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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
I found this collection to be a little hit or miss, but the ones that hit...good stuff.
Unfortunately, there's lots of internalized misogyny that somehow make it externally and plenty of casual racism so do keep that in mind.
Those last two stories, though...*chef's kiss*
Unfortunately, there's lots of internalized misogyny that somehow make it externally and plenty of casual racism so do keep that in mind.
Those last two stories, though...*chef's kiss*
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not my favorite of Christie's characters. A little too manipulative for my comfort.
Mr Parker Pyne is a bit bland as detectives go, but this made for an enjoyable roadtrip read.
Parker Pyne is a genial, retired government statistician who is dedicated to helping people lead happy lives, using the considerable experience about human nature that he has gained over his working life. He offers his services via an advertisement in The Times asking 'Are you happy? if not consult Mr Parker Pyne', and promises an almost perfect success rate at providing satisfaction for his clients - crimes of the heart are his forté.
The collection comprises fourteen stories, and it is really a book of two halves. The first part of the book revolves around stories which focus on what seems to be the original concept behind the character: that there are a specific number of reasons why people are unhappy, and specific remedies to their problems. Parker Pyne claims that there are only five reasons, and he has the cures to them if his clients are willing to submit to his recommendations and pay the required fee - if they are willing then comes up with a plan and sets it in motion using his faithful team of employees, while he oversees the schemes from his office in Richmond Street, London. The second half of the book, contains stories which are quite different in nature, as they are cases almost entirely foisted upon him during his attempts to get away from it all in exotic locations and, in all but one, he is the sole operative in putting things to rights.
The stories are so distinctly disparate in nature that I did wonder if Christie got a bit bored with Mr Parker Pyne and decided to take him a completely different direction halfway through the life of his character, because he changes from being the mastermind behind helping his clients to find happiness through some very amusing schemes,while he stays put in a single location; to more of a conventional private investigator who solves crimes in far-flung destinations, despite claiming to not be a detective. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this, as he suddenly becomes the centre of the stories as a crime sleuth, which was a bit odd. There is no real character development for Parker Pyne himself and you are left knowing little more about him at the end of the book as you knew at the beginning - and I was a little frustrated that you never find out what all five of the reasons for unhappiness are.
The cases which involve his delightful gang of accomplices are by far the most enjoyable, as they are such a great assortment of characters, including the deliciously smarmy lounge-lizzard Claude Luttrell, and the beautiful queen of vamps Madeleine de Sara, who could both be called upon to incite jealousy in the cases of marital disharmony. There are also a couple of faces familiar to fans of the Poirot books, with Miss Lemon taking the role of highly efficient secretary to Parker Pyne (before her days in charge of Poirot's files), and the enchanting Mrs Ariadne Oliver supplementing her income as famous novelist to help out when more creative game plans are required to bring about a successful result.
Overall, I did find this collection enjoyable. The stories are light, fun and entertaining, with a nice balance of romance, mystery and crime, and the foreign locations are very 'Christie'. I found them rather humorous too, as there are plenty of chuckles to be had. There are flashes of Poirot about many of these adventures (interestingly the final two stories, Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Regatta Mystery, were originally written for Poirot), but for me, they lack the personality and substance that a well developed main character brings. Definitely examples of Christie's more frivolous side!
The collection comprises fourteen stories, and it is really a book of two halves. The first part of the book revolves around stories which focus on what seems to be the original concept behind the character: that there are a specific number of reasons why people are unhappy, and specific remedies to their problems. Parker Pyne claims that there are only five reasons, and he has the cures to them if his clients are willing to submit to his recommendations and pay the required fee - if they are willing then comes up with a plan and sets it in motion using his faithful team of employees, while he oversees the schemes from his office in Richmond Street, London. The second half of the book, contains stories which are quite different in nature, as they are cases almost entirely foisted upon him during his attempts to get away from it all in exotic locations and, in all but one, he is the sole operative in putting things to rights.
The stories are so distinctly disparate in nature that I did wonder if Christie got a bit bored with Mr Parker Pyne and decided to take him a completely different direction halfway through the life of his character, because he changes from being the mastermind behind helping his clients to find happiness through some very amusing schemes,while he stays put in a single location; to more of a conventional private investigator who solves crimes in far-flung destinations, despite claiming to not be a detective. I wasn't quite sure what to make of this, as he suddenly becomes the centre of the stories as a crime sleuth, which was a bit odd. There is no real character development for Parker Pyne himself and you are left knowing little more about him at the end of the book as you knew at the beginning - and I was a little frustrated that you never find out what all five of the reasons for unhappiness are.
