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The Better Companion

TheMole 04 Aug 09 at 1:06 p.m. GMT

Who does everyone prefer as Poirot's companion (or sidekick)? Ariadne Oliver or Captain Hastings?

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5 replies

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Tommy_A_Jones 13 Aug 09 at 1:36 p.m. GMT

I agree with you susandiane, I prefer Battle too but I am not sure which book with Ariadne is best Cards or McGinty

susandiane 13 Aug 09 at 9:27 a.m. GMT

cards on the table was mrs. oliver's best. i liked capt. hastings alot in the abc murders. so i guess i'm sitting on the fence with a real vote for "none of the above" (i prefer battle myself)

TheMole 04 Aug 09 at 2:29 p.m. GMT

While I like them both very much, I like Ms. Oliver more. Hastings is more laid back, which is fine, but Ms. Oliver is more exciting.I think that she brought a lot of life to the books that she was in. My favorite book that she has been in has to be Cards on the Table.

So, so far that's 3 for Ms. Oliver!

Tommy_A_Jones 04 Aug 09 at 2:17 p.m. GMT

I agree Frndorfoe, I think there is a bit too much repetition with the books with Ariadne, she's asked tom do something and she includes Poirot (I'm talking about Halloween Party and DMF) but I do like her and at least she wasn't based on someone as you rightly say infact if it wasn't for her we would definitely not have Murder She Wrote and perhaps not Betty Rowland's Mel Craig Books (I loved collecting. I just wish some of the books with Ariadne maybe had been a bit better (I don't include Cards On The Table or Mrs McGinty's Dead in that statement). Another thing in Ariadne's favour is that the Parker Payne Stories with Ariadne are in my view better than the ones without her and she was in Pale Horse which I haven't read yet but I still think it is about even, I think they are both better than Colonel Race anyway.

Frndorfoe 04 Aug 09 at 1:57 p.m. GMT

Each has their own good points. Captain Hastings was based on, I suppose, Dr. Watson. The perfect foil to the intelligent and above average detective, representing the simple and average person, the readers. Mrs. Oliver, on the other hand, was a representation of Agatha Christie herself. A bright and graceful (if somewhat untidy!) woman, who is also clever. Both, Captain Hastings and Mrs. Oliver brought a prospective that was different from Poirot's into the story, which made the stories interesting. But having said all that I must say that I'm partial towards Mrs. Oliver. I love almost all of the stories she was in, The Parker Pyne ones, The Poirot ones (well, except for Halloween Party and Elephants Can Remember) and also The Pale Horse. So, I think my vote will go to Mrs. Oliver.