Hercule Poirot's Christmas
Author: Agatha Christie
My old paperback copy of this book is in sad shape. The cover has a tear in it. The pages are brittle and turning a dark brown with age. No pages are falling out yet, but the glue is at the point where just reading it this final time will probably start a cascade of loose pages. It has that lovely, sweet old book smell. This is its last venture off the bookshelf. It's time to read it one last time and throw it away.
This paperback is part of a boxed set I bought at a garage sale when I was 9. I had a very advanced reading level and read every book I came across. I saw these books on the table with other sale items and peddled my bike back to my house to ask my mom for $4. Back in the 70s, a kid asking for $4 was a bit of a hefty ask. But, when I explained it was for Agatha Christie books, my mom got into her little stash of money and gave me the $4. I did chores for the rest of the summer to pay that back -- mowed the lawn, did laundry, cleaned the house. And every evening when I was done playing with friends and had a bit of time before bed (or even after I was supposed to be asleep with my flashlight under the covers) I read about Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. These were the first mystery books I ever read -- and it was love at first read. :)
How do I know this book is part of that old set? Because of the signature I put just inside the front cover. I
was just learning how to write in cursive and hadn't yet personalized the letters to my own style. I followed the "rules" from penmanship class -- no extra breaks between letters and the tail required on capital P's. This schoolroom penmanship didn't last long for me, so it easily identifies this book as one I bought at that sale. Just seeing this old signature makes me smile. So many years ago!
Ever since that summer, Agatha Christie has been my favorite author, and I love mystery novels. I spent decades trying to chase down copies of every mystery novel Agatha wrote. It was harder in the pre-internet days. Book lists inside the novels would only include the books printed by that specific publisher. Some books had different titles in the US and the UK. And there were 80+ books. I remember asking my local librarian if she could help me compile a list. She gave me a look, directed me to the card catalog, and said that's all the help she could give me. Our small town library had maybe 10 of her books. For years, I carried a piece of notebook paper with the titles of the books I didn't have yet. It was in no way a comprehensive list either. But I did the best I could do. I almost got them all.....and those books have gone with me to every apartment and home I've lived in since then.
Flash forward to the internet age -- this is the perfect time for the reading challenge I embarked on in 2019: reading all of Agatha Christie's books and short stories in publication order. Now I have the internet at my fingertips and pull up her bibliography and all of her books at any time. I can even pull up photos of her home and her dog. :) A full list of everything she wrote whenever I want it. Minimal effort. Heaven!!
I wish I could go back and tell younger me to stop trying so hard.....that it would be easier to accomplish my goal in a few years. And, I thank God that librarians are now so much more helpful and friendly than the one that ran the library in my home town.(She also called my father and told him I was reading murder mysteries and she didn't feel it was appropriate reading for me -- and he responded that I could read anything in the library that I wanted with his full permission and told her to note that on my library card for future use. Thanks Dad!)
I'm reading most of these old paperbacks for the last time, and then disposing of them. Most are ancient copies I bought in used book stores back in the days before I made Adult Money. I need the bookshelf space, and I can access any of Agatha's works that I want just by logging into my local library's online site, or Hoopla, or Libby. I don't need 70+ raggedy worn out paperbacks. But, I'm showing respect for what they meant to me over the years and reading them all first! Most of them I moved from place to place, but never actually had the time to read them. So.....I'm reading them all....and, one by one, letting them go.
Now -- to the review of this book!! I actually have a fandom tea blend that is a tribute to this book. Lovely mix of black tea, peppermint, white peony and cardamom. It's lovely! I sipped this tea while enjoying the story.
The paperback copy I have is from 1976. I read the book while listening to the audio book (HarperAudio, 2012). The audio is narrated by Hugh Fraser and is just over six hours long. Fraser did a wonderful job of narration, as usual.
Because I just read Appointment with Death, I couldn't help but compare this story to that one. In A Holiday for Murder the victim is much the same -- an elderly, horrible, mean family member is killed and Hercule Poirot has to ferret out the murderer. But, Holiday For Murder is much more enjoyable. The family members are still moochers hanging around to live off their father's money like remora, but they aren't whiners. And the father isn't portrayed as physically repugnant.....just a singularly vile, odd person. I enjoyed Holiday for Murder (AKA Hercule Poirot's Christmas or Murder for Christmas) much more than Appointment With Death. Better story. Better characters.
The story unfolds with Agatha's usual perfect pacing. The chapters are separated by days since the murder happens just before Christmas Day with numbered sections under each day. She introduces each family member and then lets little tidbits of their past and personalities trickle in a bit at a time from various sources. Hercule is brought into the case by a friend, Colonel Johnson, who is a Chief Constable. What better way to celebrate the holiday than investigating a bizarre murder (for a famous detective, anyway!)
This story definitely shows how money can send a family into ridiculous fighting and even violence. Especially when thrown together at the holidays. Thinly veiled resentments, long standing problems, and family secrets seem to pop out when all are gathered under one roof, even for a celebration that ought to be joyous and fun. This time, the results were not only violent, but very bloody.
The ending caught me by surprise, as usual. Kudos to Agatha on this one....I didn't figure it out. I was guessing between two characters and was totally wrong on both counts. Loved the ending!!
Adaptations: This book has been adapted several times, but only two are ones I can enjoy. The rest are foreign adaptations.
In 1986, BBC Radio aired a radio drama based on this book.
The television show Poirot had an episode that aired in 1994 (Season 6, episode 1)
And in 2006 and 2018, the story was adapted for French television.
BBC Radio: These radio dramas are so entertaining to listen to! This one even has a bit of Christmas music! :) The entire broadcast lasts just under 1.5 hours. It was abridged a bit to fit into the time, but is very well done. You can find the BBC Agatha Christie audio dramas here: https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7
Poirot Episode: This episode is largely faithful to the book, with some minor changes (like adding in Inspector Japp). Hastings does not appear in this episode. All in all, a very enjoyable episode. The show changes how Hercule Poirot ends up at the mansion in a way that didn't make much sense, but I still enjoyed the episode.
Now I'm moving on to the next book! A short story collection this time -- The Regatta Mystery and other Stories!
No comments:
Post a Comment