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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
A series of short cases connecting Poirot’s investigations to the 12 labors of Hercules. Like most Christie shorts, the tales are hit or miss, but there’s some nice humor in the collection.
One typically knows what to expect when reading an Agatha Christie book at this point if reading the Poirot stories in order. But I wasn’t looking forward to this one, as I don’t believe short stories are Agatha’s best. And even though there’s something comforting and familiar in her writing, even I am becoming fatigued at her internalized misogyny seeping into so many of her stories.
Even lovable little Hercule has been trying my patience by making sexist remarks more and more frequently. Adultery has been featured prominently in Poirot books lately, a few too many all in a row for my tastes. They seem often to solely blame the other woman, and it does get tiring. “Blondes sure cause a lot of trouble,” says the funny butler to Poirot. “He can’t help cheating, he’s just that kind of man…” and so on.
Poirot even allows himself to get grumpy and upset in one story because he doesn’t find the women around him in a public setting to be pretty enough for him to look at. He is annoyed that a young female doctor accurately perceives that his infatuation with another woman is blinding him to the truth. Because of this, he basically tells the young psychologist that she’s super ugly and he finds it interesting that she doesn’t try to be prettier and look more like a woman.
Now I usually love this little Belgian detective, despite his many faults, but that is such a gross, horrible thing to say and sadly reminds me of something from my own past. Of course, I’m basically ranting at this point. When I was a senior in high school I actually had a male teacher tell me I could be really good looking if I dressed differently and wore make up. Not only was that extremely inappropriate and disgusting but it made me feel terrible about myself! So yeah. Bad form, Poirot. Agatha doesn’t write Poirot being reproved for his cruel and sexist insults, oh no. Instead, he wins the day because a woman dressing in a way that doesn’t make her as attractive as possible to men….wait for it….is a red flag. Sigh.
Even not considering my complaints in that area, the book just falls flat most of the time. So many of his “labors” are totally forgettable and uninteresting. I’d say I enjoyed maybe three of the twelve little adventures, and especially liked the ones featuring the clever “old maid” character. Besides those, this book seems to be Poirot at his most obnoxious.
Even lovable little Hercule has been trying my patience by making sexist remarks more and more frequently. Adultery has been featured prominently in Poirot books lately, a few too many all in a row for my tastes. They seem often to solely blame the other woman, and it does get tiring. “Blondes sure cause a lot of trouble,” says the funny butler to Poirot. “He can’t help cheating, he’s just that kind of man…” and so on.
Poirot even allows himself to get grumpy and upset in one story because he doesn’t find the women around him in a public setting to be pretty enough for him to look at. He is annoyed that a young female doctor accurately perceives that his infatuation with another woman is blinding him to the truth. Because of this, he basically tells the young psychologist that she’s super ugly and he finds it interesting that she doesn’t try to be prettier and look more like a woman.
Now I usually love this little Belgian detective, despite his many faults, but that is such a gross, horrible thing to say and sadly reminds me of something from my own past. Of course, I’m basically ranting at this point. When I was a senior in high school I actually had a male teacher tell me I could be really good looking if I dressed differently and wore make up. Not only was that extremely inappropriate and disgusting but it made me feel terrible about myself! So yeah. Bad form, Poirot. Agatha doesn’t write Poirot being reproved for his cruel and sexist insults, oh no. Instead, he wins the day because a woman dressing in a way that doesn’t make her as attractive as possible to men….wait for it….is a red flag. Sigh.
Even not considering my complaints in that area, the book just falls flat most of the time. So many of his “labors” are totally forgettable and uninteresting. I’d say I enjoyed maybe three of the twelve little adventures, and especially liked the ones featuring the clever “old maid” character. Besides those, this book seems to be Poirot at his most obnoxious.
