yes, isn't it. I love the way books and characters interconnect, even if they have little to do with one another. It makes the characters more real somehow - even though they are absent, they are still present in the world being written about.

Tommy_A_Jones 06 Oct 09 at 1:30 p.m. GMT

As always I agree with you Puffingill you are right he never has Miss Marple to bounce Ideas off and in all but one he doesn't have Poirot although in Towards Zero remembering Poirot helps him which I thought was a nice touch.

Puffinjill 05 Oct 09 at 6:43 p.m. GMT

And, in those books, Battle didn't have a Marple or Poirot to bounce his ideas off of. He does talk more about what he thinks in Towards Zero to his nephew and in Cards on the Table he plays fair and lets even Mrs Oliver into his thought processes. The Battle of the earlier books acts well as a brake on the younger generation - they run about and hunt around and he stands by, wise and all-seeing and that contrast works wondefully well.

Tommy_A_Jones 05 Oct 09 at 4:48 p.m. GMT

I like your analyssis Puffinjill but in The |Seven Dials Mystery he couldn't share his thoughts with anyone because the Villain and Bundle were friends and he didn't have an opportunity to take her into his confidence, sadly when I read it I realised I had forgotten alot of The Secret of Chimneys but perhaps he knew that the person who was given the letter wasn't the one who had it so perhaps he doubted Alan Cade's Innocensed and with Toward's Zero anyone could have been the Murderer (except for the Victims of course) I read Murder is Easy without noticing him so I can't comment on that book, I apologize if anything I have said is wrong about The Secret of Chimneys it is a while since I read it.

Frndorfoe 04 Oct 09 at 8:57 p.m. GMT

Bundle_

And I hope I am not being offensive by saying this: but perhaps people who read novels are more cultured than those who don't. It's clear that a lot of people nowadays don't read for fun. In fact, just last week, my class-mates and I were talking about homework, and then about how overwhelming it can be reading chapters in text books. And then the conversation drifted to reading just for fun, and do you know that the majority of them said that they never read for fun! I stated that I did!

You are absolutely right, Bundle. Not only my classmates but even some of my relatives do not and have never read for pleasure. They are astounded by the fact that someone could read, not just for their school work or exams or whatever, but for their own pleasure. One of my uncles saw this book I had bought which was about 300 pages long. And he kept asking me whether I meant to read the whole thing from cover to cover. He wasn't being disparaging, he was just in awe. He couldn't believe that a 300 pages book (if well written) is not that big of a deal for a book lover. It’s a good thing my parents and sibling are not like that. All of us read and we enjoy it.

Puffinjill 04 Oct 09 at 6:56 p.m. GMT

No, Battle isn't stupid in the slightest, but he's more aloof (especially in earlier books such as The Seven Dials Mystery and The Secret of Chimneys). Well, perhaps aloof isn't quite the right word... less open, maybe? Open to help from outside agencies but a little hesitent on revealing all he knows whereas Craddock would share his knowledge with Miss Marple.

I think I've made that as clear as mud.

Tommy_A_Jones 04 Oct 09 at 4:10 p.m. GMT

I would suspect that perhaps your class mates don't read fdor fun because they have to for school which might pout them off but I can't understand why people wouldn't want to read for fun either, I think it is a bit different for children in the UK as Potter Mania is rife although I have never understood it m,yself alot of children in Britain love the books and there are Competitions and TV led awards programmes both for children's books and for Adult's books all of which I hope encourages reading well into the future.

To Puffinjill I agree with your analyssis of Neale I also think Battle is like Neake and Craddock, he isn't as stupid as some of Christie's policemen.

Puffinjill 04 Oct 09 at 1:40 p.m. GMT

Not just before his time, but of ANY time. A man with an open mind and intelligence will fit in any age. A lot of AC's police (in higher ranks) are retired military men who are used to the army way of doing things and view police work in the same way. Craddocks point of view is a fresh one and very welcome! I think of Inspector Neele from A Pocket full of Rye in the same way.

And Bundle, as for not reading for fun?!? I simply cannot understand those who don't read for pleasure. Without books, I wouldn't be around today. No matter how lonely you are, if you have books, you have friends. Lets hope you can encourage those around you to learn to appreiciate the joy of the written word!

Tommy_A_Jones 04 Oct 09 at 1:26 p.m. GMT

I don't think you are mad Puffinjill, I knew exactly what you meant. I can't remember if Craddock calls Miss Marple HQ in the book or if the BBC Adaptation added that just to symbolise how much Craddock believes in Miss Marple's skills and how much Craddock himself thinks outside the box which makes him a person before his time.  

Bundle_ 03 Oct 09 at 11 p.m. GMT

Hi 3rdGirl!

