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Saving By Doing Your Hair and Nails!

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

When my fiancée told me that he wanted us to try and save money, I thought of the things that I could do to try to cut down unnecessary expenses. Two things that he himself brought up as ideas were my bi-weekly manicures, and getting my hair professionally colored. I believed that, without these things, I was going to look terrible! How could I ever be taken seriously if I didn’t have myself groomed just right? But then I got to thinking! I realized that saving money doesn’t mean having to do without, it just means having to do things yourself.

I’m a natural blonde, but I’ve been highlighting my hair since I was 14 years old. It can get really bad when my roots start coming back in!! I’m so glad that I learned that boxed dyes can work, at least for me, just as well as going to the salon. The most important part of dying your hair by yourself is to remember to match your shade exactly! And if you can have someone there to help, that’s even better! I used to get my hair cut at a professional salon, which is just not necessary I get my hair cut at Ulta Beauty’s salon now, and with a $35 hair cut, that’s hard to beat in New York! But the haircuts come out fabulously! You obviously just have to know what you want specifically (1/2 inch off the bottom, angled, etc.), which is easy to find off of Pinterest or Instagram!

Getting a salon quality manicure/pedicure doesn’t have to involve going and spending $20 every 2 weeks! It’s super simple to buy a manicure kit online, and look up on YouTube how to use it. One like this one would be perfect to start out with! I would definitely also recommend getting some cuticle cream, because that’s the first part of your hands that will show a need to be manicured. I’ve collected over 20 nail polishes over my life (which is TOTALLY ridiculous!!!), and I always find myself gravitating toward the same colors. So it’s really simple to find a few (maybe 2 or 3) colors you really like, and stocking up on those.

All in all, my point is that you don’t have to necessarily put a lot of money into your appearance to seem polished! All you really need is the time and the effort.

The Poirot Plan – Lord Edgware Dies

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This week’s book is Lord Edgware Dies, a classic Christie written in 1933.

Original Book

This is a particularly clever story on Christie’s part! You certainly do not see the ending coming (at least I didn’t!). However, I do believe that there are a few too many characters and too many overlapping storylines, similar to the problems Christie had in The Mystery of the Blue Train. That being said, I grew rather fond of the characters as the story went on, and actually got emotionally invested in who committed the murders. The story begins with Poirot and Hastings at a show in London. It is a one-woman show starring an American named Carlotta Adams, who is very talented at impressions. In the audience with Hastings and Poirot is Jane Wilkinson, a very beautiful and talented actress married to Lord Edgware. Carlotta does several of her famous “impressions” during her show, and one of the impressions is of Jane herself. Jane is at the show with her friends, including Bryan Martin, a famous actor. Afterwards, while having cocktails, Jane tells everyone about her plans to kill her husband so she can marry the Duke of Merton. Her husband, Lord Edgware, refuses to grant her a divorce. After noticing Poirot in the audience with her, she asks his help in convincing Lord Edgware to allow a divorce to occur. Poirot agrees, and visits Lord Edgware the next day. Lord Edgware is very confused, because he’s already sent his wife a letter informing her he will allow her to continue with Divorce proceedings. The next day, Lord Edgware is found dead. Other important characters in the novel include Geraldine Marsh, Lord Edgware’s daughter from his first marriage, Captain Ronald Marsh, Edgware’s cousin, and Jenny Driver, Carlotta Adams’ best friend. All of the characters are well thought out and three-dimensional. However, as mentioned before, Christie has several different storylines going on at the same time, which can get very confusing very easily. However, once I was able to organize and understand what was going on in my own head, I found this book very enjoyable! 

David Suchet TV Version

The David Suchet-led Poirot TV series adaptation of this novel had some of the same problems I’ve noticed before, including adding Miss Lemon into stories she wasn’t originally in!!!! The main issue I had with this adaptation was the way Jane Wilkinson is portrayed. She isn’t written and acted as empty-headed and vapid as she appeared in the novel, which really took away from her characterization. Carlotta Adams is also much more cunning and sly in this adaptation, a far cry from the girl “without much personality” that is described in the novel. Other than those few points, it was a faithful adaptation. Definitely enjoyable overall!

