agathachristieclubr3

Poirot Investigates: Hercule Poirot Investigates | Agatha Christie

Repost for @Librarybelle

We‘re staying in 1924 with May‘s #ChristiesCapers . This first short story collection by Christie of course features Poirot. Discussion on May 25th!

I will post the story titles in the comments. This one should be the same in all countries, but just in case, our discussion will focus on the listed short stories. #AgathaChristieClubR3

See original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2860590

Librarybelle Thanks for reposting! 18h

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Librarybelle

Poirot Investigates: Hercule Poirot Investigates | Agatha Christie

We‘re staying in 1924 with May‘s #ChristiesCapers . This first short story collection by Christie of course features Poirot. Discussion on May 25th!

All are welcome. Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list.

I will post the story titles in the comments. This one should be the same in all countries, but just in case, our discussion will focus on the listed short stories. #AgathaChristieClubR3

janeycanuck, suvata, Aims42, MallenNC, Soscha, Cuilin, kspenmoll, BarbaraJean, PurpleyPumpkin, JenlovesJT47, Lizpixie, MariaW, elkeOriginal, AnneCecilie, Gissy, OutsmartYourShelf, mrp27, Larkken, Suet624, Cailey_Mac, Deblovestoread, ferskner, Marmie7, MaleficentBookDragon, majkia, Bookwormjillk, StayCurious, Teresereading, Laughterhp, Sace, RainyDayReading, Skygoddess1, Morr_Books, PathfinderNicole, dabbe, tdrosebud, MaGoose, kelli7990, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, PageShifter, willaful, AnishaInkspill

Librarybelle @LitsyEvents 21h

kspenmoll I‘m all set! 20h

Librarybelle Short stories are: The Adventure of The Western Star; The Tragedy of Marsdon Manor; The Adventure of the Cheap Flat; The Mystery of Hunter‘s Lodge; The Million Dollar Bond Robbery; The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb; The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan; The Kidnapped Prime Minister; The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim; The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman; The Case of the Missing Will; The Veiled Lady; The Lost Mine; and The Chocolate Box 20h

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Librarybelle Yay, @kspenmoll ! 20h

Aims42 Thank you for the tag!! Hoping to get back to it and participating again 😍 20h

Sace I‘ll be doing the audio book for this. End of the school year teacher brain = can‘t focus so short stories are perfect right now. 18h

Librarybelle Yay, @Aims42 ! 18h

Librarybelle @Sace I hope the audio is good! 18h

33 likes8 comments

suvata

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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(re)Reading on #Litsy with Christie‘s Capers (Reading Agatha Christie's books in publication order) Hosted by @Librarybelle
#AgathaChristieClubR3

4 Stars • Agatha Christie‘s The Man in the Brown Suit (1924) is a thrilling mystery-adventure that grabs you tight. Spunky Anne Beddingfeld, chasing a shady death and a brown-suited stranger in London, follows a cryptic note to a South Africa-bound ship. ⬇️

suvata Unearthing a diamond heist and a crook called “The Colonel,” she dodges danger and sparks with rugged Harry. Christie‘s twists and Anne‘s grit make this a page-turner, despite some flat side characters. A lively, classic caper! 2d

kspenmoll Love your review!!!! 2d

Librarybelle Great review! 2d

suvata @kspenmoll @Librarybelle Thanks 2d

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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5. Let‘s think about the ending. Were you satisfied with the conclusion, especially the “happily ever after”? Were you surprised by the identity of the “villain”? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

willaful I wasn't surprised, because I'd read it before. :-) It also shows Christie's talent for misleading... she'd use the same method again even more effectively later.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about the HEA because of the history of South Africa and the gender essentialism, but from a story standpoint, it's fine. 2d

suvata The ending was sweet, with Anne getting her happy ending, but it felt a bit too neat for me. I liked her romantic wrap-up, though it was predictable. The villain‘s reveal—the Colonel—surprised me, though I caught some hints. I wanted a bigger showdown. 1d