I always make sure I say please and thank you. And I too find that a lot of people are taken aback by it.

And I hope I am not being offensive by saying this: but perhaps people who read novels are more cultured than those who don't. It's clear that a lot of people nowadays don't read for fun. In fact, just last week, my class-mates and I were talking about homework, and then about how overwhelming it can be reading chapters in text books. And then the conversation drifted to reading just for fun, and do you know that the majority of them said that they never read for fun! I stated that I did!

3rdGirl 03 Oct 09 at 10:50 p.m. GMT

I totally agree. I'm in my mid 30's and horrified that young people today don't do the simple things like stand for the elderly on a bus and offer their seat. When I offer them my seat they are truly shocked and people stare at me. Isn't that awful? I also thank the bus driver when getting off which my friends always comment on. They think it's because I grew up in the country. :-)

Maybe that's why we all love AC and other period books so much as they herald a more civilised time?

Thanksfully my country town wasn't like St Mary Meade or Little Paddocks where everyone is Murdered though!

Bundle_ 03 Oct 09 at 9:04 p.m. GMT

Frndorfoe

Oh I couldn't agree more! People today have become so rude. I'm a young person myself and I don't know what it was like say thirty or forty years ago, but even I think that people today show little respect to other people. Thank havens that some people still retain some of their manners!

I so agree w/ you Frn! And it amazes me how rude some people are nowadays. Like there are times when I see men sitting down when they could give their seat to a woman or an elderly person! And there are some people who seem "allergic" to saying please and thank you. And once in a while when those things happen, I'll think about different time periods like in Jane Austen's books ( the early nineteenth century) and how much more considerate people were back then. It's a shame that a lot of people aren't like that now.

Puffinjill 03 Oct 09 at 7:05 p.m. GMT

Lucky you, Tommy, to have family like that!. My other half just lets me rattle on about my love of Christie and detective fiction in general but I think he suspects I'm slightly mad! However, he does recognise how important my love of books has always been to me and how reading has got me through the worst periods of my life. Now I'm so pleased to have made contact with others who feel the same way. (I don't mean others think I'm mad...but perhaps you all do, too?..)

Getting back to the topic we were originally posted, I feel Craddock is an instinctive person who is willing to think 'outside the box' and be a little unorthodox in his approach to cases. He doesn't seem to work on assumptions as others in his profession tend to do (in fiction and in life) so he recognises in Miss Marple someone with a wealth of observation and experience which could be useful to him. I like his character for this reason - he comes accross as very human and beleivable, not a characature in any way.

Frndorfoe 03 Oct 09 at 5:24 p.m. GMT

Puffinjill

I think people have to earn respect from others now rather than expect it due to their birth or status, which is fairer, but I do feel a certain politeness has vanished from everyday life. And it costs nothing, you know. my fellow Christie-ites.

At least the atmoshpere is friendly on here.

Oh I couldn't agree more! People today have become so rude. I'm a young person myself and I don't know what it was like say thirty or forty years ago, but even I think that people today show little respect to other people. Thank havens that some people still retain some of their manners!

Tommy_A_Jones 03 Oct 09 at 1:20 p.m. GMT

Not as much as he used to but still quite a bit, but my Mum's experience of life has helped me to cope (If that doesn't sound too melodramatic) because of his skills my Mum and I both think of the Christie Paralell and think of Gladys, I hgad another who sadly has had to stop due to Fibromialgia and she was more a Lucy Eyelesbarrow which was great.

You are right we are all products of our own times and if it isn't the same thing our own backgrounds and enviroments. Thankfully I have a wonderful Mother who used to be a teacher and a brother who loves looking things up on the net and tey both indulges me in my love of AC and talking about all things AC and Detective Fiction in general aswell as PGW

I have just noticed all my mistakes in my last post, thankyou for being so patient with me.  

Puffinjill 02 Oct 09 at 7:21 p.m. GMT

True. Each to his own.

People do tend to forget that when AC was writing, everyone was less well informed of the world and social issues weren't to the fore. Just because we can see the injustice now doesn't take away from the quality of the book. We are all products of our own times and cannot see how things will be viewed in the future.

Hope your carer doesn't get you down.

Tommy_A_Jones 02 Oct 09 at 3:43 p.m. GMT

I agree Being a 'lady' or 'Gentleman does seem to be frowned upon these days, I am disabled and live in a Village in a Rural area and I have a Carer who lives in a Town in an town and when ever he sees on Television people like the Villagersd of Little Paddocks (But in a more modern setting he glowers at the screen and calls them snobs, He is a Working-class man who has always lived in the same Council House whereas I have never thought thgat class mattered before, I was also brought up to feel like you about people Puffinjill and hope that people that people would see that AC wasn't meaning to be patronizing to working class people but sometimes I worry that people might not see that she wrote at a less enlightened time and not enjoy te books for what they are; Cracking good books but there again maybe the books justv aren't for them just like some genres just aren't for me.