Final Thoughts 

This is a well-written novel, but it’s definitely not Christie’s best. As mentioned before, I enjoyed the characterization in the novel very much. However, there’s so many conflicting storylines, I found it confusing to follow sometimes. However, I would not dissuade anyone from reading it! It’s a classic Christie, and the ending took me by surprise. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. Peril at End House
  5. The Big Four 
  6. Lord Edgware Dies 
  7. The Murder on the Links 
  8. The Mystery of the Blue Train

The Poirot Plan – Peril at End House

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Original Book

This is a classic example of a Christie novel! While not her best, it’s during Christie’s best period of writing and has some examples of what she does best. This novel has a very surprising ending, with several twists you wouldn’t see coming originally. Even Poirot doesn’t see the whole truth until the very end of the novel! I had a very enjoyable time with this one! The novel begins with Hastings and Poirot in a town on the English Riviera, called St. Loo. While sitting outside of their hotel, they meet a charming, lively young woman named Magdala Buckley, but all of her friends call her “Nick.” “Nick” lives in a run down old house known as End House. She has some friends visiting her, including Frederica “Freddy” Rice, and Jim Lazarus. Also in Nick’s close circle is George Challenger, who is in love with her, and her cousin Charles Vyse. Nick tells Poirot and Hastings about her recent close escapes from death, including a car accident, an oil painting almost dropping on her head, and a rockslide. Nick talks with Poirot and Hastings for a while, then leaves to have drinks with her friends. Soon after, Poirot realizes that the “bee” Nick had swat away from her face during their conversation wasn’t a bee at all, it was a bullet. Poirot realizes this young girl’s life is in extreme danger. He enlists himself as her personal savior and encourages her to have some trusted friend or family member come and stay with her to ensure she is safe. Nick chooses her cousin Maggie, who is described as “unimaginative” and “not any fun,” so she’s considered perfect for the job. Only a few days after Maggie arrives at End House, she is shot dead while wearing Nick’s sweater. The story continues from there, with Poirot racing to find out who killed Maggie, and who is trying to kill Nick, before it’s too late. This was a very enjoyable novel, and features some VERY interesting themes! These include:

  1. Feminine vs. Masculine – The fact that Nick is known as Nick is a very interesting choice on Christie’s part. The name comes from a kinship she always felt with her grandfather Nick Buckley, who was described as hotheaded. The fact that Magdala is referred to by a male name is an indication of her character. This can also be true of Frederica “Freddy” Rice. Both women’s masculine names undermines their femininity, allowing Christie to show that there is more to them than first appears
  2. Old vs. Young – Upon entering End House, the first thing that is noted is the difference in furniture. Some of the furniture is original Victorian, kept from the house’s glory days, and some furniture is extremely modern, and cheaply made. Even between Poirot and Nick, there is a constant back and forth about her young and carefree attitude colliding with his more cautious and thoughtful one. This leaves the reader questioning which of the two is better, and who should be listened to. 
  3. Appearance of Respectability – Hastings always wants to believe that people like him are automatically respectable. This is not specific to this book, it occurs in mostly every novel that features Hastings. Poirot always acts as the foil to Hasting’s romanticized idea of who is a “good chap” and who is not. Appearances can be deceiving, as Hastings seems to never learn. 

David Suchet TV Version 

This episode of the Poirot series was done earlier in the series’ history, so it’s not as dark and true to the novel’s story as some of the later episodes are. Chief Inspector Japp and Miss Lemon are also included in this adaptation, which is not true to the book. I’d personally prefer to see the novel truthfully adapted. Apart from that, there was only one aspect of this adaptation that upset me, and that was the portrayal of Nick Buckley. While reading the novel, from the descriptions that Christie gave, I viewed Nick as a very flamboyant, vivacious girl. In the adaptation, she is much more subdued. Other than that, I did actually quite enjoy this one. 

Final Thoughts 

This is the perfect example of a classic Christie novel. The characters are very well written, and the plot keeps you engaged and guessing until the very end. I would definitely encourage anyone to read this one! 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. Peril at End House
  5. The Big Four 
  6. The Murder on the Links 
  7. The Mystery of the Blue Train 

The Poirot Plan – The Mystery of the Blue Train

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This week’s book is a very controversial one! Agatha Christie herself said this was her least favorite, but some readers really seem to like it! This one is The Mystery of the Blue Train, published in 1928.

