Christie Talk

Christie Talk - Have Your Say - Discuss Tommy and Tuppence

Discuss Tommy and Tuppence

Talk about everything Tommy and Tuppence related here!

Login or register to add posts and reply

Post title: Favourite book?

Rea_Potter-avatar

Rea_Potter on 28 Sep 2008 at 6:13 p.m. GMT

My favourite Tommy and Tuppence book is the Secret Adversary.

The secong is By the Pricking of My Thumbs.

The third is the Postern of Fate.

Which is yours and why?

21 replies

Reverse order

 
drdavid-avatar

drdavid on 29 Sep 2008 at 2:23 p.m. GMT

I have enjoyed them all even the one everybody loves to hate "Postern of Fate" my favourite is "By the Pricking of my Thumbs" and also have enjoyed all the television films mostly based on the short stories

 
belgian_in_ireland-avatar

belgian_in_ireland on 30 Sep 2008 at 1:52 p.m. GMT

My very first Agatha Christie book was "Partners in crime", on holidays in France when I was about 14. I also love all T&T; books and as you, drdavid, I also enjoyed "Postern of Fate". The series with Francesca Annis and James Warwick is brilliant, I think. After much soul searching I bought the DVD's, thinking that after all these years, I might not like them as much. But I needn't have worried, it's still as good as it was in the 1980's. I just love the hats Francesca Annis gets to wear!

 
curious-avatar

curious on 30 Sep 2008 at 2:25 p.m. GMT

I haven't read yet any other T&T book than The Secret Adversary, but I think it is very good and already now my favourite!

 
Marplefan9-avatar

Marplefan9 on 14 Oct 2008 at 8:39 p.m. GMT

I like all of the Tommy and Tuppences (Partners In Crime included) although Posten of Fate was the poorest of all. Out of them all, I really liked N or M? A great mystery

 
Towards_Zero-avatar

Towards_Zero on 25 Oct 2008 at 12:40 p.m. GMT

<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->

N or M? and The Secret Adversary are best of T&T series, in my opinion. N or M? is written in the golden years of AC's career, so it is not surprising to face such a great thriller and is no doubt the best of T&T. The Secret Adversary is also brilliant. Specially when you note that it is AC's only second book (among 80). (p.s. I haven't read Postern of Fate yet!)

 
Bonini-avatar

Bonini on 16 Nov 2008 at 1:56 a.m. GMT

N or M? is such a great book! I finished it on Thursday, and I've suspected the murderer since the beginning. I've not read yet By The Pricking of My Thumbs and Postern of Fate, so the order of my favourite T&T; books is: N or M?, The Secret Adversary, Partners in Crime.

 
El_Wara-avatar

El_Wara on 20 Nov 2008 at 2:06 a.m. GMT

I have only read The Secret Adversary and I think is a very good novel, I really like Tommy

 
Tommy_A_Jones-avatar

Tommy_A_Jones on 06 Dec 2008 at 4:38 p.m. GMT

 
Mr_Satterthwaite-avatar

Mr_Satterthwaite on 23 Feb 2009 at 6:32 p.m. GMT

Well to be honest I have only read two of the five books and one of these was when I was very young. However, I read 'N or M' about a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially, I think, because it was written in 1940/41. I liked the environment that Christe created in the guest-house and the enduring spirit of the characters considering it was written during the 'Blitz'.

 
akkshay1-avatar

akkshay1 on 12 Jun 2009 at 4:53 p.m. GMT

By tHe Pricking Of mY thUMbs..... the book is just WOW.... its on no #3 on my all time favourite AC's book... The quest of tuppence to find the house is simple sooperbly written ... and that book gave me creeppsss... at some places,,.. thats really a very well plotted story.. sad, i have read its abridged version, couldn't lay my hands on unabridged one..!! 