Not Christie’s best work, but I’m decidedly a fan of the way she commits to a theme. The stories were too short to really get into, but it could have been fantastic if the through-line of the frame story connected them better
I love the way Christie gets cheekier and funnier and more subversive as she gets older. She writes in a very self-aware way— she knows her audience well and respects them enough to throw little jokes their way. I feel like it’s the equivalent of the look-at-the-camera thing characters will do in the Office.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Most of the stories are pretty average, my favorite was probably the Erymanthian Boar- I definitely prefer Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels to the short story format.
I knew this book was going to be filled with short cases, but I thought (for some reason) they would be connected. They were not. I'm not a fan of short mysteries, because there is no development of the case.
Dame Christie was getting especially bored with Monsieur Poirot circa 1947. Thirty years of writing about a character who she intended to be rather odious, but many of her readers found charming...that can wearing. So, why not (a) retire him for good to grow those vegetable marrows she first brought up in [b:The Murder of Roger Ackroyd|16328|The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot, #3)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389734015l/16328._SY75_.jpg|1073110] and (b) poke a little fun at his rather ironic moniker (ironiker?) and his overly inflated sense of self-worth?
Poirot decides to take on twelve final cases, all with nods to the Labors of Hercules (some requiring serious imaginative stretching):
1) Slay the Nemean lion (or bust a dog-napping ring)
2) Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra (or put gossiping tongues to rest)
3) Capture the Arcadian Deer (or track down an vanished sweetheart)
4) Capture the Erymanthian Boar (otherwise known as a dangerous criminal)
5) Clean the Augean stables in a single day (no more difficult than cleaning up a political scandal)
6) Slay the Stymphalian birds (birds? lady con artists? same diff.)
7) Capture the Cretan Bull (or find out if a woman's fiancé is really becoming a homicidal maniac)
8) Steal the Mares of Diomedes (or tame the wild daughters of a retired general)
9) Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazon (or find the connection between a stolen painting and a schoolgirl who temporarily went missing)
10) Obtain the cattle of the three-bodied giant Geryon (or save wealthy ladies from a murderous cult leader)
11) Steal three of the golden apples of the Hesperides (or track down a priceless Borgia goblet)
12) Capture and bring back Cerberus (or bust a drug ring being run out of Poirot's old friend Countess Vera Rosakoff's new nightclub Hell)
Short stories usually aren't my favorites and this collection is no exception. I prefer a slow striptease of a reveal to a fast & dirty one. Dame Christie also seems a little obsessed with drugs throughout the collection: so many young people losing their minds on the dope!
The standouts of the collection for me are "The Cretan Bull" (wherein Poirot proves and "The Flock of Geryon," because I always love a good cult, especially one with
Poirot decides to take on twelve final cases, all with nods to the Labors of Hercules (some requiring serious imaginative stretching):
1) Slay the Nemean lion (or bust a dog-napping ring)
2) Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra (or put gossiping tongues to rest)
3) Capture the Arcadian Deer (or track down an vanished sweetheart)
4) Capture the Erymanthian Boar (otherwise known as a dangerous criminal)
5) Clean the Augean stables in a single day (no more difficult than cleaning up a political scandal)
6) Slay the Stymphalian birds (birds? lady con artists? same diff.)
7) Capture the Cretan Bull (or find out if a woman's fiancé is really becoming a homicidal maniac)
8) Steal the Mares of Diomedes (or tame the wild daughters of a retired general)
9) Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazon (or find the connection between a stolen painting and a schoolgirl who temporarily went missing)
10) Obtain the cattle of the three-bodied giant Geryon (or save wealthy ladies from a murderous cult leader)
11) Steal three of the golden apples of the Hesperides (or track down a priceless Borgia goblet)
12) Capture and bring back Cerberus (or bust a drug ring being run out of Poirot's old friend Countess Vera Rosakoff's new nightclub Hell)
Short stories usually aren't my favorites and this collection is no exception. I prefer a slow striptease of a reveal to a fast & dirty one. Dame Christie also seems a little obsessed with drugs throughout the collection: so many young people losing their minds on the dope!
The standouts of the collection for me are "The Cretan Bull" (wherein Poirot proves