TheAromaofBooks The first time I read this, I was completely surprised by the villain. I love that Christie gives us other, more serious takes on the “unreliable narrator“ trope, but here it is done so well because he's just so friendly and likable (in his way). I love that it's not a cheat - he never says anything in his journals that aren't strictly true. Rereading, it's fun to see places where he bends his narration a little. I actually have a soft spot for ⬇ 8h

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TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) Sir Eustace and totally would have read another book about him 😂

While I do think the ending is too tidy, I also don't mind because I'm a big HEA girl and like to see my fiction tidied up nicely in the end! 8h

MariaW I agree with @TheAromaofBooks. It was a nice to have to narrators, one being an unreliable one. He definitely brought in a lot of humour and I was quite disappointed when he ended up being the villain. But it was a nice move to not hold any grudges against Anne and accept a deserved defeat. I assumed there would be jappy ending for Anne the moment she admitted being interested in the man with the brown suit. Regarding the problemic points like (edited) 2h

MariaW gender and the historical background, I think there have been other novels in which they could be felt more. It felt irksome only a few times. But I had the check out where and what the situation of Rhodesia was because this something we never learnt in school. 1h

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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4. The Man in the Brown Suit received mixed reviews when it was first published in 1924, with some more negative reviews stating how they missed this being a Poirot novel. Others commented on the change in tone into a more thriller plot line as the novel progressed. Think about the progression of the story for you--would you identify this as a thriller story? An adventure story? A mystery? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

willaful I think it's maybe too lighthearted to classify as a thriller, though it does have its moments. I'd probably call it an adventurous mystery? 2d

suvata I would call more of a cozy mystery. It was definitely more lighthearted than her other books. 1d

MariaW It was definitely fast-paced like a thriller, but I agree with @willaful it is not shocking/thrilling enough to be a thriller. 2h

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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3. We also meet Colonel Race in this novel. Race appears in later books--Cards on the Table, Death on the Nile, and Sparkling Cyanide--when he works alongside his friend Poirot. Interesting we meet him without Poirot! What did you think of Race? Why do you think Christie decided to make him a recurring character in her novels? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

willaful Can't waste a perfectly good Colonel. 😂 2d

suvata @willaful 🤣😂🤣😂 2d

suvata I think Christie brings Race back because he‘s so adaptable, slotting into any story, unlike Poirot with his brainy quirks or Miss Marple‘s village life. His adventurous vibe and cool-headed charm let him hop from story to story because he‘s a steady and likable character, but he never hogs the spotlight. (edited) 2d

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willaful @suvata makes sense! 2d

TheAromaofBooks @suvata - I totally agree!! Race is such a versatile character. He brings a pile of life experiences, government connections, and a canny brain to the table, all wrapped in a cloak of “strong and silent type“ that keeps him from being painted into a quirky corner. I like that it also gives us this feeling that all Christie's characters coexist 😂 8h

MariaW I was already wondering why my version of the ebook was marked as „Colonel Race #1“. I kept on wondering how he would get away as the villian and why Christie would write more novels about a master criminal. 🙈 Of course I was proved wrong. He is somewhat portrayed as a stereotype British nobleman being entangled in the secret service and because being so taciturn taken as the villian. But again I felt for it. 🙈 2h

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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2. Anne Beddingfield tells her story, with the help of diaries from Sir Eustace Pedler. What did you think of this book? Compare Anne to the other detectives we have met, Poirot and Tommy & Tuppence. How does Anne's detection skills compare/contrast with the other detectives we have met? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

willaful She's somewhat similar to Tuppence, in having very strong trust in her own instincts and impulses, but she also thinks things through.

The book didn't age that well for me. The South African parts are uncomfortable to read, and the primary relationship is 😬. That aside, it's never been a favorite of mine but the humor and cheerfulness make it rather fun to revisit.

