Dear Agatha,
So twisty, this one! Serious twists and turns at every advancement of the plot. I thought we were wrapping it up, to find that, no - way off - let's just turn it the other direction. Craziness. I seriously couldn't believe it.
And this is your third novel?
This one is currently my favorite.
I finished this novel at work just before closing time, and I came home to have dinner and watch the BBC adaptation. Ro watched with me. He liked it, but I was once again disappointed. This one stayed closer to the plot than The Secret Adversary did, but it just wasn't nearly as good. Although I do love David Suchet as Poirot. He's pretty perfect.
Thanks again for the fun.
Admiringly,
Beth
Monday, January 25
Monday, January 4
2. The Secret Adversary (1922)
Dear Agatha,
This was the most fun novel of yours I think I've read, at least in quite awhile.
I remember starting a Tommy & Tuppence mystery before, but think I never finished it for some reason, and what little I remember about it made me not as eager to begin The Secret Adversary (I'm also not a big fan of spy / political conspiracy tales) - but I LOVED it!
Did I figure it out? Kind of. I suspected the bad guy... but once again, talked myself out of it only to be surprised in the end that I was right. Really a guess more than improvement of my little gray cells, I'm sure. And I thought the end was coming much earlier than it did, so twisty and turny was your plot.
My favorite scene, I think, wasn't even about the mystery itself, but when Tuppence comes to terms with her feelings for Tommy, after declining a marriage proposal by Julius. For some reason it reminded me of my Christianne:
"Fool," murmured Tuppence at length, making a grimace. "Little fool. Everything you want - everything you've ever hoped for, and you go and bleat out 'no' like an idiotic little sheep. It's your one chance. Why don't you take it? Grab it? Snatch at it? What more do you want?"
As if in answer to her own question, her eyes fell on a small snapshot of Tommy that stood on her dressing-table in a shabby frame. For a moment she struggled for self-control, and then abandoning all pretense, she held it to her lips and burst into a fit of sobbing.
"Oh, Tommy, Tommy," she cried, "I do love you so - and may never see you again..."
At the end of five minutes Tuppence sat up, blew her nose, and pushed back her hair.
"That's that," she observed sternly. "Let's look facts in the face. I seem to have fallen in love - with an idiot of a boy who probably doesn't care two straws about me." Here she paused. "Anyway," she resumed, as though arguing with an unseen opponent, "I don't know that he does. He'd never have dared to say so. I've always jumped on sentiment - and here I am being more sentimental than anybody. What idiots girls are! I've always thought so. I suppose I shall sleep with his photograph under my pillow, and dream about him all night. It's dreadful to feel you've been false to your principles."
This is also the first book in a long time that I've stayed up late to finish, just because it was much fun. And I can't wait to read more from The Young Adventurers.
Admiringly,
Beth
This was the most fun novel of yours I think I've read, at least in quite awhile.
I remember starting a Tommy & Tuppence mystery before, but think I never finished it for some reason, and what little I remember about it made me not as eager to begin The Secret Adversary (I'm also not a big fan of spy / political conspiracy tales) - but I LOVED it!
Did I figure it out? Kind of. I suspected the bad guy... but once again, talked myself out of it only to be surprised in the end that I was right. Really a guess more than improvement of my little gray cells, I'm sure. And I thought the end was coming much earlier than it did, so twisty and turny was your plot.
My favorite scene, I think, wasn't even about the mystery itself, but when Tuppence comes to terms with her feelings for Tommy, after declining a marriage proposal by Julius. For some reason it reminded me of my Christianne:
"Fool," murmured Tuppence at length, making a grimace. "Little fool. Everything you want - everything you've ever hoped for, and you go and bleat out 'no' like an idiotic little sheep. It's your one chance. Why don't you take it? Grab it? Snatch at it? What more do you want?"
As if in answer to her own question, her eyes fell on a small snapshot of Tommy that stood on her dressing-table in a shabby frame. For a moment she struggled for self-control, and then abandoning all pretense, she held it to her lips and burst into a fit of sobbing.
"Oh, Tommy, Tommy," she cried, "I do love you so - and may never see you again..."
At the end of five minutes Tuppence sat up, blew her nose, and pushed back her hair.
"That's that," she observed sternly. "Let's look facts in the face. I seem to have fallen in love - with an idiot of a boy who probably doesn't care two straws about me." Here she paused. "Anyway," she resumed, as though arguing with an unseen opponent, "I don't know that he does. He'd never have dared to say so. I've always jumped on sentiment - and here I am being more sentimental than anybody. What idiots girls are! I've always thought so. I suppose I shall sleep with his photograph under my pillow, and dream about him all night. It's dreadful to feel you've been false to your principles."
This is also the first book in a long time that I've stayed up late to finish, just because it was much fun. And I can't wait to read more from The Young Adventurers.
Admiringly,
Beth
1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), revisited
Dear Agatha,
Let's try this again, shall we? For 3 1/2 years ago I had great intentions but... But what? I have no idea what happened except that I fell off the planet I guess. Or bookshelf. ;)
I have missed you. And while I've read a few other novels of yours since my last blog post here, for some reason I lost sight of my mission to read your works in order, all of them. My 2016 reading goal is to read at least half of them by the end of the year.
This book is funny. I read it before, of course, but as my memory is short,
I didn't remember a lot of it. Actually I thought I remembered who the murderer was, only to talk myself out of it, only to find that indeed I had remembered correctly. I do love it and plan to watch the movie of it again as well. This has been a great way to start my new year.
With great admiration,
Beth
Let's try this again, shall we? For 3 1/2 years ago I had great intentions but... But what? I have no idea what happened except that I fell off the planet I guess. Or bookshelf. ;)
I have missed you. And while I've read a few other novels of yours since my last blog post here, for some reason I lost sight of my mission to read your works in order, all of them. My 2016 reading goal is to read at least half of them by the end of the year.
This book is funny. I read it before, of course, but as my memory is short,
I didn't remember a lot of it. Actually I thought I remembered who the murderer was, only to talk myself out of it, only to find that indeed I had remembered correctly. I do love it and plan to watch the movie of it again as well. This has been a great way to start my new year.
With great admiration,
Beth
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