On a Desert Island...I choose...

shifra.shomron

If you were stranded on a desert island, which Agatha Christie character would you choose as companion:
The unflappable George? The loyal Hastings? Effeciant Miss Lemon? Colonel Race who's used to a harsh climate? T or T for the jovial company?  Poirot (or would he be miserable as his moustaches melted...) etc.
Also, which ONE object appearing in the books would you take with you? Name the book from which the object you choose is taken.

shifra.shomron

I'd choose someone reasonably intelligant and cheerful. Perhaps Dr. Stillingfleet (useful to have a man of science along). And for the object, I'd choose the blow-pipe from Death among the Clouds, so as to kill any dangerous animals from a safe distance.

Tommy_A_Jones

Lucy Eylesbarrow, she could turn her hand to anything and be Great in a Crisis

Lucy G Lemon

I'm with you @Tommy_A_Jones! Lucy Eylesbarrow would either have organised rescue from the island within hours, or, if the island was some form of paradise, would have organised supplies, shelter and an endless supply of AC books to read at leisure, in the same amount of time! I wish AC had written her into more of her stories.

As for object - interesting question Shifra - I'm going to say a ouija board - I think used in both Sittaford Mystery and The Pale Horse? Might be wrong here.  But I do recall AC calling it "table turning" rather than "using a ouija".  If such a thing worked, it might give some idea of our fate ?    

Tommy_A_Jones

I didn't read the bit about the object, I would cheat and have the Box of Books in By The Pricking of My Thumb and have a good read, I might get hooked on a Genre I didn't previously like.

silvana

Oh I would choose Captain Hastings as a companion, he likes adventure, he's charming and loyal. Like Shifra i would take the blow-pipe with me to kill dangerous animals ;-)

shifra.shomron

I know what you mean @Tommy_A_Jones. I just reread Partners in Crime and T&T have such fun modeling themselves over detectives, some of whose stories I've never read, and I feel I ought (just 'cause AC obviously had read them all and was gently poking fun at them and at herself).

Tommy_A_Jones

I would love to Read the books by the Authors mentioned in Partners in Crime, sadly I haven't, I have only read Sherlock Holmes books and of course Christie books from that lot I think, I sometimes wonder if the book was written today which Authors would be mentioned, Dorothy L Sayers? Betty Rowlands? Patricia Wentworth, Simon Brett? Margery Allingham? Ann Granger? Rebecca Tope? Josephine Tey? Who Knows? Partners in Crime and The 13 Problems are the two Collection of Short stories I read in their entirety, I read the others individually after finishing other books.

Pat_september

If I would be stranded on a desert island and be able to take an Agatha Christie character with me I would choose the very efficient and humorous Miss Lemon with her shorthand notebook and pen (Dead man's folly).
We ought to leave something behind, so writing down our adventures on that island and, most probably, how we come to organize and catalog each and every tree and animal - comes to mind.

shifra.shomron

What a great idea, @Pat_september. Miss Lemon would be perfect at keeping a record of your island life. I must say, I think I'd find it difficult to be stranded with SUCH an effeciant character. I have that same problem with Lucy Eylesbarrow @Tommy_A_ Jones. Someone so good at everything would make me feel terribly small. Devastating to my self-confidence. One wants to be around someone who bungles stuff every now and then (even Poirot made mistakes at times!). Still, perhaps you're right; one chooses to be with the best on a desert island.

Pat_september

Lucy Eylesbarrow is efficient and beautiful - where Miss Lemon is organized and elegant
;;) but I think Miss Lemon's humor is somehow more subtle. I perceived Lucy Eylesbarrow as used to be in control - dueto the nature of her job, housekeeping, where Miss Lemon is organised - leaving space to interaction / communication.
After I decided that Miss Lemon would be the characterto take with on a deserted island - I had visions of vegetation being unearthed and replanted according to size and species

:ar!

glalonzo0408

No doubt I would like to be stranded on the island with Miss Marple...if anyone could figure out a way to get off the island it would be the incomparable Miss Marple...

Tommy_A_Jones

You wouldn't want to be with someone who bungles so all the time, after a while it would be Irritating just like if they were too efficient, perhaps the answer is to be stranded with 3 People, one efficient one, one bungler and one you can chat to while the other two are getting on each others nerves 

Dean

I would probably like to be with Hastings. Even though he's a bit stupid he could probably fight people who were attacking us though, and for the object I would bring Poirot's walking stick, I would feel a lot safer with that with me.

Luke

Miss Lemon I think, and she can bring her typewriter, so she can type down all my adventures on the island. 

Tommy_A_Jones

If I had 3 People one would definitely be Hastings as I like his Narration and although I would keep a Journal Hastings could give me tips on how to make it funny and interesting in case I wanted to Publish it.

Mohan

@Pat_september
Miss Lemon being ''humorous'' is new to me.  What particularly funny thing has she said or done?  To me she just is the paragon of the ultra-efficient type of woman without time for human foibles such as humour!  But it goes without saying that Miss Lemon would be the best person to be with on a stranded island - she wouldn't rest for an instant without doing something useful.  How good she would be as a *companion* is truly a moot point!