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Friday, March 13, 2020
Thursday, January 23, 2020
What I'm Reading: Murder on the Orient Express
Okay, I think this one is pretty well-known: Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective who works in London, has just finished solving a case for the French Army in Syria, and is now on his way back home, though he plans to spend a few days sight-seeing in Istanbul. In Istanbul, he receives a telegram that a case in London that's been on the backburner has just had a big breakthrough and he needs to hurry back.
He books a ticket on the Orient Express, and is surprised to find all the sleeping car is filled. This is unusual because it's deep winter, when the train is usually not full. Even his friend, Monsieur Bouc, an official in the train company who happens to be riding with him, is not able to get him a sleeping berth. Only when a passenger doesn't show up at the last minute is Poirot able to secure a place.
It's an unusual collection of people riding, from all over--Americans, English, Italians, Swedes--all of whom coincidentally wanted to take the train at the same time. After Poirot goes to sleep, he hears a shout and a muffled thump against the door. He looks in the passageway and sees only a woman in a scarlet kimono (though he can't see her face) and the conductor for the sleeping car, who seems to be taking care of matters. Later, Poirot realizes the train has stopped and hasn't moved for some time.
In the morning, he wakens to discover first that the train is stuck in a snowdrift in the mountains in Yugoslavia--it could be days before they get moving again, and second, that one of the passengers has been murdered. The murderer must still be on the train. At Monsieur Bouc's urging, Poirot agrees to take the case, and begins searching for clues and interviewing the passengers. Of course, it would be nice to find the murderer, in case he (or she) plans to strike again....
This is one I'd never read, although of course I knew the famous ending ahead of time. (I won't give it away for those who might not have heard.) Still, the twists to get there were well worth reading, with plenty of false leads and clues hidden in plain sight. Monsieur Poirot specializes in psychological analysis, and the way he gets the truth out of those who might wish to hide it is ingenious. All in all, a fun novel with a lot of style.
He books a ticket on the Orient Express, and is surprised to find all the sleeping car is filled. This is unusual because it's deep winter, when the train is usually not full. Even his friend, Monsieur Bouc, an official in the train company who happens to be riding with him, is not able to get him a sleeping berth. Only when a passenger doesn't show up at the last minute is Poirot able to secure a place.
It's an unusual collection of people riding, from all over--Americans, English, Italians, Swedes--all of whom coincidentally wanted to take the train at the same time. After Poirot goes to sleep, he hears a shout and a muffled thump against the door. He looks in the passageway and sees only a woman in a scarlet kimono (though he can't see her face) and the conductor for the sleeping car, who seems to be taking care of matters. Later, Poirot realizes the train has stopped and hasn't moved for some time.
In the morning, he wakens to discover first that the train is stuck in a snowdrift in the mountains in Yugoslavia--it could be days before they get moving again, and second, that one of the passengers has been murdered. The murderer must still be on the train. At Monsieur Bouc's urging, Poirot agrees to take the case, and begins searching for clues and interviewing the passengers. Of course, it would be nice to find the murderer, in case he (or she) plans to strike again....
This is one I'd never read, although of course I knew the famous ending ahead of time. (I won't give it away for those who might not have heard.) Still, the twists to get there were well worth reading, with plenty of false leads and clues hidden in plain sight. Monsieur Poirot specializes in psychological analysis, and the way he gets the truth out of those who might wish to hide it is ingenious. All in all, a fun novel with a lot of style.
Friday, January 10, 2020
What I'm Reading: Tom Brown's Schooldays
Hmm, I've just finished a book about an average English boy who gets called away to a special private school. When he arrives there, he's accepted to one of several houses that each have their own special character. He's not so hot academically and often gets in trouble with his small group of schoolmates, but finds acceptance in the school by proving himself on the field playing the school's favorite sport. After several years at the school, he defeats great evil, becomes friends with the wise school head, and to everybody's surprise, graduates an accomplished young man ready to face the world.
So I must be getting into the Harry Potter series, right? Not at all! The book in question is Tom Brown's Schooldays, by Thomas Hughes, written in 1857 and set in the 1830s at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. Actually, besides being a direct and acknowledged inspiration for J.K. Rowling's fantasy books, it also set off a fad in private school novels in England after its publication. Apparently, it was also immensely popular in Japan in the 1890s, and there have been at least five film versions. Actually, Tom Brown's Schooldays may be one of the most influential books ever published, at least if judging by the number of works it's inspired.