The cases which involve his delightful gang of accomplices are by far the most enjoyable, as they are such a great assortment of characters, including the deliciously smarmy lounge-lizzard Claude Luttrell, and the beautiful queen of vamps Madeleine de Sara, who could both be called upon to incite jealousy in the cases of marital disharmony. There are also a couple of faces familiar to fans of the Poirot books, with Miss Lemon taking the role of highly efficient secretary to Parker Pyne (before her days in charge of Poirot's files), and the enchanting Mrs Ariadne Oliver supplementing her income as famous novelist to help out when more creative game plans are required to bring about a successful result.
Overall, I did find this collection enjoyable. The stories are light, fun and entertaining, with a nice balance of romance, mystery and crime, and the foreign locations are very 'Christie'. I found them rather humorous too, as there are plenty of chuckles to be had. There are flashes of Poirot about many of these adventures (interestingly the final two stories, Problem at Pollensa Bay and The Regatta Mystery, were originally written for Poirot), but for me, they lack the personality and substance that a well developed main character brings. Definitely examples of Christie's more frivolous side!
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd put off reading the Parker Pyne stories, mostly because of the mixed reviews. I do understand the mixed reviews. For readers that love Christie solely for her clever murder plots, you're going to be disappointed here. But, if you're like me and you enjoy reading Christie mainly for her colourful cast of characters, you might get a kick out of this one.
The Parker Pyne stories are somehow both very like Christie and very not like Christie at the same time. In short, Pyne advertises himself as a creator of 'happiness'. By that, he usually deals with entertaining rich people that have nothing better to do or indirectly fixing relationship problems. It's pretty much as weird as it sounds. There's also Madeleine de Sara, Pyne's assistant, who he usually uses as an actress of sorts to... seduce his clients. Yeah, definitely as weird as it sounds.
Also if you like Poirot, but wish he was slightly less bombastic, you might love Parker Pyne.
And, no big deal or anything, but... Miss Lemon?! What's the timeline here?! I can't imagine Miss Lemon being fired and having to find a new job. Is she working for both of them? Did she leave Pyne for Poirot, seeking more thrill in life? Are there two of her? Will we ever know?!
I'm not sure if there are any Parker Pyne stories that aren't included in this collection, but I would definitely read more.
The Parker Pyne stories are somehow both very like Christie and very not like Christie at the same time. In short, Pyne advertises himself as a creator of 'happiness'. By that, he usually deals with entertaining rich people that have nothing better to do or indirectly fixing relationship problems. It's pretty much as weird as it sounds. There's also Madeleine de Sara, Pyne's assistant, who he usually uses as an actress of sorts to... seduce his clients. Yeah, definitely as weird as it sounds.
Also if you like Poirot, but wish he was slightly less bombastic, you might love Parker Pyne.
And, no big deal or anything, but... Miss Lemon?! What's the timeline here?! I can't imagine Miss Lemon being fired and having to find a new job. Is she working for both of them? Did she leave Pyne for Poirot, seeking more thrill in life? Are there two of her? Will we ever know?!
I'm not sure if there are any Parker Pyne stories that aren't included in this collection, but I would definitely read more.
Even a not as great Christie is better than most books. She’s sadly always chock full of -isms and there’s a lot of sexism on display in these stories. (Racism, too.) Her crimes have held up better than her stories about relationships.
I liked Mr. Parker Pyne. (Especially the way he’s constantly referred to as “Mr. Parker Pyne.”) Some of the stories were very clever. I was interested to see that Poirot and Mr. Parker Pyne inhabit the same world - Miss Lemon (admin) and Mrs. Oliver (author) cross over into these stories. I could swear there’s some crossover with Miss Marple but I can’t remember where.
I liked Mr. Parker Pyne. (Especially the way he’s constantly referred to as “Mr. Parker Pyne.”) Some of the stories were very clever. I was interested to see that Poirot and Mr. Parker Pyne inhabit the same world - Miss Lemon (admin) and Mrs. Oliver (author) cross over into these stories. I could swear there’s some crossover with Miss Marple but I can’t remember where.
2.5⭐️
No es malo pero me aburrio un poco en un momento
No es malo pero me aburrio un poco en un momento