Puffinjill 02 Oct 09 at 3:11 p.m. GMT

Sorry you have been through such sad times, but its a testiment to you that you have continued to act throughout with dignity.

Being a 'lady' tends to be frowned on today as it has conitations of sexism or 'the weaker sex'. I think thats nonsense. We can be 'ladies' and 'gentlemen' without patronising each other - its about respecting each other and celebrating our differences.

I was bought up by working class parents to treat others as I wish to be treated. I hope I do. I beleive AC was bought up with similar ideas, irrespective of her middle class background. Her portaraits of characters from so-called 'lower classes' are finely drawn, not just repetitions of each other to fill in the gaps in a plot. After all, I think she knew the majority of her readers would probably come from that class and they would see through any patronising.

ampman 02 Oct 09 at 7:05 a.m. GMT

I think that ordinairy people have always liked reading about the failings f their so called betters ,hence the popularity of scandal magazines. There is nothing nicer than siting down with a cup of tea and reading in the paper that some titled pterson has been playing away from home or has been caught doing something they shouldn't.

I agree that respect should be earned and not expected because of money or position. Years ago when I was young,remember I am female, I was going through a sordid divorce. I was poor and down at heel but my solicitor treated me with as much respect and courtesy as if I had been the Queen. He was a real gentleman. That is what I like about Miss Marple, she is a real lady. I used to depsair that I hadn't been born a lady, just a woman, but I try to behave like a lady would.

Puffinjill 01 Oct 09 at 6:50 p.m. GMT

I think people have to earn respect from others now rather than expect it due to their birth or status, which is fairer, but I do feel a certain politeness has vanished from everyday life. And it costs nothing, you know. my fellow Christie-ites.

At least the atmoshpere is friendly on here.

Tommy_A_Jones 01 Oct 09 at 2:19 p.m. GMT

The Media and TV has helped to blur the boundaries, people have less respect for their elders and people of certain proffessions, which Isn't nacessarily a bad thing as Doctors, The Police and other people like that don't always know as much as they think they do but I don't see anything wrong with politeness and giving respect to people who deserve it like the elderly or people who once upon a time would live at 'The Big House'. 

ampman 01 Oct 09 at 1:26 p.m. GMT

Miss Marple remarks in one of the books that village life has changed since her youth when a newcomer carried a letter of introduction from someone who was in the same regiment or knew a mutual friend of a villager. The war changed that and people arrived whose past was a mystery to others and who could make up an identity for themselves.

It is amazing how the class system has been diluted in modern times. My own father,born 1912, had his ears soundly boxed for not removing his cap when the lady of the manor's carriage passed him by. He was even told by the Vicar that he was too tall for a boy of his position in life. He was literally getting above himself!

Puffinjill 30 Sep 09 at 5:07 p.m. GMT

Yes, and therefore not really belonging, except in that particular (rather odd) household. I think the lines between so-called 'social classes' are more blurred these days or, possibly, there is more social mobility so achieving a higher status is easier.

In villages like Chipping Cleghorn, there would have been very distinct lines between the classes.

Tommy_A_Jones 30 Sep 09 at 1:59 p.m. GMT

Welcome back Puffinjill, I have read both the books you took and liked most of the Stories from The Thirteen Problems and about half from Hound of Death, I read an article a while ago talking about Upstairs Downstairs they said people usually imagned themselves Upstairs, I think there are now alot of people who see themselves downstairs I think the Majority of people see themselves as Upstairs, I think Compasnions like Jolly in They Do UIt With Mirrors see themselves between the 2. 

Puffinjill 30 Sep 09 at 12:11 p.m. GMT

I'm back! In answer to your question, Tommy, I took The thirteen Problems and The Hound of Death as I thought short stories would be better if I was tired and drifted off a bit. Plus, I hadn't read them both for quite a while. I didn't stay in a hotel overnight (although the offer was there) because I've always found that, far from being an adventure, its just an excuse for everyone attending to get drunk. Call me dull, but as I don't drink, watching others get that way isn't much fun.

BUT, back to the matter in hand. I think AC did tend to write about the type of people she knew and I think she did this for two reasons. Firstly, if it works (and the sales of her books proved it did), why change what you do?;and secondly, I think those from so-called lower classes liked to read about their 'betters'. Many would be striving to better themselves in order to raise themselves into this class and, maybe reading these books, they got glimpses into that kind of life.

I know I've spent most of my life wishing I lived within the pages of one of those books!

