Agatha Christie

[Anjalli]

Gn I love her books but have been watching the movies lately, saw Pocket full of Rye on the weekend.

[pete9012S]

Louis Montant “Monty” Miller
Captain, East Africa Transport Corps; veteran of the Boer War and WWI. Brother of author Agatha Christie.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/205 ... ant-miller

[Boodi 2]

That is fascinating, as I knew next to nothing about Agatha Christie's family.

[Chrissie777]

That is fascinating, as I knew next to nothing about Agatha Christie's family.

Same here. I've read Janet Morgan's Agatha Christie biography in the German translation many years ago, but barely remember anything from Christie's family or her youth in Torquay.

[pete9012S]

It seems he was quite a character!
In Agatha's own autobiography page 354 we read:

Monty’s health was improving, and as a result he was much more difficult to control. He
was bored, and for relaxation took to shooting out of his window with a revolver.

Tradespeople and some of mother’s visitors complained.

Monty was unrepentant. ‘Some silly old spinster going down the drive with her behind wobbling. Couldn’t resist it–I sent a shot or two right and left of her. My word, how she ran!’ He even sent shots all round Madge one day on the drive, and she was frankly terrified..

[John Pickup]

Monty sounds a lot like you, Pete. Have you still got your pistol?

[pete9012S]

[pete9012S]

I fancy reading these stories - I think this book came out in 1970.

This was an interesting article:

Agatha Christie and Nursery Rhymes

Agatha Christie drew her inspiration from so many places and nursery rhymes were a rich source for titles as well as themes. Although nursery rhymes may seem jolly with their happy rhymes, the mayhem they describe is fodder for a crime writer. Nursery rhymes, unlike fairytales, are all about ordinary people conducting disorderly behaviour. Sometimes punishment is administered, but not always. People go about their daily lives—Jack and Jill went up a hill to fetch a pail of water. Perhaps that’s a naïve one, but even in that one, Jack falls down and breaks his crown, and Jill comes tumbling after. Any chance they were pushed? Many of the people in nursery rhymes have lives marked by anger, deceit, revenge and murder for lots of different reasons.

https://mysteryreadersinc.blogspot.com/ ... hymes.html

This article about the history of Nursery Rhymes was fascinating too:

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/M ... ry-Rhymes/

[Boodi 2]

Very interesting indeed! While I had heard about the background of some of them I had no idea about Humpty Dumpty or Mary, Mary quite contrary!

[Courtenay]

https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/M ... ry-Rhymes/

That was an interesting article, but (probably from having majored in history!) I take a lot of claims about the "real" origin or meaning of nursery rhymes with a grain (or more) of salt unless there's really solid evidence. The thing about "Ring a Ring o' Roses" being about the plague is the biggest case in point. I've heard that claim for years and believed it was true, but it's actually a furphy. The earliest recorded versions of the rhyme date from almost two centuries later than the last major outbreak of the plague and none of them include the lines "Atishoo, atishoo" (or "ashes, ashes" in some versions) or "We all fall down", which are supposedly the references to disease and death!! It's only since I think about the 1960s that the "plague" explanation has become popular and has spread all over the internet. So unless there's clear historical evidence that a nursery rhyme definitely WAS inspired by a particular real-life person or event, I wouldn't get too stuck on some of these explanations... None of which has any bearing on the genius of Agatha Christie, mind you!

[pete9012S]

Very interesting indeed! While I had heard about the background of some of them I had no idea about Humpty Dumpty or Mary, Mary quite contrary!

Many thanks Boodi.
Glad you enjoyed it!

[pete9012S]

Agatha Christie's 10 Favourite Books
In response to a Japanese fan's list of favourites, Christie wrote this in 1972:

"My own ten would certainly vary from time to time because every now and then I re-read an early book for some particular reason, to answer a question that has been asked me perhaps, and then I alter my opinion – sometimes thinking it is much better than I thought it was – or not so good as I had thought.

At the moment my own list would possibly be:

And Then There Were None – a difficult technique which was a challenge and so I enjoyed it, and I think dealt with it satisfactorily.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - a general favourite.

A Murder is Announced – I thought all the characters interesting to write about and felt I knew them quite well by the time the book was finished.

Murder on the Orient Express – again because it was a new idea for a plot.

The Thirteen Problems – a good series of stories.

Towards Zero – I found it interesting to work on the idea of people from different places coming towards a murder, instead of starting with the murder and working from that.

Endless Night – my own favourite at present.

Crooked House – I found a study of a certain family interesting to explore.

Ordeal By Innocence - an idea I had had for some time before starting to work upon it.

The Moving Finger – which I have re-read lately and enjoyed reading it again, very much."

A most interesting list.

[Moonraker]

If you subscribe to Netflix, Agatha Christie: One Hundred Years of Poirot and Miss Marple is well worth watching.

[Chrissie777]

We have Netflix, I'll check for it. Thank you!

[Chrissie777]

They might have it in streaming, it's not available on DVD.