Inspired by the Classics: Travel with Agatha Christie

Life has certainly taken a turn for travellers these last twenty months or so. Borders were slammed shut, flights were cancelled and hotels were closed. Many people lost a lot of money or are patiently holding onto "credit" ready to be used when the world starts travelling again. I have noticed that many European countries opened up over the summer, but here down under, we are still on our own island. There is talk though, of a travel bubble to New Zealand in the coming weeks.

If you like the thought of travel but (like me) are a bit hesitant to set off on a world-wide trip, then perhaps finding books that can take you away from your home town or city is a better alternative. One of the many reasons that we love books is their ability to transport us to other times, places and even worlds. In today's Inspired by the Classics post, I thought I would focus solely on Agatha Christie's novels. Christie, as evidenced by the above quote, was a lover of travel and this love is evident in many of her novels. So, pack your bags, grab your travel journal, sit back and let's travel the world with Agatha Christie as our tour guide!

Egypt - Death on the Nile

    "I am, alas, a main of leisure," he said softly. "I have made the economies in my time and I have now the means to enjoy a life of idleness."

                                                                    Death on The Nile ~ Agatha Christie

Let's begin with one of the most famous of Christie's travel novels! Hercule Poirot, intrepid traveller with the ill-fitting shoes, sets off on a holiday to Egypt. He does not want to become embroiled in a mystery and yet he cannot help himself. He observes the human nature, the love, the jealousy and he cannot help but foresee tragedy. By being in leisure mode, Poirot has ample opportunity to analyse and reflect on his fellow passengers, all of them full of their own secrets and personal foibles. I love the characterisations in this novel so much that I couldn't help but start reading it again as I wrote this post!

Ancient Egypt - Death Comes As The End

    "Only the sun, majestic in power, shining overhead - only the slim streak of pale silver that was the Nile in this morning light - only these were eternal and enduring."

                                                Death Comes As The End ~ Agatha Christie

If the modern Egypt of Death on the Nile doesn't interest you, then go even further back with this out-of-the-norm Christie novel. I say out-of-the-norm because it is set in Ancient Egypt. However, the plot, the characterisations and the twists and turns are all pure Christie. It's amazing how well she adapts her classic novels into a new and exciting setting. Have a read of this one if you want a change, but not too much of a change!

Iraq - Death in Mesopotamia

    "I'm a perfectly normal matter-of-fact individual - not the least little bit spooky, but I tell you that after I'd lain there about five minutes, I began to feel spooky. I didn't try to resist. I deliberately encouraged the feeling."

                                                      Murder in Mesopotamia  ~ Agatha Christie

Feel like going on an archaeological dig but can't bear the though of sand in your shoes and sunburn? No problem! Pick up a copy of Death in Mesopotamia for a up-close look at life on an archaeological dig in the Middle East. With a murder mystery thrown and Poirot there to help solve it, of course! 

Did you know that Christie's husband Max Mallowan was an archaeologist and that Christie accompanied him on many different digs? So if you are worried that the setting may not be authentic, the characters may be too fictionalised, then have no fear. She drew on the places that she visited with Max and the people that she met to write these stories. 

Iraq - They Came to Baghdad  

    "Here all was noise and movement. Energetic tribesmen strode along pushing others out of their way - laden donkeys made their way along, their drivers calling out raucously."

                                                    They Came to Baghdad - Agatha Christie

If the Middle East intrigues you but you don't fancy an archaeological dig, then try They Came to Baghdad, a fast-paced "adventure" novel, that stars Victoria Jones a bright young secretary keen for travel and adventure. This is one of Christie's  international intrigue novels. Not so much a murder mystery, but still a rollicking good story with plenty of characters, plot changes and twists to keep you on your toes the whole time. Christie and her husband kept a house in Baghdad so she knows the city quite well. In this book, you'll get into a glimpse of what Iraq was like sixty years ago. 