Original Book

I’ve heard several different opinions of this book. Many people do not enjoy it because of the way Christie uses her characters. I kept that in mind while reading, but also wanted to come to my own conclusions, so I kept an open mind. In trying to keep an open mind, I came to enjoy the book! In this novel, a woman named Ruth Kettering is traveling to the French Riviera on a luxury train known as The Blue Train with a famous ruby given to her by her wealthy father. She recently planned to divorce her husband, and was leaving her father to take care of the act for her. There were several people traveling on the train along with her, including her maid, her  husband, Derek Kettering, and his lover, Mirelle. Also on the Blue Train is Katherine Grey, an unmarried woman who’s recently come into money. (It’s fun to note that this is the first mention of St. Mary Mead, the village Agatha Christie’s other beloved sleuth Miss Marple is from!) While the train is in, France, Mrs. Kettering is found strangled, with her face severely disfigured and her ruby missing. There are many people connected to her or family that are traveling on the train as well, so any one of them could have been the killer. Luckily, Hercule Poirot is also on board and is conscripted by the local policeman in France to find the killer. The overall story is very engaging. However, it is my personal opinion that there were too many people in this story  and that Christie doesn’t use them as well as she could. The idea of a murder on a train with a large, sprawing cast of characters is something she would go on to use in Murder on the Orient Express, where she is more mature as a writer and the idea is better used. Even though this wasn’t one of her best novels in the Poirot cannon, there were some themes that emerged throughout that caught my attention

  1. Underestimating the People Around You – There are MANY examples of underestimation in this book, with some characters even commenting on it. It begins with the murdered woman, Ruth Kettering, being underestimated by her father. The theme of subverting expectations is common throughout Christie’s novels, but this is one of the first novels in the Poirot cannon that mentions it within the novel itself. I’ll have to read and see if this continues as I continue to read.
  2. Marriage – I was near to saying that dissolution of marriage was a theme in this novel, but there are some examples of happy marriages, both expected and unexpected, in this novel. The marriages in the novel, both good and bad, are critical to moving the plot forward. After doing some research, I discovered this was the novel Christie wrote when her husband Archie Christie was in the process of divorcing her. So it’s fair to assume that Christie was not entirely happy with marriage at the time, and could’ve been working out her own issues with marriage through her work. 

David Suchet TV Version 

This is one of the rare times I liked the TV adaptation more than the book itself! There were many wonderful places actors and actresses who seemed perfectly cast and really understood the character they were playing. (Also so much fun to see Ross and Monica’s dad from Friends the TV show as Mr. Van Aldin, Ruth’s American millionaire father!) The screenwriters who adapted the story from the book succeeded in connecting the storylines where Christie herself was lacking. This one is definitely worth a watch, because the story is interesting and will keep you engaged! 

Final Thoughts

This is my least favorite Poirot novel so far, but it was not hard to get through. I struggled to connect the two different plots that were occurring, but that was the only difficulty I had. I would not recommend this novel to a newcomer to Christie, but if you enjoy the character of Poirot, then you should enjoy this one. It’s not as bad as most people (even Agatha Christie herself!) say. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. The Big Four 
  5. The Murder on the Links 
  6. The Mystery of the Blue Train 

The Poirot Plan – The Big Four

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This week’s book is The Big Four, published in 1927. Many people have mixed opinions on this book, with some believing that it would be better suited without Poirot.

Original Book

I’m still somewhat torn as to my true feelings about this book. I’ve never read any of Christie’s “spy stories” such as The Secret of Chimneys or They Came to Baghdad, so I really have nothing to judge it against. That being said, I did enjoy this book, and the story kept me engaged the entire time. The Big Four begins with the return of Captain Hastings! I love Hastings’ narration in this book, because Christie allows us to see deeper into his personality, and how he differs from most of the other characters in the novel. Upon Hastings’ return, he immediately goes to the apartment of his friend Hercule Poirot. However, once he arrives there, he is shocked to find that Poirot was on his way to Brazil. He’d gotten a case for a wealthy American, and was going to be paid a very substantial sum, but was going to stay in Brazil and not return to England. Just before Poirot leaves, a mysterious man stumbles into his apartment asking for him, and begins telling Poirot and Hastings about a group of four people from around the world who are bent on world domination. Before they are able to ask him any more questions, the man faints. After some time, Poirot realizes he must leave, and asks Hastings to accompany him to where he will catch his boat for South America. Once on the train, Poirot realizes that he needs to go back, in spite of having promised to go to Brazil. At Poirot’s apartment, the mysterious man is dead. Poirot is immediately convinced that the man was murdered, and the rest of the book is spent attempting to discover the true identities of “The Big Four,” and if they  even exist at all. Overall, this book was a little too fanciful for my liking. So many things were done that were barely even explained, the reader was expected to take everything that was written with a grain of salt. Although, can’t it be argued that ALL books are like that? Despite some of the more fanciful aspects, there are some common themes running through these interconnected short-stories. 

