Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The little grey cells of Hercule Poirot: Agatha Christie


Agatha Christie has always been one of my favorite authors and her fictional Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot has been an all time favorite character.

Captain Arthur Hastings, Poirot’s friend, describes Poirot as:
"He was hardly more than five feet four inches but carried himself with great dignity. His head was exactly the shape of an egg, and he always perched it a little on one side. His moustache was very stiff and military. Even if everything on his face was covered, the tips of moustache and the pink-tipped nose would be visible.
The neatness of his attire was almost incredible; I believe a speck of dust would have caused him more pain than a bullet wound. Yet this quaint dandified little man had been in his time one of the most celebrated members of the Belgian police."


The ‘little grey cells’ of Poirot have never ceased to amaze me. When the most puzzling of all mysteries, flummoxes all at Scotland yard, and of course, the reader, Poirot, with a twirl of his moustache, clears all the haze. I recently read the stories in ‘The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding’, a collection of six superb stories which leave the reader guessing. A valuable ruby hidden in the pudding, a man found dead in a Spanish chest, a dream about suicide come true, all were planned so ingeniously, but ofcourse, just a tad less ingeniously for Poirot to unearth the truth! This book also features a story solved by the adorable grandmotherly Miss Jane Marple.

What has me hooked to Agatha Christie is the build up of the story, the typical English characters, traditional English house holds comprising of maids, butlers etc, the brilliance of the plot itself which seemingly is so impossible, but when Poirot, opens the cards, its all crystal clear, almost as if, there could be no other solution! Wish our police force solving all those murder mysteries such as the Aarushi case, had Hercule Poirot’s little grey cells!

 

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Book Review: The Financial Expert by R.K Narayan


Indian Authors have always been high on my reading list. I reckon it is because I certainly can associate with what they write and the very Indianness of the characters. I recently read up ‘The Financial Expert’ by one prolific writer known as RK Narayan. This tale is yet another that is woven in the fictitious town of Malgudi set in Tamil Nadu.

The story revolves around the rise and fall in fortunes of Margayya, a financial wizard who helps out people sort out their financial woes. The colourful delineation of Malgudi is a delight, and brings out several facets of traditional Indian life. Margayya seemingly lacks nothing in life as he progresses from under the banyan tree to a celebrity status with a formidable reputation in money matters. Unfortunately, his pampered son, does not show the same ambition, and spends his time frittering his father’s wealth. The story is extremely simple, but it’s the endearing and humorous depiction of the South Indian characters that takes the cake and differentiates RK Narayan from other authors.