John Curran's Reference Books

cwa11ace

Hi All,

Has anyone reads the books about AC written by John Curran? Interesting? Worth buying and reading?

Let me know your thoughts!

Dr.Sheppard

I am a friend of Johns and we have known each other a long time, so I hope I do his work justice in what I say.

John had access to the 73 notebooks that Agatha Christie used to record her ideas and develop plot and story lines over 50 years. In Secret Notebooks John reviews 25 novels and a dozen short stories and includes two 'new' Hercule Poirot investigations. Don't expect to read the book like a novel, it is a book that comments on how the plots were developed, supported by extracts from the notebooks. In Murder in the Making John uses a different approach to reviewing Christie's work, taking it decade by decade, he also includes an unknown stage play script and a new version of a Miss Marple story. This is much more readable. If you are an Agatha Christie fan you will enjoy both books, but may find the first hard going to get to the end. As reference books they are ideal to have on your shelf and dip in and out of. The books have been translated into 17 languages which speaks for themselves. 

I hope that helps.

GKCfan

Curran's books are excellent, but there are so many spoilers that you really have to read all (or at least most) of Christie's novels before reading his work.

StuartBarnett

I concur with Sheppard. These are amazingly thorough and detailed studies. To truly understand the significance of them, however, you really have to have a fairly detailed recollection of each text he is discussing. So these are something for the very serious fan indeed or something to which one returns right have having finished a Christie. If you can bring that to a reading of Curran, you will gain these incredible insights into Christie's creative process. And it is Curran's formidable erudition that makes this possible. For a wonderful radio interview with Curran, see:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-agatha-christie-john-curran.html

Dean

For my birthday I got Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks I haven't read them though because I am reading all the Agatha Christie books but I am looking forward to reading it because it has got an Unpublished Poirot case inside.

Tommy_A_Jones

I found the Book very Interesting.

Dr.Sheppard

Dean said:

For my birthday I got Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks I haven't read them though because I am reading all the Agatha Christie books but I am looking forward to reading it because it has got an Unpublished Poirot case inside.

Dean

If you wait until you have read all the books you will miss the enjoyment of what the Secret Notebooks has to offer. It's a book that you can use the index to search for the information about the book you have just read and it will expand your understanding of how Agatha Christie set about creating the great stories.

Agathasmykid

I have to admit that I am waiting until I am finished the entire Christie Collection before reading Curran's work.  I appreciate what you are saying Dean, however I set a goal to make sure I have read every novel and only have a couple to go.