Agatha Christie Bus

Agatha Christie Bus

Wednesday 27 April 2011

The Thirteen Problems

I have just finished reading this collection of short stories.  They "star" Miss Marple and are based on the concept of a group of people who gather together on a Tuesday night and pass the time by telling each other true stories where there is a puzzle element to be solved.  They are very easy reading and I have enjoyed them all. 

My favourite one is "The Tuesday Night Club".

However, I find "The Affair at the Bungalow" quite difficult to understand - despite reading it several times!  I think it must be just me.  Would be interested in anyone else's view on this particular story.

Contained within these is "The Blue Geranium" which you may know has been recently adapted for TV starring Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple - being a short story expanded to 1.5 hours of television I am sure was no mean feat.  Even though I am not keen on the later adaptations which have changed the storylines - it was good to see something a bit different.

11 comments:

  1. This story seems quite muddled, but I think intentionally so, to show how hopeless Jane Helier is at telling a story. I like the beginning where Sir Henry Clithering wonders 'how many sentences it will be before she forgets to keep up the fiction...' I re-read it this afternoon and in parts Jane is so vague that I did have to go back over what she had said to understand it properly.

    I do like these stories though. I like how Miss Marple's knowledge of every day life can be used to solve the crimes. My particular favourite is 'the man who called himself the gardener' in Ingots of Gold, and she says to Raymond, 'When you are a householder, dear......you will know these little things.'

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  2. Tracey I think you are probably right about it being muddled on purpose - it all adds to the charm of it and also shows the adaptability of Agatha Christie.

    I like your quote - there are so many from Miss Marple - she's so lovely I have often thought how nice it would be to have someone just like her in the family - or perhaps not - you wouldn't be able to keep anything secret!

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  3. Hi guys! I have this book as an audio book! read by Joan Hickson! I often listen to it while making dinner or baking! I love all the stories and Joan reads them so well! "The Affair at the Bungalow" was a clever story I thought! Jane Helier seems so sophisticated being an actress and she looks down on poor Miss Marple. (a theme through a lot of the stories) And yet Miss Marple figures her out no problem!!! It frightens Jane Helier just a little and I had to laugh at that! I agree with the comment that Jane Helier's story was written to be kind of muddled on purpose. As she says....."I was trying it out". I have the impression from reading all the stories in the book that Miss Marple never thought Jane Helier was the sharpest knife in the drawer! AC must have had great fun writing this! :)

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  4. Hi Lady - yes I have a couple of audio books read by Joan Hickson and agree with you about how well she reads them.

    Have you heard any read by June Whitfield? She's quite a well known actress here in the UK - I think she reads Miss Marple very well too.

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  5. I have found "A Caribbean Mystery" read by June Whitfield and shall download it to my computer. Thanks, Anne!

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  6. Anne, I do so enjoy these comments as I always get learn something new from them! Looking forward to Joan Hickson and June Whitfield readings - which I didn't know about. I only just heard David Suchet reading 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles' and it does make a big difference for me to listen to it - it was strange to hear his British accent!

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  7. Patricia - glad you are enjoying this blog - so am I.

    Hugh Fraser also narrates audio books and I enjoy them as well.

    Have you tried any of the BBC ones? They are radio plays dramatised and have different actors - John Moffatt usually plays Hercule Poirot - I really enjoy these as they bring a different dimension to it - even though they are abridged.

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  8. Have been watching the Joan Hickson version of "The Body in the Library". Now, I am getting the book from the library and will be reading it for the first time. The film is my favorite of the Marple offerings. Such humor inserted by the couple find the body in their home! Love it.

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  9. Peg - please let us know what you think of the book when you have read it. From memory the Hickson version is quite faithful although I suspect there may be more characters in the book. Have you seen the McEwan version? I won't comment on that one!!! You will know why if you have seen it.

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  10. Anne, I just got hold of Joan Hickson's audio CDs, but the title here is "The Tuesday Club Murders". It is unabridge 6 cds in all. She is so pleasant and easy to listen to. Will let you know when I finish w/these but I think I will take my time and enjoy these. (Glad Hickson got enough energy to narrate these - she seemed a very dedicated lady.)

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