2d

suvata Anne is gutsy chasing clues on a whim, nothing like Poirot, who‘s all brainy and precise—he‘d totally roll his eyes at her. She‘s more like Tuppence, super bold and jumping in headfirst, but Anne‘s flying solo and kinda winging it. Her detective game is more luck than skill, nowhere near Poirot‘s genius or Tommy and Tuppence‘s teamwork. Still, she‘s got heart and makes it work! I love the way this story flowed. 2d

suvata As far as it “aging well“ is considered, it‘s really important to take into consideration the time period in which it was written. In 1924 this would‘ve been one of the few novels that had a female lead character, and I think it represents how many people thought at the time. When I go back and read older books, I have to also consider them a history lesson. I think Christy was truly a feminist at heart. (edited) 2d

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TheAromaofBooks Like @willaful and @suvata said, I think Anne's detecting is way more based on luck than skill. But I think she was a very forward-looking heroine for her time - her independence, willingness to just head off an international journey on a whim, the way she manipulated the newspaper guy into paying her for an article, etc. She definitely makes some dumb moves, but that makes her feel more like a “regular“ person vs Poirot's genius. 8h

TheAromaofBooks While aspects of this story haven't aged well, I also think some of the “me Tarzan you Jane“ aspects of romance are a bit tongue-in-cheek. I also loved Suzanne, who is married but still capering off to wherever she pleases (and sending obnoxiously long telegrams just to drive her husband crazy). 8h

MariaW I can only agree with what has been weitten here before. Compared to Tuppence Anne does definitely do more beginner‘s mistakes. I enjoyed her sharp exchange of words with Eustace and him drawing to the only conclusion of marrying her. 😂😂😂 (edited) 2h

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

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1. This 4th novel by Christie was inspired by her adventures with her first husband Archie while traveling the British Empire to promote the 1924 British Empire Exhibition. If you have not seen Travels with Agatha Christie & Sir David Suchet, I highly recommend it! You can see how Christie gained inspiration for this book from her travels. Link in comments.

Was this your first time reading this book? #ChristiesCapers #AgathaChristieClubR3

Librarybelle https://www.britbox.com/us/season/Travels_With_Agatha_Christie_and_Sir_David_Suc... 2d

suvata According to Goodreads, I read this book a long time ago. I was surprised to see that because I didn‘t remember any of it. I‘m almost done (only about 2 hours left). So far, I am enjoying it more than the first three. 😀 2d

Librarybelle Glad you‘re enjoying it so far, @suvata ! 2d

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willaful I've read it at least once before, though it was never a big favorite.

I saw an article about Christie surfing recently, so it was interesting to see Anne do it in this. 2d

suvata @willaful yeah the surfing part kinda took me by surprise, but in a fun way 2d

willaful @suvata https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2021/on-surfing-agatha-christies-love-of-the...
2d

suvata @willaful interesting article. Thanks for sharing. 2d

TheAromaofBooks This is actually one of my favorite Christie novels, and one I've read time and again. I love Anne and I honestly love Sir Eustace. Parts of this book are completely ridiculous, but I just roll with it haha I love the humor and just the overall “we're having fun“ vibe of this book - it's a romp and doesn't take itself too seriously. 8h

MariaW @willaful Thanks for the article. And the thanks for the link to Britbox, @Librarybelle. Unfortunately, I cannot use it because it‘s not available in Switzerland. It was the first tine that I‘ve read this Christie book and I enjoyed it very much because it was completely different compared to the Poirot & Marple ones. 2h

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Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

So sorry for the late reminder, but tomorrow (Sunday) is our next #ChristiesCapers discussion! I will post questions mid- to late morning. I‘ve seen some great reviews, so I am looking forward to the discussion. #AgathaChristieClubR3

BarbaraJean I'm behind on my reading (just starting today!) but am looking forward to joining the discussion in a few days! 3d

Librarybelle Sounds good, @BarbaraJean ! Join when you can! 3d

MaleficentBookDragon I am also very behind on my reading this month so I‘ll be joining the conversation late (again). But I am loving reading AG from book one! 2d

Librarybelle No worries, @MaleficentBookDragon ! 2d

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MariaW

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

Am I missing something? Or is there something missing in my ebook edition? It says there is a facsimile, but there is none… 🤔🤔🤔 #christiescapers #agathachristieclubr3

Librarybelle It is missing the image! When I am near my copy, I‘ll post a pic of it for you. 3d

willaful The free first edition I found had the same problem, but I found another that included the image. (It's out of copyright so there's lots of editions.) 3d

MariaW @willaful Thanks for the tip. But after reading on it became quite clear what was on the snippet of paper. 3h

38 likes3 comments

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