A Caribbean Mystery

    "Conversations are always dangerous, if you have something to hide."

                                                                A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie

Fancy something a bit more relaxing? Then why not travel with lovely Miss Marple to a Caribbean resort? Set on the fictional island of St Honoré, but based on Christie's own holiday to Barbados several years before, this mystery is cozy and warm. Join Miss Marple as she befriends unlikely people, as only she can do. Don't feel too discontented with the idleness of Paradise though, as intrigue is never far away!

Istanbul (Stamboul)- Murder on The Orient Express

"It was five o’clock on a winter’s morning in Syria. Alongside the platform at Aleppo stood the train grandly designated in railway guides as the Taurus Express. It consisted of a kitchen and dining-car, a sleeping-car and two local coaches.

By the step leading up into the sleeping-car stood a young French lieutenant, resplendent in uniform, conversing with a small lean man, muffled up to the ears, of whom nothing was visible but a pink-tipped nose and the two points of an upward curled moustache."

                                                        Murder on The Orient Express ~ Agatha Christie

Another one of Christie's most famous novels, and one that has been adapted to television, film, stage and radio numerous times. If you don't feel like reading this classic you can always find another adaptation to enjoy. So, why is this book so good? Basically, because it is set on a train that is forced to a stop due to a snowdrift on the track. People cannot leave nor can they get on. And yet somebody dies. All the suspects are there in one place. Can you deduce the killer before the great Hercule Poirot? This is one of my favourite Poirot novels, with classic Christie characterisations and a brilliant twist at the end.

France - Murder on The Links

    "The case is now in the clever hands of the renowned Monsieur Giraud. He will without doubt distinguish himself. Indeed I wonder that he has not already laid his hands upon the murderers!"

                                                               Murder on the Links ~ Agatha Christie

Another one of my most favourite Poirot novels, Murder on The Links is set in France. Poirot finds himself up against a French counterpart, M. Giraud from the Sûreté in Paris. As you can see in the above quote, the two do not get along and their scathing attitudes bolstered by their egos is oftentimes quite amusing. For me, this book truly was Poirot at his finest. I also loved all of the little French additions in this novel, and if you would love to visit this beautiful and passionate country, then this might just be your chance. And if you're Captain Hastings, you may just find true love!

The Greek Islands - Triangle at Rhodes

    "Hercule Poirot sat on the white sand and looked out across the sparkling blue water. He was carefully dressed in a dandified fashion in white flannels and a large Panama hat protected his head. He belonged to the old-fashioned generation which believed in covering itself carefully from the sun. Miss Pamela Lyall, who sat beside him and talked ceaselessly, represented the modern school of thought in that she was wearing the barest minimum of clothing on her sun-browned person."

                                                                Triangle at Rhodes ~ Agatha Christie

As the weather warms up I can't recommend this short story highly enough. It is often overshadowed by its more famous novel sister, Evil Under the Sun, but I really like this quick dip into a Greek intrigue. Fascinating characters (including the ubiquitous wealthy, beautiful heiress and her ill-matched husband) and a peaceful sunny setting bring this story to life. And at only twenty-odd pages its the perfect accompaniment for an afternoon cup of tea or aperitif. I especially love this observation that Christie makes towards her fellow Englishmen:

    "Unlike most English people, she was capable of speaking to strangers on sight instead of allowing four days to a week to elapse before making the first cautious advance as is the customary British habit."

By travelling the world in her novels, Christie allows herself to use all of her worldly knowledge plus her own observations of people to take her readers on journeys of immense joy and discovery. We may not be able to travel at the moment, but these books are always there, waiting for us to join Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot or any other number of fascinating characters in exotic locations. 

I hope you've enjoyed this post on travel with Agatha Christie. She is one of my favourite authors and I have mentioned her here on the blog before. If you are interested, you can see my other Christie posts here.

Bon voyage, mon amie!

Kirsty x