AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY: Idea

HerculeAndAchille

Hi, fellow Christiophiles!
I just had a strange but wonderful idea... What if someone were to write a biography of Agatha Christie, but narrated by each one of her murderers, in chronological order...?
I would certainly enjoy seeing SPOILER Simon Doyle and Dr Roberts lend their thoughts to paper, as well as, of course, Robin Upward... What about you? Who would you like to see narrate Mrs Christie's life?

Let me know in the comments!

taliavishay-arbel

Sounds fantastic!

HerculeAndAchille

Who do you think would make an interesting narrator, Tali? I think SPOILER that Miss Gilchrist's fluttery way of speaking would be quite humorous 

taliavishay-arbel

I'd give parts of the narration to victims as well as villains. I'd give a short bit to Mrs. Boynton - her acidity could be a good contrast to the other narrators. And a bit to Josephine from crooked house. Again, she would be a contrast to the others.

HerculeAndAchille

That does sound quite interesting. Perhaps people wrongly arrested for crimes could also narrate sections - Caroline from "Five Little Pigs" would have an honest, blunt style, I think.

GKCfan

That does sound interesting!  I can think of at least one book though that might be problematic in certain ways, but a creative writer could over come that...

HerculeAndAchille

What book were you thinking about, GKCFan?

GKCfan

HerculeAndAchille, I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but most of us should recognize that there's at least one book with a LOT of murderers (actually, at least three books fit that bill), and there are multiple books with a LOT of victims.  Like I said, a really good writer could find a way around that, though.

HerculeAndAchille

I see what you mean, @GKCfan. And it's one of her most popular novels, as well. Also, the novel set in ancient Egypt - Death Comes as the End, may be tricky, since of course none of the characters have even the faintest idea of who Agatha Christie was.

GKCfan

Heh!  I can just picture some writer crafting a scene with those ancient Egyptians having visions of the future, or their ghosts haunting an archeological dig.

HerculeAndAchille

And Christie was certainly interested in archeological digs (and ghosts haunting tombs)! That does sound very ridiculous, I agree...

Tommy_A_Jones

We could just think of the Narrators and I think in the Boks that each Narrator narrates there is someone who will have a Nice Clear speaking voice and get those people to Narrate, for instance Appointment With Death there is a Character who SPOILER ALERT says he hated Mrs Leidner, I bet he has a nice clear speaking Voice, I bet the Charles's sister in Dumb Witness Told by Hastings has a nice speaking voice etc, or maybe get the Narrators of the Books and get them to Narrate all the Books.

HerculeAndAchille

That does sound quite interesting, @Tommy_A_Jones, but if they have a nice speaking voice, it doesn't mean they necessarily have a good style of narration. Josephine, in Crooked House, sounds pleasant enough, but her vocabulary and spellings are quite atrocious (understandable, of course, since she is just a child)

Tommy_A_Jones

When choosing someone to do anything you have to start with a criterior before eliminating but I wouldn't chose Josephine as SPOILER ALERT she is a Victim and Murderer and I would not choose one of those.

HerculeAndAchille

@Tommy_A_Jones, I do think it might be confusing if Josephine was chosen. In such a case SPOILER Edith de Haviland would also have to be chosen. However, I also think that she is one of Christie's best-developed young characters. She has dimensions, unlike many other characters (Joyce, for example, was not carefully characterized). And she doesn't understand the gravity of what she had done.

Tommy_A_Jones

I think it might be quite chilling having Josephine as a Narrator which is why I wouldn't choose her, Perhaps the reason Joan has a name change is symbolic of the fact she is not a well-written Character.

HerculeAndAchille

By Joyce, I meant the victim in Hallowe'en Party, not Mrs West.

Tommy_A_Jones

Oh Sorry

HerculeAndAchille

It's alright, Tommy_A_Jones! Easy mistake to make. Mrs West also was not well characterized, I agree. She was stated as being the artistic type, but that was about all.

Tommy_A_Jones

Oh Sorry

HerculeAndAchille

@Tommy_A_Jones, who would you like to see as a narrator?

Tommy_A_Jones

Hasting, Dolly, Anne,, Lady Derwent, Mr Robinson and Blore, Hastings could narrate The Poirot Books and the ones with Battle, Race and Taken At The Flood, Dolly could narrate the ones with Miss Marple and Pale Horse as The Vicar's wife knows Miss Marple it is not inconceivable that she knows Dolly and if she doesn't Mrs Calthorp can send Miss Marple a letter with permission to send it to Dolly as Miss Marple would never send Private Correspondence to a 3rd party without the writers Permission, Bundle and Lady Derwent obviously know each other so Bundle would write to Lady D about her 2 Exploits, Battle would tell Poirot about Towards Zero and Poirot would tell Hastings,  Victoria and the woman in Destination Unknown obviously know Anne so Anne can deal with their exploits and I have always thought Poirot should be in Ordeal By Innocense and so either he can hear about that Mystery or The Solicitor in that could tell Endeby or Endecott whatever his name is and he can tell Poirot who would tell Hastings, Charles in Crooked House as a Military man might know Hastings so that is how Hastings would know about Crooked House and maybe Blore learns about the other Mysteries while Investigating Cold Cases.

HerculeAndAchille

Did you mean Blore or Battle?

Tommy_A_Jones

Blore would narrate the Non Series ones, as Bundle could narrate the Bundle Books and Battle would know from Poirot that he can narrate so se would tell Poirot about Towards Zero and Murder Is Easy and Poirot would relate the goings on to Hastings.