Book Club

Non-Series Novels & Stories

For those of you wanting to discuss Agatha Christie's standalone books, such as And Then There Were None. 

Beware spoilers and remember we'll be able to add the most insightful comments to the stories section. 

If you can't find your favourite one, don't worry, we'll be adding them in the coming weeks.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Man in the Brown Suit

Jemma 05 Sep 09 at 11:38 a.m. GMT

The real life "Major Belcher" persuaded Christie to portray him in this book when she sketched the plot on her travels to South Africa. Given the real life influence, is this characterisation of the Major significantly different to her portrayals of other villains?

When mild-mannered clergymen care so much about Cabin 17, this leaves Anne suspicious of her travelling companions and what they have to hide. Which one should she follow when she lands in South Africa?

Of the confusing occurances that are evident in the book does Christie push these too far? From a piece of paper on a tube station, to the yearning for adventure, love and romance overseas - is there a natural link?

Login or register to add posts and reply

109 replies

Reverse order

Tommy_A_Jones 08 Nov 11 at 1:24 p.m. GMT

I saw the Film long before reading the book, but I don't think I would have found the book as easy to read without seeing the Film first, having said that I love the book and have read it twice and will read it again, I love the film, I watched it twice in 1 day.

Epsilon14 08 Nov 11 at 7:38 a.m. GMT

I liked the book a lot but it wasn't one of those common Christie books. The book was very good for its adventure. As the book progressed it became clear that Sir Eustace was 'The Colonel'. Generally the AC books keep me mystified till the end but this one didn't keep me much gripped.

deboluccia 29 Nov 10 at 2:46 a.m. GMT

The characters are particularly vivid (and witty) in this book. Sir Eustace is a scream, the character formerly known as Harry Rayburn is a hottie (can't keep up with all the name changes though I've read the book over 20 times), and Race is also very attractive. It's true that he kind of loses his personality in subsequent books but maybe it's because his heart is broken. But the most interesting character is definitely Sir Eustace and I feel that he was right, people do tend to underestimate him. I've always wondered what became of him.

MissQuin 24 Nov 10 at 3:41 p.m. GMT

Dial_M- indeed it's the sort of image you don't want before going to sleep!! It put me off reading the book, which is a shame.

I have the blueish light cover of Ordeal by.. I think they might be called the signature editions with Ac's sig on the spines. All those tend to be in mono tones or blue. Some are good, in fact most of those are stylish. But I dislike the Mr Quin cover, as it's just a man in blue light. There was a discussion on here about covers that we wanted to improve and that was one of them.

Dial_M_for_Marple 23 Nov 10 at 9:28 p.m. GMT

ewww I found the copy you are talking about Miss Quin, & it is creepy! ew I can't get it out of my head. 

Dial_M_for_Marple 23 Nov 10 at 4:17 p.m. GMT

I don't know what cover you have.... I've never seen one like that. but my copy just has a man in a brown suit holding his hat, but I know they can be creepy because my copy of Endless Night is super creepy it's done by St Martin's Minotaur Publishing. & oooh! it gives me the willies! it has what looks like a child's nursery but it's all dusty like it hasn't been used for awhile. it has a doll set up for a tea party & another one sitting in a rocking chair. the cover was taken with like a blue-ish sort of light. I also think that the cover for Ordeal by Innocence by the same publishing company is super creepy. & so is my copy of problem at pollensa bay is creepy to >.<

MissQuin 21 Aug 10 at 8:02 p.m. GMT

My cover with a dollface is actually drawing, it is intensely creepy.  It had a woman sniffing a rose in the background. There's blood running down from it. urgh! know the one? A paperback, So I can't remove the cover. I could wrap it in paper, but who want's to do that. I assume there's more than one cover with a doll out there?

If it's Female friendships, not just ones with people who characters seen now and again, but ones that are are sisterly, loyal and completely depndable? can't think of many.

Miss Marple and the other village women, didn't seem like really good friends, or maybe just to me? They seemed to be more there to gossip with each other. I'm sure if Miss M told them a secret, it wouldn't remain so for very long! True friends wouldn't do so. I can't imagine any of them being there when they really needed each other. There seems to be alot of achness there.

Emily in Sitaford was so selfish, she'd only befriended people to glean as much as possible from them.

Dolly Bantry's comment something like "I prefer men and flowers" and women are all cat, seems to sum up the general Chrisite mood.

Julia Upjohn and Jennifer Suttcliffe were better friends, but whether they remained so we don't find out. The stongest friendships are not between women in the book, as it's been so wisely pointed out by forum members. Mrs Oliver and Poirot's is a good example, a strong one. Theyre oposites, yet I believe that they can rely on each other. Same with Hastings and Poirot.

NightRayDuck 21 Aug 10 at 6:40 p.m. GMT

"Book cover art subject": I, too, have been avoiding the current edition of By the Pricking of My Thumbs due to the scary doll face on the cover. Glad to see I am not alone in this sentiment! Personally, I would have felt a little better if the cover art had been a drawing of a doll face, rather than a photo of a doll face.

Some of my Christie books are secondhand, very old library copies.. hardcover with artwork only on a separate sheet of paper wrapped on it, if you know what I mean? So, I get the option of removing the artwork from those copies if it's too horrible.. am I being sacrilegious? 

