Book Club

Short Stories

Agatha Christie wrote nearly 160 short stories. This includes the recently discovered and published The Capture of Cerberus and The Incident of the Dog's Ball.   She used many of the plots in later novels and plays. Here you can discuss each one.

We're pretty sure they're all here but if you notice any ommissions just let us know!

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Tuesday Night Club

Jemma 07 Sep 09 at 9:49 a.m. GMT

The Tuesday Night Club is the very first Miss Marple story ever written. In it she is described as a Victorian relic of a bygone era - "Mechlin lace was arranged in a cascade down the front of the bodice. She had on black lace mittens, and a black lace cap surmounted the piled up masses of her snowy hair."

This is a very different description to the character that Christie describes in later novels. Is there any indication in this story that Miss Marple would prove such a rival to Poirot? Would the later novels and the character have proved as popular if she had retained her "Victorian" image?

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8 replies

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Tommy_A_Jones 17 Oct 09 at 4:56 p.m. GMT

Welcome TheButlerDidIT, I think AC formulated the idea of Evil Under The Sun after writing that short story The Blood-stained Pavement btw I live in the SW too.

TheButlerDidIT 17 Oct 09 at 1:22 p.m. GMT

The solution in one of the stories in The 13 Proplems is the exact same as the one in Evil Under The Sun

Puffinjill 16 Oct 09 at 7:52 a.m. GMT

Well, hello neighbour! Yes, I think Miss Marple would keep to her original comment and dress appropriately for each occasion. A bicycle...possibly, but I can see her using her free bus pass freely!!

By the way, that's not me in Waitrose. I don't own any jodhpurs. And I shop in Tesco.

ampman 16 Oct 09 at 7:11 a.m. GMT

I am in the South/South West and round here they are mainly horsey and wear riding clothes to Waitrose. In The Body in the Library MM says that a well bred young girl always wears the correct outfit for the occasion and wouldn't wear a summer drss to a point to point so I think that she would stick to that principle today. Like you I can't see her in trousers. I think she might ride a bicycle or if she had a car it would be an old Morris Traveller, one of those with the woodwork.

Puffinjill 15 Oct 09 at 2:37 p.m. GMT

Present day? Mmmm, not sure. Something sensible, no doubt. And I can't imagine her in trousers. Actually, I still see a fair amount of more mature ladies wearing tweed suits (I am in the west country, you know!!) just as Miss Marple probably did in the 1930's/40's. Perhaps I'm stuck in a time warp.

ampman 14 Oct 09 at 7:05 a.m. GMT

I keep a copy of Miss Marple : The Complete Short Stories by my bed because I never tire of reading it.

I think the decription of MM as an old Victorian lady is AC's descrition of her grandmother who she said was her inspiraton for MM. I can't imagine MM trailing round various villages in a long black silk dress etc so I suppose when AC realised she  was on to a winner she brought her up to date for the time the books were written.

Any suggestions on what a present day MM would wear?

ltaranto 13 Oct 09 at 10:04 p.m. GMT

I really love this book, I've read four times  and I'll read it again. 

Tommy_A_Jones 21 Sep 09 at 3:50 p.m. GMT

I love this and all the others in The Thirteen Problems