Christiescapers

kelli7990

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

#christiescapers

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BarbaraJean

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

“Dancing was a hot affair. I danced twice with Anne Beddingfeld and she had to pretend she liked it. I danced once with Mrs. Blair, who didn't trouble to pretend, and I victimized various other damsels whose appearance struck me favourably.”

Ew.

#ChristiesCapers @Librarybelle

nanuska_153 Someone was both a shitty person and a bad dancer xD 5h

Librarybelle Exactly! 3h

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LitsyEvents

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! 12h

20 likes1 comment

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 15h

kspenmoll I‘m all set! 15h

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 14h

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Librarybelle Yay, @kspenmoll ! 14h

Aims42 Thank you for the tag!! Hoping to get back to it and participating again 😍 14h

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. 13h

Librarybelle Yay, @Aims42 ! 12h

Librarybelle @Sace I hope the audio is good! 12h

29 likes8 comments

Librarybelle

The Man in the Brown Suit | Agatha Christie

Time for our #ChristiesCapers discussion! I have 5 questions posted as spoilers; you can find them by searching my feed, the book‘s feed, or by the group‘s hashtags. Jump in whenever into the discussion!

Our next Christie is the short story collection Poirot Investigates featuring, you guessed it, more Poirot! I‘ll post the official notice tomorrow!

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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. 19h

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 ⬇ 2h

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! 2h

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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. 19h

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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 🤣😂🤣😂 1d

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) 1d

willaful @suvata makes sense! 1d

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 😂 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. 1d

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) 1d

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. 2h

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). 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. 2h

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