Scan barcode
meandmymoos's review against another edition
3.0
Overall: 3,1
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: 3,25
The Mystery of the Spanish Chest: 3
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: 3,25
The Under Dog: 3
The Dream: 3
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: 3,25
The Mystery of the Spanish Chest: 3
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: 3,25
The Under Dog: 3
The Dream: 3
realisticreader98's review against another edition
3.0
✨this needs to be the new adaptation for the hercule poirot movies. it’s not the most interesting story, I think some writer could have fun building on it, but the people yearn for new Christmas movies
android's review against another edition
4.0
(Audio) An excellent collection of short Poirot stories. Each mystery is unexpected and original, I especially liked the very last one - brilliant!
graylodge_library's review against another edition
3.0
Around Christmastime, I figured it'd be nice to start a tradition and read something light and Christmasy (but not fluffy), and Christie knocked on my door again. Because the collections have a confusing publication history, I noticed I had actually read some of the stories before in another collection, but I couldn't remember the murderers anymore, so a reread was in order.
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding was the only one set during Christmas, and in her foreword Christie explains how her childhood Christmases spent in Abney Hall inspired the story, and why she wanted to dedicate the book to its memory. The story does feel very nostalgic prior to things starting to get awry (the description of the Christmas feast made my mouth water), and thanks to the conclusion it's also one of the best ones. It really turns on its head all the expectations one has of a crime story.
The other one I liked was The Dream, where an eccentric millionaire needs Poirot's help, because he has been having a concurring dream where he shoots himself. Soon enough, the man is found dead. The whole case is a little bizarre and mystical, and the conclusion is fantastic. So much so, that this was my absolute favorite story of the collection.
The Under Dog is slightly drawn out and boring, but as for the rest, they're pretty decent with great twists. In all six stories, hints are spread throughout and some of them are even so obvious when you notice them afterwards, that you feel kind of stupid not to have seen them. Christie takes the idea of secrets behind one's demeanor even further, and it's a recurring theme of the collection. The tiny tidbits about the social realities of the era aren't absent either, as is evident from Poirot's ponderings about the butler:
"'This Parsons, then, he will have the characteristics of his class, he will object very strongly to the police, he will tell them as little as possible. Above all, he will say nothing that might seem to incriminate a member of the household. A house-breaker, a burglar, he will cling to that idea with all the strength of extreme obstinacy. Yes, the loyalties of the servant class are an interesting study.'"
We also learn that Poirot likes curvy women. Actually, "[h]e liked them lush, highly coloured, exotic. There had been a certain Russian countess – but that was long ago now. A folly of earlier days". Really? Tell me more. The fact that something this substantial is revealed about Poirot's past, or that he doesn't mind being kissed under the mistletoe by Bridget, caught me off guard. Is this the Agatha Christie Christmas spirit we're seeing?
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding was the only one set during Christmas, and in her foreword Christie explains how her childhood Christmases spent in Abney Hall inspired the story, and why she wanted to dedicate the book to its memory. The story does feel very nostalgic prior to things starting to get awry (the description of the Christmas feast made my mouth water), and thanks to the conclusion it's also one of the best ones. It really turns on its head all the expectations one has of a crime story.
The other one I liked was The Dream, where an eccentric millionaire needs Poirot's help, because he has been having a concurring dream where he shoots himself. Soon enough, the man is found dead. The whole case is a little bizarre and mystical, and the conclusion is fantastic. So much so, that this was my absolute favorite story of the collection.
The Under Dog is slightly drawn out and boring, but as for the rest, they're pretty decent with great twists. In all six stories, hints are spread throughout and some of them are even so obvious when you notice them afterwards, that you feel kind of stupid not to have seen them. Christie takes the idea of secrets behind one's demeanor even further, and it's a recurring theme of the collection. The tiny tidbits about the social realities of the era aren't absent either, as is evident from Poirot's ponderings about the butler:
"'This Parsons, then, he will have the characteristics of his class, he will object very strongly to the police, he will tell them as little as possible. Above all, he will say nothing that might seem to incriminate a member of the household. A house-breaker, a burglar, he will cling to that idea with all the strength of extreme obstinacy. Yes, the loyalties of the servant class are an interesting study.'"
We also learn that Poirot likes curvy women. Actually, "[h]e liked them lush, highly coloured, exotic. There had been a certain Russian countess – but that was long ago now. A folly of earlier days". Really? Tell me more. The fact that something this substantial is revealed about Poirot's past, or that he doesn't mind being kissed under the mistletoe by Bridget, caught me off guard. Is this the Agatha Christie Christmas spirit we're seeing?
melslostinabook's review against another edition
4.0
I wasn’t aware until I started reading this that it is a book of short stories—all featuring Poirot, except for the last story, which features Miss Marple. I’m not the biggest fan of short stories, but I’ll make an exception when it comes to Agatha Christie!
I highly enjoyed each of these stories! One of them seemed very familiar, and as I was reading it, I realized that I have read The Dream before. Apparently, it is contained in another book of short stories, but I can’t remember which one. And now that’s going to bug me until I figure it out… Time to use the little grey cells, eh?
I highly enjoyed each of these stories! One of them seemed very familiar, and as I was reading it, I realized that I have read The Dream before. Apparently, it is contained in another book of short stories, but I can’t remember which one. And now that’s going to bug me until I figure it out… Time to use the little grey cells, eh?
leana_keto's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book on my parents' bookshelf at Christmas (an old version published in 1987) and picked it up to read. It has been a long time since I've read any of Agatha Christie's books.
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding is a collection of several short stories featuring Hercule Poirot in all save for the final story with Miss Marple. The standout stories for me were:
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: One of my favourites in the collection, where Hercule Poirot is hired over the holidays to find out who stole a very expensive ruby.
The Mystery of the Spanish Chest: A husband is found dead inside a Spanish chest the morning after a party. He wasn't at the party because he was supposed to be traveling to Scotland, so what happened?
The Under Dog: A murdered man's wife relies on her female intuition and believes the man the police have caught for the crime is not the right one. She calls in Poirot to investigate.
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: When an old man deviates from his usual routine Poirot becomes suspicious.
The final two stories, The Dream and Greenshaw's Folly were my least favourite of the book. The plots were a little off the wall and having a Miss Marple story in at the end felt a bit out of place.
Overall 3.5 stars for the book, but I'd give 4 stars to the first 4 stories.
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding is a collection of several short stories featuring Hercule Poirot in all save for the final story with Miss Marple. The standout stories for me were:
The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: One of my favourites in the collection, where Hercule Poirot is hired over the holidays to find out who stole a very expensive ruby.
The Mystery of the Spanish Chest: A husband is found dead inside a Spanish chest the morning after a party. He wasn't at the party because he was supposed to be traveling to Scotland, so what happened?
The Under Dog: A murdered man's wife relies on her female intuition and believes the man the police have caught for the crime is not the right one. She calls in Poirot to investigate.
Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds: When an old man deviates from his usual routine Poirot becomes suspicious.
The final two stories, The Dream and Greenshaw's Folly were my least favourite of the book. The plots were a little off the wall and having a Miss Marple story in at the end felt a bit out of place.
Overall 3.5 stars for the book, but I'd give 4 stars to the first 4 stories.
jjeepa04's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/ stars
A delightful Poirot/Christie novela with English Christmas traditions and an interesting mystery to follow.
A delightful Poirot/Christie novela with English Christmas traditions and an interesting mystery to follow.
gerceval's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25