Tommy_A_Jones 29 Sep 09 at 2:42 p.m. GMT

I don't think it is just Agatha Christie who has Middle Class Characters in the Centre of her books, nor do I think it is just books of that era that have Middle-Class Characters, P. D. James and Simon Brett both have Middle-Class Characters at the Centree of things.

Tommy_A_Jones 29 Sep 09 at 2:38 p.m. GMT

Tommy_A_Jones

I think all her Books have Middle Class people at the Centre of the books as she probably followed the old adage Write what you know about and she obviously moved in those circles. I personally don't think the stories would have been as good if she was writing about people who were Working-Class, when Characters are in Books by Agatha Christie and her peers they are usually either Tradesmen, Servants or Criminals who are given odd Moniker's like in The Veiled Lady

Tommy_A_Jones 29 Sep 09 at 2:10 p.m. GMT

I think all her Books have Middle Class people at the Centre of the books as she probably followed the old adage Write what you know about and she obviously moved in those circles. I personally don't think the stories would have been as good if she was writing about people who were Working-Class, when Characters are in Books by Agatha Christie and her peers they are usually either Tradesmen, Servants or Criminals who are given odd Moniker's like in The Veiled Lady

ampman 29 Sep 09 at 1:46 p.m. GMT

Are there any AC books that feature people who are not middle class? The only characters who are working class are servants or tradespeople. Did AC stick to writing about just the sort of people she knew about.

Tommy_A_Jones 29 Sep 09 at 11:53 a.m. GMT

I have never had the opportunity to stay in a Hotel for Confrences (or for anyother reason for that matter) but when I see them on Television they always sound so exciting, but perhaps I am letting my Imagination taske over, What Christies are you taking Puffinjill?, another person on the site he found one when staying in a Hotel, I would love that, The only time I have been to a Hotel was for a Murder Mystery Night but as it was just for the evening we didn't stay the Night. 

To ampman your post reminded me of The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side where Cherry gewts Miss Marple Magazines to help her understand more the Show Biz world so there is an argument to suggest that she might just read The Sun and News Of The World when she needs to. I think the only time the Working Class Villagers would go to a house like Little Paddocks or Gossington Hall is when the house is being open for visitors or if they worked there as Cleaners, Cooks and Gardeners etc.  

ampman 29 Sep 09 at 5:43 a.m. GMT

Living in a village does bring out the curiousity in most people. I myself would turn up for the opening of an envelope. Also, remember that the book was set just after the War when there was not so much to do as there is now and any diversion would be welcome. However it was only people of a certain rank in society that turned up at Little Paddocks, the  working class villagers must have assumed that the invitation did not include them.

I think that AC would probably read the Telegraph and Times but I think she would occasonally dip into the Sun or The News of The World for some juicy gossip. She would also read local papers because even today they are full of inspiraton for plots based on the gossip and petty squabbles you find in them. I always start with the Deaths,Bankruptcies and Court cases in case someone I know is included.

Puffinjill 28 Sep 09 at 5:22 p.m. GMT

Absolutely!!! Not have to go to work OR have to travel long distances on very early morning trains to get to boring seminars in Birmingham that you really, really don't want to go to.

Guess what I'm doing tomorrow.....and I'm starting a cold, too.

Adventures and excitement seem a long way off. (But I shall be taking a coulpe of Christies to read en route)

Tommy_A_Jones 28 Sep 09 at 2:28 p.m. GMT

I think if I remember rightly The Telegraph is mentioned quite alot, Wasn't that the Newspaper that had about Jason Raphiel's Death?

Wouldn't it be lovely if we could be people of leisure and go on Adventure's because of nsomething wee had read in a Newspaper?

Puffinjill 27 Sep 09 at 6:22 a.m. GMT

I think she would read The Telegraph as it's one of the few newspapers that hasn't gone over to the tabloid format. Plus it has great crosswords!

As for the the villagers of Chipping Cleghorn, I think they are very typical of most people (as Tommy A Jones has just said). People may pretend that curiosity isn't something they suffer from, but most would be loath to miss out on something that others partake in. A big part of human nature is wanting to belong and feel part of something, and I feel that this is why we can understand the mentality of those going along to Little Paddocks. AC was very astute - it did not matter where her characters may stand in the social scale, under the skin they are all much alike.

Tommy_A_Jones 26 Sep 09 at 2:45 p.m. GMT

Curiosity, The Villagers would have gone assuming that nothing would happen but they didn't want to not be there in case something did happen, that is why people watch huge events on Television or go to events, they don't want to be unable to say they watched or saw something, If none had gone noe of them would have been able to say 'I was there' in case others were who would look down on them that is why to some extent people watch Live Aid or Royal Weddings or Sports events.