So I've described the general plot above, but more specifically, Tom Brown arrives at Rugby school when he's eleven and joins the Schoolhouse, one of several houses. His first year goes well, but in the second year, some of the sixth-form boys (the oldest boys, probably 17-19 years old) who had kept peace and order in the house have graduated, and the new lot is not as well respected. A rather nasty fifth-former (15-16 year olds), Flashman, and his buddies find that there is no one to stop them bullying and demanding service from the younger boys. It's up to Tom to lead a revolt by the younger boys against the bullying, which brings him to Flashman's particular and unwelcome attention. It's only after Tom is roasted over a fire by Flashman and his cronies in a harrowing scene that some of the older boys turn against Flashman and order gets restored.
That's the first half of the novel. The second half concerns Tom's befriending a small and sickly boy newly arrived at the school named Arthur. At first, Tom's main concern is making sure the new boy doesn't get bullied the way he was, but over time, Arthur's studiousness and religious devotion rub off on Tom, and as they get into the upper grades, it's Arthur who becomes the greater influence on Tom. The climax of the book comes when an epidemic sweeps through the school and a number of boys fall ill, including Arthur.
I found Tom Brown's Schooldays to be fairly delightful, and I think anybody who enjoys Harry Potter and is able to look beyond the magic to the story underneath would also enjoy Tom Brown. At the time it was written, Thomas Hughes explicitly aimed the book at teen-agers, so it was the YA of its period. The nineteenth-century language might make it a bit tougher for today's teens, although it's by no means a difficult read. It does get off to a slow start though, with the first chapter basically dedicated to a description of the landscape around Tom's home town. Skip the first chapter to get right into the story and this might be a good choice for a Harry Potter fan who wonders what to read after The Deathly Hallows is over.
So I must be getting into the Harry Potter series, right? Not at all! The book in question is Tom Brown's Schooldays, by Thomas Hughes, written in 1857 and set in the 1830s at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. Actually, besides being a direct and acknowledged inspiration for J.K. Rowling's fantasy books, it also set off a fad in private school novels in England after its publication. Apparently, it was also immensely popular in Japan in the 1890s, and there have been at least five film versions. Actually, Tom Brown's Schooldays may be one of the most influential books ever published, at least if judging by the number of works it's inspired.
So I've described the general plot above, but more specifically, Tom Brown arrives at Rugby school when he's eleven and joins the Schoolhouse, one of several houses. His first year goes well, but in the second year, some of the sixth-form boys (the oldest boys, probably 17-19 years old) who had kept peace and order in the house have graduated, and the new lot is not as well respected. A rather nasty fifth-former (15-16 year olds), Flashman, and his buddies find that there is no one to stop them bullying and demanding service from the younger boys. It's up to Tom to lead a revolt by the younger boys against the bullying, which brings him to Flashman's particular and unwelcome attention. It's only after Tom is roasted over a fire by Flashman and his cronies in a harrowing scene that some of the older boys turn against Flashman and order gets restored.
That's the first half of the novel. The second half concerns Tom's befriending a small and sickly boy newly arrived at the school named Arthur. At first, Tom's main concern is making sure the new boy doesn't get bullied the way he was, but over time, Arthur's studiousness and religious devotion rub off on Tom, and as they get into the upper grades, it's Arthur who becomes the greater influence on Tom. The climax of the book comes when an epidemic sweeps through the school and a number of boys fall ill, including Arthur.
I found Tom Brown's Schooldays to be fairly delightful, and I think anybody who enjoys Harry Potter and is able to look beyond the magic to the story underneath would also enjoy Tom Brown. At the time it was written, Thomas Hughes explicitly aimed the book at teen-agers, so it was the YA of its period. The nineteenth-century language might make it a bit tougher for today's teens, although it's by no means a difficult read. It does get off to a slow start though, with the first chapter basically dedicated to a description of the landscape around Tom's home town. Skip the first chapter to get right into the story and this might be a good choice for a Harry Potter fan who wonders what to read after The Deathly Hallows is over.
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