  1. Playing Games – One character in the book dies while playing a game of chess, and Poirot often compares the situation of The Big Four to a game, saying that either he or they have upper hand. However, there are also games played with people’s minds. Going too deeply into detail would give away some major plot points, so I won’t do that. However, the Big Four knows exactly what they can do to get people to do their bidding, and there are several instances where the reader is surprised as to what they have been able to find out or accomplish. Despite this, Poirot is also very adept at playing mind games. 
  2. Anxiety – Not just personal anxiety, but national anxiety is discussed in this book. Poirot talks to heads of both England and France attempting to warn them about the possibility of The Big Four planning to create a new world order, they laugh it off. However, they eventually realize that they might’ve been a little hasty in judging what Poirot had to say. The entire world seems to be on edge about the Big Four, and they seem to be reveling in that fact.
  3. Xenophobia – As with most Poirot stories, there is constant comment on the fact that he is a foreigner. However, in this story, he is not the ONLY foreigner. We learn that the members of the Big Four are from different countries all around the world. Number 1 is from China, and there is a good deal of “mysticism” connected with him. Number 2 is from America, and associated with having a great deal of money. Number 3 is a Frenchwoman, and could be associated with the constant theme in English literature of French women being sexually and morally deviant. Number 4 is only known as “The Destroyer.” so their home country is unknown. The fact that all of the known members of the Big Four are from outside of England is an important fact, showing that many British people at the time were wary of foreigners.   

David Suchet TV Version 

I was disappointed that this adaptation strayed so far from the original novel, but I can forgive it  more than some of the other adaptations. The Big Four is more a collection of short stories than  an actual collected novels The writers of this screenplay wanted to have a more interconnected plot. It’s a lot of fun to see the whole gang of Poirot, Miss Lemon, Captain Hastings, and Japp all together again! That alone is worth watching this adaptation for. There are some interesting twists and turns within the diversions they took from the novel that I certainly didn’t see coming and I actually quite enjoyed. Definitely not a bad adaptation, but if you’re looking for one that is true to the original novel, this isn’t for you 

Final Thoughts

After hearing that many people believed this to be a horrible Poirot book, I was prepared for the worst. However, I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would! In my opinion this would work better as a standalone novel, without the necessity of putting in Poirot to simply make it a “Poirot  novel.” It’s definitely not something someone just starting out reading Christie novels should read, but it’s a lot of fun if you know the characters who are involved and can understand their character arcs. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates
  4. The Big Four 
  5. The Murder on the Links 

The Poirot Plan – The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

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This week’s book is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, one of my favorite Poirot stories! This novel was originally published in 1926, and was hailed as a turning point for the mystery genre.

Original Book

I remember reading this book as one of my first Agatha Christie books and being in shock for days afterward. I was telling everyone I knew about this book, it was that good. However, reading it again, I can see sections of the narrative, whether it be how someone reacted or someone’s exact choice of words, that clearly pinpoint who the murderer is. I’m DEFINITELY not going too into detail to prevent any spoilers, but there are several plot points and characters to introduce about this book. Captain Hastings has left for Argentina with his new wife, and Poirot has decided to retire from being a private detective and spend his time growing vegetables. The new narrator and assistant to Poirot in this book is Dr. James Sheppard. We are introduced to all of the characters fairly early on by Dr. Sheppard, including his sister Caroline, but we also learn about the 2 large houses in the village of King’s Abbot, including King’s Paddock and Fernly Park. King’s Paddock was owned by the late Mr. Ferrars and Mrs. Ferrars, his surviving wife who we discover killed herself in the beginning of the book. Fernly Park is home to Roger Ackroyd, a wealthy businessman. He lives there with his family, including his sister-in-law and niece, and adopted son Ralph, along with assorted housemaids and a buter (named Parker) and a housekeeper (Miss Russel). The story begins with Dr. Sheppard being invited to dine at Fernly Park by Roger Ackroyd that evening, where it is revealed that Flora Ackroyd, Roger’s niece, is engaged to be married to Ralph Paton, his adopted son. Later in the evening, Dr. Sheppard receives a telephone call from Parker, the butler at Fernly Park, that Roger Ackroyd is dead. It’s interesting to mention that Poirot is called in, not by Dr. Sheppard, but by Flora Ackroyd. The plot moves relatively quickly, with Poirot realizing that certain minor clues that no one else, even the murderer, paid attention to are crucial to bringing them to justice. Despite not going into the plot of the book too deeply, there are still many interesting themes that emerge that aren’t going to give too much away! These include:

