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Agatha Christie – Poirot’s Early Cases | Review

Title: Poirot’s Early Cases

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 224

Rating: 7/10

Agatha Christie – Poirot’s Early Cases

I’m a big fan of Poirot, the Belgian detective with the moustache and the egg-shaped head who’s Agatha Christie’s most famous creation. And in this book, we get to see some of his earliest cases, with one of them even taking place in Belgium when he was with the police. It’s a pretty good introduction to his back story, and while you don’t necessarily need to read it to get the most out of the other books, it certainly adds an extra angle.

Unfortunately, it was a little difficult to read, and I often found myself skim-reading or forgetting what was actually happening. Part of this can be attributed to the size of the print, which was tiny – I like old books like this, but it does get annoying when it’s hard to read them. It also means that it feels like you’re making slow going, which is a shame because the book was eminently readable and it was a lot of fun to go through it.

Overall then, I’d recommend it to you if you’ve already read some of the Agatha Christie books and enjoyed them, but it’s not the best place to start. There are loads of better places to begin!

Agatha Christie

Click here to buy Poirot’s Early Cases.

Stephen Fry – Moab is my Washpot | Review

Title: Moab is my Washpot

Author: Stephen Fry

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 436

Rating: 8/10

Stephen Fry – Moab is my Washpot

Moab is my Washpot is Stephen Fry’s first autobiography, a genuinely touching book which covers his early childhood and adolescence with unflinching honesty and a deep sense of humour. Fry has written autobiographical work before, but this is his first real stab at a fully-fledged work – let me tell you, it was worth waiting for.

It’s no secret that Fry is prone to moments of weakness – after all, he disappeared in 1995 after walking out of the play he was a part of, contemplating suicide and eventually surfacing in Belgium. Even as a youngster, Fry had issues with depression, and he had a habit of lying, cheating and stealing – in Moab, he even covers the period in his youth in which he stole a credit card and went on a criminal spending spree, eventually ending up in jail. Who would have thought it, of the charming presenter and much-loved British national treasure?

In fact, Washpot will tell you a lot more about Stephen Fry than you ever wanted to know, but that’s a good thing – more happened to Fry in the first twenty years of his life than to most people by the age of their retirement, and it’s fascinating to read all about it in his own words. Fry writes with his usual wit and wisdom, and it’s a pleasure to sink in to his words and to be left feeling like you’re really there at Stouts Hill Prep School.

Stephen Fry

And there’s no need to worry that you might not be able to relate to Fry, either – I grew up in a working class household in the midlands, and even though the young Fry’s surroundings and his struggles with his sexuality were alien to me, I could understand his thought processes and I felt like I was reading the words of an old friend. I think that says more about Fry’s abilities as a writer than it does about his personality.

Moab is my Washpot also sets you up perfectly for Fry’s later autobiography, The Fry Chronicles, which covers the later periods of his early life including his higher education and his meetings with some of the stars that he shaped a career with, including comedy partner Hugh Laurie. Read this first and then move on to Chronicles – you’ll love it, I promise you. I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again, Fry is a better non-fiction writer than a novelist, even if he’s damn good at both of them!