NightRayDuck 21 Aug 10 at 6:28 p.m. GMT

"Friendship subject": I don't think it's particularly lack of female friendship or even lack of male friendship, it's more like, quite a few stories make use of the plot line "someone decides that enough is enough and must kill a long-time friend / friendly acquaintance in order to get hold of this money / whathaveyou". Consider the "friendship" between Captain Trevelyan and Major Burnaby in The Sittaford Mystery, now there's a friendship between men of the world gone very wrong, and in the same story we also get Emily striking up pretty good bonds with Mrs. Curtis and Miss Percehouse in a few days. Thus, Miss Marple and her friends have never been murderers, therefore their friendship is not disrupted.

Puffinjill 08 Aug 10 at 8:21 a.m. GMT

Good point, GKC. I never thought for a second about Miss Marple herself and the friends she has kept throughout her life. I'm not convinced about all the girls in Hickory Dickory Dock, as some of them had distinct agendas to their friendships with the others in the Hostel. However, I did overlook the friendships in Cat Among The Pigeons - especially the one between Julia Upjohn and Jennifer Suttcliffe.

GKCfan 08 Aug 10 at 3:41 a.m. GMT

There are plenty of positive female friendships- Miss Marple has many friends, like Dolly Bantry, Carrie Louise Serrocold, Lady Selina Hazy, and many more.  Mrs. Oliver has a bunch of friends, like Mrs. Butler in Hallowe'en Party.  Most of the ypung women living together in the hostel in Hickory Dickory Dock are friends.  There are lots of friendships between the girls and teachers in Cat Among the Pigeons.

Yunakitty 08 Aug 10 at 3:24 a.m. GMT

Oh, Puffinjill, I was struck by the same idea recently and bid on a copy of Ten Little Niggers on Ebay!  However I was outbid and was disinclined to pay very much for it just for what I wanted it for - to see the textual differences.  Please report on anything you find!

As for positive AC female friendships... been racking my brains and none come to mind... :/

Puffinjill 07 Aug 10 at 2:12 p.m. GMT

Exactly, MissQuin! It always seems as if the females in AC's books only form friendships with other women when they need to use them to serve their own ends. I can understand AC's mistrust of other women after the devasting breakdown of her first marriage, but I do think she portrays an unrealistic view of female friendships. But no matter how hard we look, it is very difficult to find any examples of a friendship between two females in any of her books that are genuine friendships. How about Jenny Driver and Carlotta Adams from Lord Edgware Dies? Again, not a great example as we only view the friendship AFTER Carlotta's death. At least Jenny was in no way responsible for this sad occurance! Suzanne Blair and Anne Beddingfeld from The Man In The Brown Suit is about the only one I can think of where there is no devious agenda behind their affection for each other. Anyone else think of any?

MissQuin 07 Aug 10 at 11:02 a.m. GMT

The only female friendship I can think of is Elvira and her friend Annie?. But even that just seems Elvira plotting and embroiling her friend into her wicked schemes.

Puffinjill 07 Aug 10 at 7:07 a.m. GMT

I'm going to be a real pain and COMPLETELY change the subject again (from AC's female relationships back to the covers of her books) so I can tell let you all know I have a new addition to my collection of original Penguin Crime books. This little green and white gem is a copy of Ten Little Niggers which, obviously, comes from before the change of title to And Then There Were None. I haven't read this copy yet but look forward to doing so soon to see if any of the text was deemed racist too and changed to language much more fitting and respectful.After all, AC was just referring to a rhyme that was in common usage at the time with NO intention to offend anyone at all. I'll let you know if the original differs from the one we now buy.

Interesting footnote - I bought this copy in an Oxfam bookshop but it wasn't displayed on the shelves due to it's title. They had it locked in a glass cabinet behind the counter and I only discovered it was there because I enquired about the price of the Gladys Mitchell Penguin that was in front of it! Lucky little me!!

Yunakitty 07 Aug 10 at 1:55 a.m. GMT

On the topic of the lack of good female friendships in AC books, I have to agree.  As the "female friendships" that popped to my mind were Lottie/Lettie Blacklock and Dora Bunner from Murder is Announced, as well as Cora Lansquenet and Miss Gilchrist from After the Funeral.  Which have the same relationship as many of these other female pairs we've noted... ahem *murderess/victim*...  AC truly didn't think much of her own sex, ha ha!

MissQuin 23 Jul 10 at 3:22 p.m. GMT

Some of (very dedicated) fans had a small discussion on covers. The worst of mine I think will always be that dolls head one. My books collection is a motley one. I have 90% second hand ones, from 50's onwards. I even have one whcih says "Agatha Christie currently lives in Berkshire"

http://www.agathachristie.com/forum/have-your-say/miscellaneous/your-cover-design/

I suppose it's me that should get out more. I think a "design a Chrisite book cover" competiton would be great though.

Puffinjill 23 Jul 10 at 2:50 p.m. GMT

Oh dear, Miss Eylesbarrow, that must mean I need to get out more because that's EXACTLY what I used to do when I originally bought my Fontana paperbacks!!!! I still have them all - dog eared and much loved - and I still think their covers are great. I love the recent covers but just cannot afford to buy them all again new so I shall stick to the ones I have and searching around the charity and/or second hand shops for any hardbacks or original penguins. Lucky you to be near a Waterstones!!! Nothing so cultural remotely near me.....

Miss_Eylesbarrow 23 Jul 10 at 10:37 a.m. GMT

True, but I don't get out much and any excuse is a good one!  I did have a look yesterday and I agree, they are really nice.  I used to like the old Fontana covers best though, I'd try and work out which bit of the story was depicted in the picture and look for the little 'mb' signature which was usually well hidden.  As I say, I don't get out much.....

MissQuin 23 Jul 10 at 10:28 a.m. GMT

Or just look at them on here as I have done.