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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Weird stories, bad relationship takes, and only a couple actual mysteries. It's a skip.
It's difficult to assess this one - some stories were really good but others were very old-fashioned and silly. I mean when the main character always cautions married men to not be "too boring" in their relationship and to stir up drama and/or act as if they're cheating because that's the only way their wives will be interested and invested in the marriage... I'm not sure if that's an old-timey idea and can be excused as such, or simply a poor understanding of relationships. However, these quirks aside, the character of Parker Pyne was interesting and the setting original, and some stories were really good. I'm rounding a 2.5 up to 3.
2.5 Stars from me. I picked this up as part of the #readchristie2021 book challenge. This is a collection of short stories that were hit or miss for me. I feel bad that I didn’t enjoy it more, I mean it’s Agatha Christie. But the majority just didn’t work for me. Not my cuppa. I read this at bedtime and it honestly took all month to get through. I would pick up a Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple instead.
Thankfully, this collection of PP stories got better as they went. Overall enjoyable, but not as strong or compelling as Poirot mysteries.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Agatha Christie’s Parker Pyne Investigates! I read this book last month, the latest book in my chronological read of Christie’s works. A collection of short stories, this book follows Parker Pyne as he helps unhappy people. We see him work on a number of cases in the UK before he heads off on a holiday and finds more work along the way. These stories were charming, often funny, although I personally don’t think they have the same magic as the tales of Poirot and Miss Marple. I did enjoy these though and can’t wait to get to my next Agatha Christie read!
3.5 stars. Enjoyable collection of quite short stories that are different from Poirot, although they feel very similar. Most are more light hearted, until Pyne starts traveling abroad. Still, I'd delve into this collection again. They were entertaining, if not terribly deep.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated