The Hollow

[Moonraker]

There's a great new Agatha Christie forum just set up. It is called The Hollow

I mention it as I know many of us love the works of Agatha, and might well gain enjoyment from this new forum.

[Julian]

Thanks Nigel,

I'm a GREAT Agatha Christie fan. I remember reading the book, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd about 2 years ago and since then I have collected about 13 of her books, the new editions.

My favorite is probably After the Funeral but I always think that the style in which Christie wrote was somehow very different from that of other mystery writers like Michael Kenyon.

I'm currently looking for the books she wrote as "Mary Westmacott"....

[Anita Bensoussane]

I read a dozen or so Agatha Christie books from the library when I was about fourteen or fifteen, but I can't remember much about them now except that I enjoyed them. Which titles do fans particularly recommend?

Anita

[Ming]

Nigel's been urging me to read Christie for some time - I have a couple of them lying around downstairs. I gotta read them before he half-kills me.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I read a dozen or so Agatha Christie books from the library when I was about fourteen or fifteen, but I can't remember much about them now except that I enjoyed them. Which titles do fans particularly recommend?

Anita

My boyfriend is a great Christie fan, although I haven't read any of them

I feel that I ought to - does chronological order matter?

Last year I watched a Christie on TV and happily told Mark the story, whilst he looked bewildered. Then we solved the mystery - it had been Chorioned! (elementary, you may think!) Two books had been spliced, and extra characters added.

Oh dear...

Viv

[Matthew Roberts]

I devour anything and everything by Agatha Christie. I absolutely love her books. It was Enid Blyton's Five Find-Outer books that started me on them, too. It seemed a natural progression.

Anita, Ming, Viv, you're in for a treat. I agree with Nigel (again!) that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is up there with the best of Christie's work. The twist to that book floored me. Definitely a good one to start with. Other books I would recommend (and I'm not being very original here, I'm afraid) are the classic Christies: Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, and And Then There Were None.

My favourite Marple is probably A Pocket Full of Rye. I also really like the thriller types, like The Secret of Chimneys and The Seven Dials Mystery. One of my least favourite titles, incidentally, was the book that gave this thread its title, The Hollow. I found Dr Cristo to be extremely dislikeable, and I couldn't understand the author's seeming fondness for him.

[Moonraker]

I feel that I ought to - does chronological order matter?

No, in my opinion, it doesn't really matter in which order you read them, However, I think it is quite important (but not essential) to read The Mysterious Affair at Styles before any other Poirot novel. It sets the scene, explaining how he arrived in England, and is a benchmark for future reading. Curtain is the most depressing of the books, featuring Poirot's death, and the case is solved after his burial.

Last year I watched a Christie on TV and happily told Mark the story, whilst he looked bewildered. Then we solved the mystery - it had been Chorioned! (elementary, you may think!) Two books had been spliced, and extra characters added.

These ITV adaptations featuring Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple (how utterly disrespectful to call the series Marple) were nothing short of abominable. Actual murderers were changed, plots altered out of all recognition, homosexuals heaped into the stories and worst of all, non-Miss Marple books were used to feature her. She even appeared in a Tommy and Tuppence novel, solving the crime instead of the Beresfords! That's as bad as putting Julian and Dick in a Find-Outers' story!

If you want to watch a TV adaptation, the BBC Miss Marple adaptations are generally superb, and the late Joan Hockson makes a splendid Jane Marple. Most of the David Suchet Poirots aren't too bad, but some, notably The Murder of Roger Ackroyd beggar belief.

My advice as always is, keep to the books.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

[

These ITV adaptations featuring Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple (how utterly disrespectful to call the series Marple) were nothing short of abominable. Actual murderers were changed, plots altered out of all recognition, homosexuals heaped into the stories and worst of all, non-Miss Marple books were used to feature her. She even appeared in a Tommy and Tuppence novel, solving the crime instead of the Beresfords! That's as bad as putting Julian and Dick in a Find-Outers' story!
.

I think that is the one I saw. Fortunately I have a rotten memory so the book won't be spoiled for me!

Viv

[bilgewaters]

Hi, I have read a lot of Agatha Chritie over the years,my mum had more or less all of them.Anothr of her favourites was Patricia Wentworth,whose heroine was Miss Silver a retired governess.the plots are really good and the characters brilliantly drawn.Has anyone else heard of this author?

[Kate Mary]

I've read a few Miss Silver books, Billy, she was a bit like Miss Marple but a rather more self-effacing, knitted a lot as I recall.

Kate.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Speaking of Agatha Christie, her Grandson discovered some tapes made by her many years ago, it was on the news today, and they played part of them. It was nice to hear the voice of Agatha. She didn't sound to me as she looked, (if you know what I mean)

[RainbowJude]

I really enjoy the Agatha Christie books I've read. I've enjoyed many of the Poirot novels as well as And Then There Were None and the fabulous Destination Unknown. I've never read any of the Miss Marple novels.

As far as film and television adaptations go, I really enjoy a couple of the star-studded films that appeared in the 1970s, particularly Murder on the Orient Express (1974), which is a simply marvelous film - largely due to the excellent cast led by the incomparable Albert Finney as Poirot, and Death of the Nile (1978), which is just fantastically camp and also features a great cast. I've only seen one of the David Suchet "Poirot" adaptations - also Death of the Nile: it was pretty good and I enjoyed it, but it doesn't really have the kick of the 1978 film.

Later days
David

[Julie2owlsdene]

Speaking of And Then There's Was None, my daughter and myself are going to watch the play of that book, on November 1st, over at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. I love going to the theatre and watching a good stage production.

I agree that the films of the 70's were very good. Evil Under The Sun, was also a very good one, starring Peter Ustinoff (sorry if it's spelt wrong) as Poirot

[Moonraker]

Speaking of And Then There's Was None, my daughter and myself are going to watch the play of that book, on November 1st, over at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. I love going to the theatre and watching a good stage production.

Sounds great, Julie. I love an Agatha Christie play, however our local theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, is far too up itself to put on a Christie!

Incidentally, we moan about Blyton being updated by the PC brigade, but poor old Christie had her title changed at least twice, Ten Little Niggers became Ten Little Indians and finally And Then There Were None!

As for Ustinov; I thought he was a dreadful Poirot!

[Kitty]

Incidentally, we moan about Blyton being updated by the PC brigade, but poor old Christie had her title changed at least twice, Ten Little Niggers became Ten Little Indians and finally And Then There Were None!

As for Ustinov; I thought he was a dreadful Poirot!

My copy has the TLN title - I don't want to replace it because it is old, but it makes me cringe at the same time! I keep meaning to check what Collins did about it for the facsimilie hardback reissues, but since I didn't really need an upgrade of that title, I haven't got round to it.

Agree about Ustinov. Don't they all keep randomly breaking into Cole Porter in one of the Ustinov films - it was unintentionally hilarious, though I suppose it seemed a good idea at the time!