 |
| (image from here) |
"This book of Christmas fare may be described as 'The Chef's Selection.' I am the Chef!" -Agatha Christie's Foreward for The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, p. 7
The Sum of It:
It's short stories for me this week! I actually enjoyed this collection quite a bit, mostly because of the love you can tell Agatha put into the curation of the collection (more on that later.) This collection features mostly Poirot, with a dash of Miss Marple at the end. While each of the six stories in this book are delightful in their own Agatha way, my favorite by far was the title story: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.
It's Christmastime and Hercule Poirot plans to spend the holiday in his modern flat "with its radiators and the latest patent devices for excluding any kind of draught." Do we expect anything less? However, he is persuaded to abandon his hermit Christmas plans to investigate a stolen ruby thought to perhaps be at Kings Lacey - a large home in the countryside. Appeased by the balmy 68 degree interior of Kings Lacey (thank goodness for central heating), Poirot does what he does best: chats up the guests. The Laceys aren't thrilled because their granddaughter, Sarah, is dating an odious young man named Desmond Lee-Wortley (throughout the story he seems like kind of a pill, but honestly not THAT horrific.) Mrs. Lacey has invited Desmond for Christmas because she thinks it will rid Sarah of her urge for a bad boy if it looks like the grandparents could care less about having him around. #smort! Other Kings Lacey guests include Desmond's ill sister, several other Lacey grandchildren, cousin Diana, and old friend of the family, David.
Poirot is legit ready to see what it's like to have an IRL English Christmas (as well as using that as his cover for spending the holiday with the Laceys), and manages to really get the whole experience: there's a great deal of talk about the Christmas feast, which includes oyster soup, two turkeys (one roasted, one boiled), and, of course, plum pudding! The pudding turns rather ominous when Poirot receives an anonymous/rather grammatically-lacking note warning him against eating the pudding and THEN, when the ensemble is eating, said pudding and finding tiny treasures inside such as sixpence, buttons, etc., one lucky devil finds (GASP) a ruby-esque stone! Everyone laughs it off ("duh it isn't real!", etc.), and Poirot deftly pockets the stone for further sleuthing purposes. This story goes on to include a Boxing Day murder that may or may not be fake, Poirot basically giggling into his pillow as someone breaks into his room in the middle of the night, and a mystery Poirot may not be able to solve!
The YOA Treatment:
This book begins in the most delightful way possible: with a foreword by Agatha describing this book in terms of a three-course dinner:
"There are two main courses: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and The Mystery of the Spanish Chest; a selection of Entrees: Greenshaw's Folly, The Dream, and The Under Dog, and a Sorbet: Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds."
Agatha goes on to describe how The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding is her particular favorite because it reminds her fondly of her childhood Christmases spent with her brother-in-law's family. You can see so many similarities between Agatha's memories of these holidays and the Christmas Poirot experiences with the Laceys - even down to the oyster soup! She talks about their epic feasts with course upon course, and then concludes: "during the afternoon we ate chocolates solidly. We neither felt, not were, sick! How lovely to be eleven years old and greedy!"
Since the latest and greatest Agatha books usually came out at Christmastime (A Christie for Christmas!), I can imagine this one was particularly popular. Hearing about the cozy fires, the midnight church service, the stockings, the snow, and the general merriment certainly made me long for an English countryside Christmas (for real, can it be Christmas already!?!!) Agatha ends her foreword: "And how deep my gratitude to the kind and hospitable hostess who must have worked so hard to make Christmas Day a wonderful memory to me still in my old age."
My deepest gratitude to you as well, Dame Agatha!
-A.
Be First to Post Comment !
Post a Comment