 
Tommy_A_Jones-avatar

Tommy_A_Jones on 17 Jun 2009 at 10:49 a.m. GMT

 
Dianala-avatar

Dianala on 26 Jun 2009 at 2:30 p.m. GMT

I love Tommy and Tuppence stories.In adittion I really like the films where they are. To me, they are the best detectives.

 
na_well-avatar

na_well on 05 Jul 2009 at 12:05 a.m. GMT

I only read The Secret Adversary so far but I loved it. I would like to read another one. I think they are great and they are a good option because they are adventurous and more like spy novels which is something different from the common AC books which are more detective fiction.

 
aznm-avatar

aznm on 12 Aug 2009 at 1:44 p.m. GMT

It's been a while since I read all the T&T books, but I do remember really liking BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS and THE SECRET ADVERSARY.  I remember thinking POSTERN OF FATE had some rehashed actions in it.  The short stories are fun and great for light reading when one only has a little bit of time.  N or M was interesting, too.  I do remember enjoying their books, for the most part, and I have read them more than once over a span of many years.  Loved their TV adventures and own the complete set.  I have all their books waiting to be read 'next in line', so I'll remember the three later books a bit more clearly after.

T&T were adventurous, light-hearted, and romantic, very different from Christie's other novels, and that's what's so attractive about them.

 
Puffinjill-avatar

Puffinjill on 05 Sep 2009 at 3:14 p.m. GMT

Tommy and Tuppence were my introduction to Agatha Christie through the ITV Francesca Annis and James Warwick series in the '80's. I bought the "Partners in Crime" book and then read everything she had written that I could lay my hands on! I loved the period setting and the fun way the characters complimented each other. As for the novels, I've always loved "The Secret Adversary" and I have grown fonder of "N or M" in recent years. I think I now appreciate the way the characters age and not now just miss the lightheartedness as I did on reading the later novels. After all, they get to grow with their stories in the way Poirot and Marple don't. Thats what makes them interesting and unique in Christie detectives. I just wish we had more of them!

 
Tommy_A_Jones-avatar

Tommy_A_Jones on 21 Sep 2009 at 3:18 p.m. GMT

I agree with you puffinjill, although Miss Marple's increasing frailty is mentioned in The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side

 
Puffinjill-avatar

Puffinjill on 21 Sep 2009 at 5:05 p.m. GMT

I know, but from the start Miss Marple was in the twilight of her years. Her character may develop through the novels she is in, but she herself doesn't grow from personal life experiences as Tommy and Tuppence do. Her attitude to life is fully mature from the outset whereas T and T are delightfully young and rush into situations more mature people would run from (especially in The Secret Adversary).

 
Jack_London-avatar

Jack_London on 12 Oct 2009 at 12:21 p.m. GMT

Tommy and Tuppence are, in my opinion, Christie's greatest characters.

Mine would have to be N or M first, followed by The Secret Adversary, then finally By The Pricking of My Thumbs

I like the action and the faster pace with Tommy and Tuppence stories because it's something you don't necessarily encounter with Poirot or Marple.  

 
Puffinjill-avatar

Puffinjill on 12 Oct 2009 at 2:43 p.m. GMT

Thats true, they exude youth and energy. Even the novels featuring an older Tommy and Tuppence have wonderfully quick dialogue that zips along.

 
Jack_London-avatar

Jack_London on 13 Oct 2009 at 7:42 a.m. GMT

That's exactly it. Poirot is great for his ingenious which is impossibly brilliant in every single case, regardless of circumstances, and along with that i am personally a great fan of dear old Hastings who i think perfectly ofsets the personality of Poirot. Marple is equally brilliant as much for her personality as her amazing capacity to understand everything, but Tommy and Tuppence i would say, appeal to readers because their stories are a change from Marple and Poirot who are in many ways quite similar. 

 
atu_gelovanii-avatar

atu_gelovanii on 08 Nov 2009 at 4:41 p.m. GMT

my favourite tommy and tuppence book is the secret adversary i also like by the pricking of my thumbs,n or m ? and partners in crime ! i want to read postern of fate can anyone tell me on which site can i read this novel in internet? or for print without buying the book ! please !

Login or register to add posts and reply

Total visitors online: 104

Newest members: Roadyblack, junebetty, OliverX, veseliny, birdsong66, mystryfan