  1. Deception –  At one point in the novel, Poirot accuses everyone in Fernly Park of  having something to hide, and vows that he will discover each one’s secret. The secrets of each character are even hidden from each other. None of the characters appear to trust one another, even family members. There’s much more that can be said on this topic, but that would give too much of the story away! 
  2. Eugenics – Agatha Christie has a common theme in her novels of “strands repeating themselves.” Say for instance, if someone in your family was a murderer, then it’s more likely you’ll be a murderer too. While that doesn’t occur as much in this text as some others, there’s a common occurrence of people having a “strain of weakness” in their character that can fault them. Many of the “professionals” in the novel do not listen to people who make these claims, except for Poirot. He does not automatically assume someone guilty simply because of a “strain” that may be repeated in their character, but he takes it into account. This is the beginning of one of Christie’s favorite tropes. 
  3. Fear of Public Opinion – Many people this novel act based on what they feel people will say about them, despite if what they’ve done is evil or not. This leads to the deception that was spoken about  earlier, but it also helps feed the village gossip, which is also an important element of the book. People are forced to act in ways they would not ordinarily act simply to not bring shame upon themselves. 

David Suchet TV Version

This was not my favorite episode of the Poirot TV series for a few reasons. The first and most prevalent reason is that the narrative structure is completely changed. Granted, it definitely would’ve been difficult to portray the groundbreaking structure used in the novel version of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on TV, I think there were other ways it could’ve been done. There were also small changes made to specific characters’ personalities that I felt should’ve not been tampered with. However, despite these small issues, I think this was a fairly accurate portrayal of the novel, but definitely no substitute for reading the real thing.

Final Thoughts

This is definitely one of my favorite Poirot novels, and probably one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels in general. Even knowing the solution, I enjoyed reading for clues and was even still surprised by a few things that I noticed! This is definitely not a story to miss, and a wonderful way to be introduced to what Agatha Christie does best. 

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 
  2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  3. Poirot Investigates 
  4. The Murder on the Links  

The Poirot Plan – Poirot Investigates

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Book #3 in my Poirot reading project is Poirot Investigates, a collection of very fun short stories originally published in book form in 1924.

Original Book

Poirot Investigates is a collection of short stories that, according to my research, were written and published in a magazine called The Strand in 1923. There’s no connecting storyline throughout the book apart from the fact that Poirot and Captain Hastings are there to help solve the mystery, in one way or another. The stories included in this collection are The Adventure of the Western Star, The Tragedy at 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, and The Case of the Missing Will. All of these stories were very well written! I don’t believe that Agatha Christie particularly shines in her short stories, because the reader does not have the same time to spend with each individual character to really determine who was the killer or thief. In a short  story the reader does not need the patience or attention span required to read a whole book, which can be a plus sometimes, but I don’t personally think Christie shines in this mode. The stories, if made longer, would’ve been extremely interesting. Each of the outcomes had the traditional Christie turns that the reader might not expect, but if you don’t read closely enough you could miss important information. My two favorites of the stories included are The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb, and The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman. These two, I feel, work well as short stories because of the nature of the plotline. They’re not heavily based on psychology, but have action-driven storylines that can benefit from a shorter text. My least favorite was The Million Dollar Bond Robbery. I felt as though this specific story was very outlandish and the final reveal was not as exciting as I would’ve liked it to be. It’s a lot of Poirot and Hastings sitting and talking, which is not particularly good for a short story. I don’t want to be too hard on this collection, however. I found it enjoyable and the stories were very well formulated and written. Despite not being connected by a continuing storyline, there are some themes that are common throughout the stories:

  1. Romanticism vs. Realism – There’s a constant thread of Hastings believing the solution to a crime will be much more theatrical and melodramatic than it ends up being. Poirot always makes fun of Hastings for this mindset, telling him that he needs “order” and “method” in order to solve the crimes, and that the solutions are usually nothing like what he would read in a novel or see on a movie screen. Hastings’ romantic mindset usually ensures that he will NOT solve the crime and gives him his naïve reputation. Poirot sees the world much differently than Hastings, and is not easily deceived or lulled into a sense  of security. This is why he’s so successful. 
  2. Betrayal – Many of Christie’s stories very heavily include the theme of betrayal, but almost every story in this collection revolves around it. I don’t want to get too much into detail, because I try to avoid spoilers. However, the people in these stories are usually ready to do whatever they can to get what they want, and don’t care what happens to anyone else. Some of the endings of the stories in this collection are shocking because the people act in a way you completely wouldn’t expect. That’s one of the aspects of Christie’s writing that I really enjoy, and that made her so famous. 

David Suchet TV Version

To be perfectly honest, the Suchet adaptations are a lot of fun and definitely enjoyable on their own, but they are very different than the short story versions. Many extraneous plots and characters are added to create a whole world for Poirot, Hastings, Inspector Japp, and Miss Lemon to live in. There’s even an episode that had a murder included that never happened, which I felt was completely unnecessary. This is definitely a TV show that you can appreciate for  what it is or because you enjoy the character of Poirot. I think I prefer the short stories, however, because you get to see all of the descriptions that Agatha Christie gave of characters and setting that allow the reader to see some of her own insights. 

Final Thoughts 

This was definitely an enjoyable book to read! The stories and characters were entertaining,  and it never felt difficult to finish the book. I believe that this could be a very good place for people to start with Agatha Christie and Poirot. It’s easy to see the types of things that Christie does with Poirot and whether or not it will interest you. I found them charming and easy to “digest”, which is a nice change from her longer books. I would definitely recommend Poirot Investigates to anyone!

My Current Ranking 

  1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  2. Poirot Investigates 
  3. The Murder on the Links

The Poirot Plan – The Murder on the Links

Published on by Jillian Smith2 Comments

It’s time for book #2 of my Poirot reading adventure! This book was The Murder on the Links, published in 1923.

Original Book 

This is my second time reading this story, and I’m glad that I gave it another chance. Overall, this was an enjoyable story. It’s one of the first books Christie wrote that takes place in a country other than England, and that impacts the story in ways you might not expect. This story begins when Paul Renauld, a rich businessman living in France, sends Poirot a letter entreating his help. Poirot and Hastings, who has been living with Poirot while living a boring life as a private secretary, immediately travel to the Villa Genevieve to consult Monsieur Renauld. However, when they arrive, they are told by Monsiour Hautet, the examining Magistrate, that the man in question was stabbed in the back and placed in an open grave the night before. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s up to Poirot to find out who killed this man and why. There’s also the very funny addition of Monsieur Giraud, a member of the Paris Súretė, who was placed on the case and is the rival of Poirot. Their disdain for each other is so strong, that they each bet the other 500 pounds that they can solve the murder before the other. It’s actually very funny when, of course, Poirot discovers the truth and spends his winnings on a picture of a foxhunt. Other characters included in this story are Madame Renauld, Jack Renaud, their son, along with Marthe Daubreil, Jack’s fiancé, her mother, and a mysterious woman Hastings meets on a train who leaves the name Cinderella. My favorite part of this story wasn’t even the mystery, it was the love story that grew between Hastings and “Cinderella”! There are the typical Christie twists and turns that will definitely leave the reader surprised, but they didn’t amaze me or seem to change the mystery genre like other stories of hers have. Despite not being my favorite novel so far in the Poirot series, there are still some important themes that emerge in this book that are  worth talking about:

  1. English vs. French – Many of the characters in this book are French, obviously, because the story takes place there, but it’s interesting to see how the English characters (the Renauld family, Hastings, etc.) react to the French characters (Monsieur Giraud, Madame Daubril, Marthe Daubril, etc.). There’s a lot of animosity, which is to be expected given the history the two countries have of constantly being at odds. There’s a feeling given off by Hastings, as the narrator of the story, that you can’t trust these types  of people because of the frivolous and deviant stereotype they carried in British culture at the time, and somewhat do even to today. Also important to remember is that Poirot is Belgian, not French, so he feels no connection to the French characters as fellow countrymen at all. This makes him the most ideal person to be investigating this case because he seems to be one of the only people able to separate their feelings from the facts of the case. Even Hastings as an Englishman has a moment of hotheadedness when he feels Poirot isn’t doing enough. 
  2. Women’s Goodness – Hastings tells us in the first chapter that he doesn’t like the way “modern” girls behave. This is a theme that is constant throughout the book. He especially seems disapproving of the French women. There’s an idea throughout the book of the whore and the Madonna, with one woman leading a man to righteousness by her goodness, and another woman luring a man to damnation through her wickedness. Going much further into detail would force me to give away some of the plot, but, it’s sufficient to say that many women in the novel are viewed as these “modern” women who show no respect for the old-fashioned ideals of goodness. I’m somewhat disappointed that Christie as a woman would put such an antiquated trope in her writing, but I guess you have to remember the time period and what the ideas of the time were.
  3. Love – Love, in all its forms, is very important in this book. Not only typically passionate love, which there is certainly plenty of, but also gentler types of love. As mentioned before, I love the B Plot of the love between Hastings and “Cinderella,” which adds a lighthearted feeling to the book. However, love can also be deceiving. Sometimes it blinds people from seeing the reality of a situation, as Poirot often warns. 

David Suchet TV version

This was a charming adaptation, but too many significant elements were taken out of it to enjoy it as much as I did the book. I really can’t go into too much detail, otherwise I’ll give away major plot points. The item taken out that annoyed me the most was the idea of appearances not being what they seem. It was heavily implied in the book that you cannot always trust outer beauty to correspond to inner beauty, which Hastings never seems to understand. This is barely referenced in the show at all. More screen time is given to trying to make the relationship between Poirot and Giraud as humorous as possible, which I must admit I did enjoy, but I think it would’ve been much better served to trying to allow Christie’s themes to come across as much as she would’ve wanted them to in the book. All that being said, the setting and actors were perfectly attuned to what I imagined them to be from the book. I was thrown off a bit that some of the characters who were supposed to be French had English accents, but I suppose that’s what you can expect from a British TV show! 

Final Thoughts

I was not impressed with this story as much as I was with The Mysterious Affair at Styles. There were some interesting twists and turns that you might not see coming at first, but nothing that  REALLY made me sit up and take notice. However, this was a fun enough little book that could be good for someone just starting out with Christie!

My Current Ranking

  1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
  2. The Murder on the Links

The Poirot Plan – Intro and The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

Since we’ve been stuck in quarantine for 3 months and here in New York we’re not sure how long we’ll be in quarantine, I had a fun idea! I’m going to read all of the books by Agatha Christie featuring her famous detective Hercule Poirot! I’ve always loved Agatha Christie’s novels, and now that the semester is over, I think it will be fun! Feel free to read along with me and tell me your opinions of each individual book! Along with reading the books, I’m going to watch the corresponding David Suchet Poirot TV series and see how the book compares with the series!

The first book I read was The Mysterious Affair at Styles, also Christie’s first published novel!

Original Book 

I can hardly even believe that this is the first novel Agatha Christie ever wrote! She has a wonderful grasp on the concepts of character, plot, and setting. Maybe it came from a love of detective stories that she was dared to “write a murder mystery in which the reader would not be able to ‘spot’ the murderer”. The book begins with Captain (then Lieutenant!) Hastings, who later becomes Poirot’s best friend and most frequent “Watson”, being invited to a beautiful stately home in Essex, England, called Styles while on leave from the army, from an old friend named John Cavendish. From the very beginning, we can see that the people in the home seem separated from the rest of the world when Hastings gets off the train at a station named Styles-St. Mary’s. The house is so large and important that it requires its own train station! Hastings meets all of the inhabitants of Styles, including John’s wife, Mary, his brother, Lawrence, along with the Cavendishes’ step-mother Emily and her new husband Alfred Inglethorp. There are also some people staying at Styles who are not part of the family, including Cynthia Murdoch, a ward of Emily Inglethorp, Evelyn Howard, Emily’s companion, along with assorted maids and servants. One last important character is Dr. Bauerstein, a famous toxicologist who lives near Styles and is friends with the family. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away because it’s definitely a story worth reading, so I won’t go any further into the storyline. Poirot himself enters the scene later on in the book, and the description given of him by Agatha Christie is\ absolutely hilarious! Having Christie herself give more insight into the mind of Poirot will also be helpful in understanding the way he thinks and how he solves his crimes. There are,however, A LOT of themes that are important to talk about in this book! These include:

