The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha ChristieMy rating: 6 of 10 stars
I read this book in portuguese. This books are translated by RBA and I think that their translator is quite good. (Usually I am against reading translated books but I have this collection so...)
First of all I have a theory... don't know if it's true or not but... three of these stories Agatha Christie complains or criticize the new age she was living. This book was written when she was 70 years old and since she had been born and live her adult life with a mentality I think the new age of the 40's 50's and 60's were taking her toll on her. This is also present in other books from Christie from this era. I think that Miss Marple, H Poirot and Agatha Christie are remnants from another era... Victorian era where Title, Honor and Family matter. This new age had no respect for their elders.
Now back to the review...
The main story, novella lenght, “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” Herculae Poirot was the first tale. Poirot is invited to attend Christmans at a house where, supposedly, is a stolen jewel. After meeting all the family and friends Poirot gets to work. There is a main plot and a sub-plot where a bunch of young kids want to see how good is Poirot. Of course, not only, Poirot solves the case but also teaches a lesson to the young kids.
"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest” gets it's attention to Poirot after reading the case in a newspaper. It seems that this story has a love Triangle. Mrs Clayton, a beautiful lady, asks Poirot for his help because she is convinced that Mr Rich is not the killer, even afterthe body was discovered at his house. Poirot talks to everyone and soon realizes the simalarities between this story and Othelo from Shakespeare.
“The Under Dog” has Poirot investigation a family murder (What kind more there is with Agatha Christie?) and Lady Astwell knows who the killer was. She just can't proove it. Nice little story with a more active Poirot (even searching everybody rooms).
In “Four and Twenty Blackbirds” was one of the funniest short stories I read from Agatha Christie. An elderly man eats the same things over ten years and one day he ordered something else... why? After being discovered killed Poirot tries to unveil the crime.
"The Dream" was a nice tale of a man who dreams everyday of suicide and after meeting Poirot he suddently kills himself. Was suicide or not? Poirot discovers...
“Greenshaw’s Folly” is the only story featuring Miss Marple. Again the differences between Poirot and Marple are there but the only way she would have discover this tale would be if she used her little grey cells as Poirot puts it.
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