  1. Mother and Son Relationships – The fact that Emily is John and Lawrence’s stepmother is a point of interest in the book. Even though the two boys grew up with her as their “mother”, there’s always the looming question of what would’ve happened if their own mother had lived. 
  2. Xenophobia – Any of Christie’s books that include Poirot are going to include some form of Xenophobia because he is not “English”. Many of these prejudiced people don’t even seem to care that Poirot seems to act with more decorum than the characters in the book, he always is forced to prove himself. This also extends to Dr. Bauerstein in this particular book because he is a Jewish man of German origin, which makes him not the best person for a group of respectable Anglicans in the early 20th century to be interacting with. 
  3. Women’s Roles in Society – It’s important to remember that during World War 1, women were being forced to take care of everything that men had before they went off to fight in the war. Two of the women in the novel work, while most of the men, apart from Hastings and Dr. Bauerstein, do not. Emily Inglethorp is also the person in the novel with the most amount of money, and this is mentioned several times, making her the person in the novel with the most power. 
  4. Love – Would it really be an Agatha Christie novel if there wasn’t a heavy influence placed on love? Especially when Hastings is in the novel, having his head turned by every pretty girl who crosses his path! There’s also the typical Christie unexpected love, making the story all that more enjoyable. 

I really enjoyed this novel, and was thrown off by red herrings several times! It’s definitely a good place to start with Christie, and it’s really interesting to see where she came from. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of Christie’s novels and seeing how she progressed in her writing throughout her life!

David Suchet TV Version

    The settings of the David Suchet-led Poirot TV show are always stunning, and the way Styles is represented in this version did not disappoint! It’s interesting to see how the characters were cast, as well. They weren’t as I had expected, especially Mary Cavendish. Despite that, the show seemed to follow the book faithfully, apart from the deletion of Dr. Bauerstein. I think that was not a good idea because it takes away some of the important discussions of Xenophobia that exist in the novel. Apart from that omission, I believe that this was an enjoyable and accurate dramatization of the story. David Suchet is also spectacular in his portrayal of Poirot, more so than any other actor I’ve ever seen. I’ve been a fan of the TV series for a while, and it will definitely be interesting to see what was kept and what was discarded from the original source material, proving what the editors and writers found to be important. 

Why “Old Books” Are Worth Reading

Published on by Jillian SmithLeave a comment

When I was 12 years old, my favorite book was The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. Pretty strange for a 12 year old, right? It probably didn’t hurt that I was OBSESSED with the Broadway musical, but I was still in love with this book! It was really strange to most people, including my middle school friends, that this book they’d never even heard of was my favorite book. Even today, I’m not sure what I loved so much about it back then. However, I have read it since, and I was immediately drawn to the story’s progression and the character development. A little later on, I thought I was ready to take on Les Miserables. It didn’t really turn out so well at the time, but I have plans to read it again in the near future! Despite the the issues I had with language comprehension, and not understanding the military terminology, the character and situational descriptions always stayed with me. The characters are always so well formulated in classic novels, which is something that always draws me in!

Another aspect of these books that engages me is the romance that the author seamlessly weaves through the story. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a love story between two people to be romantic, but the romance of the language. Some authors, especially writers of the romantic period like Mary Shelley, understand the natural beauty of the world around them. It adds an extra layer of enchantment when you understand the romance of the everyday. Only certain authors can do that! And as a person who loves beauty and romance of all kinds, that definitely appeals to me!

I just finished reading War and Peace (I promise I’m. not trying to brag about how impressive the books I read are!!!!), and it was a very emotional experience. It was a book about life, and the beauty and tragedy that it can mean. Of course, I didn’t understand or relate to everything, but you don’t have to in cases like this! It’s not like reading a textbook for school, it should be much more enjoyable! It’s definitely not easy to start some of these books, and they can be slow in some places, but the experience will definitely be worth it.

Here are some of my favorite “old books” –

  • War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
  • The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
  • Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
  • ANYTHING BY JANE AUSTEN!!!!
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
  • Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Oliver Twist, and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley