After the Funeral

Another post-war Poirot, where the changing times are a backdrop to murder. The younger generation gather for the funeral of Richard Abernathie, businessman and heir to a family fortune founded on Victorian era corn plasters. The big house is now run by three servants, the family are more interested in the money than family feeling. Richard's younger sister Cora who is known for speaking inconvenient truths throws out a suggestion of murder and the next day is brutally murdered herself. Aged family solicitor Entwhistle brings in Poirot to discretely find out the truth - which of the heirs may've bumped off uncle Richard? or is the solution elsewhere? And, as the excellent "All about Agatha" podcast reminds us "never discount the show more "help"". A good Poirot, and the repeated phrase "the rough" has entered our family lexicon! show less

from my blog, where it is much easier to give links, pictures and half-stars at https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/04/30/after-the-funeral-by-agatha-christie/

Goodness, but I’m a reading disaster when it comes to Christie books. At one point in After the Funeral, I felt I knew who the murderer was, and when I flipped to check if I was right (oh, the horror!)–yes, I did that—I was. But I got no pleasure out of my powers of deduction, as I’m almost positive I’ve read this at least once before. Possibly twice. So that’s a sad statement of my mental affairs that I’m almost pleased by solving the murderer of a book I’ve read twice before. Sigh–if it doesn’t pertain to biology, it likely doesn’t stick in my brain. So I show more find I’m unable to advise if it was a ‘fair’ or ‘solvable’ mystery, for those who look for that sort of thing. I rather think it wasn’t. But at any rate, murderer identified, I was able to settle down and concentrate on Christie’s fine storytelling. That Dame sure can tell a tale, because it remained no less suspenseful.

I’m working on a theory that Christie was a master mystery writer. Oh, I know; the British Empire already figured that out in 1971. But really, the woman could write. I am so amazed, sometimes, how she created so much character in a handful of words. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s something that bears examining. Why is it that Rothfuss and Sanderson get heaps of accolades when they describe every single jewel someone is wearing, taking 700 pages to tell their story about a journey of a thousand steps? I think–and now that I spell this out, I think there’s something really quite valid to my instinct here–that I prefer the character of a story, the sense of it. I don’t need the high-def, cinematic version–I want the emotion of it, the presence of it. Max Gladstone recently wrote a fascinating post about action scenes (“Fighting Words”), and at the very bottom, in the comments section, Kameron Hurley comments: “Yup, this is how I think about it: it’s not my job to give the literal then this, then that, then this, but to infer enough of the scene through the emotion I convey for the reader to *fill in the gaps.* ”

^This.

If I may move from the discussion of writing action to the concept of writing, period, Christie doesn’t (exhaustively) describe how each person walks, the sound of their voice, their dress, their mannerisms; she picks out the part that identifies them most, includes that description in an action, and lets the reader draw the conclusion. For me, to mix my metaphors again, it’s the difference between 17th century Dutch paintings and cubism, particularly Braque, one of my favorite painters (although not this one):


versus

I think that’s why Christie works for me. There’s a combination of specificity and ambiguity that gives an impression, with out the need to delineate every shadow. She allows my own interpretation, and yet every single time, I end up exactly where she wants me. More or less.

In After the Funeral, everyone gathers at the estate for the funeral of Richard Abernethie, and imagine the surprise among the clan when dotty, arty Aunt Cora says, “But he was murdered, wasn’t he?” Elderly solicitor Entwistle remains bothered, her remark nagging at him, and imagine his surprise when he receives a phone call the next day from the police. I won’t spoil any more, but Christie does trot in her favorites: the ancient family butler, the motherly wife, the gambler, the hypochondriac, the actress, the scatty matron, the stockbroker of questionable values. And, of course, the Monsieur himself:

“‘Hercule Poirot–at your service.’
Poirot bowed.
There were no gasps of astonishment or of apprehension.”

And such a snicker we all had at Poirot’s expense, did we not? And with virtually no set-up, we laughed. Now try this brief character appearance on for size:

” Mr. Entwistle passed a very restless night. He felt so tired and so unwell in the morning that he did not get up.
His sister who kept house for him brought up his breakfast on a tray and explained to him severely how wrong he had been to go gadding off to the North of England at his age and in his frail state of health.
Mr. Entwistle contented himself with saying that Richard Abernethie had been a very old friend.
‘Funerals!’ said his sister with deep disapproval. ‘Funerals are absolutely fatal for a man your age!”

In four very brief paragraphs, we have the entire sense of Mr. Entwistle’s sister, do we not? And their decades of interaction? And had another little snicker at his sister’s comment? Even more surprising: there were three more paragraphs to follow, all on a chapter heading page. Eat your heart out, Way of Kings!

This book? I recommend it, for fans of both Christie and Poirot. It feels a little routine for her at this point, but it is a well-polished routine, with a nice twist. Even more, I recommend Dame Christie. Period. show less

This was a good, solid Poirot mystery, made more interesting because it was written at a mansion local to where I live and included a reference to a food supplement that we hold the archive for at the museum I work at. There were plenty of blind alleys and potential suspects. As usual, I pegged the wrong person, but I picked up on the significant clues. It was a little disappointing that Poirot didn't make an appearance until a quarter of the way through the book and seemed more subdued than usual. I love Poirot as a character. I suppose Christie was writing him as a man whose fame was on the wane and who was technically in retirement. I missed the foil of Captain Hastings, as well. All in all though an entertaining read.

When the family of the late Richard Abernethie gathers in the library of Enderby to hear the reading of the will, the deceased's sister, Cora Lansquenet, voices her suspicion that her brother was murdered. The following day, she herself is found dead in her cottage, brutally killed with a hatchet. The solicitor and old friend of Mr Abernethie's, Mr Entwhistle, then contacts Hercule Poirot, mainly to assuage his doubts in view of recent events that Cora's death was just a coincidence and that Richard had died a natural death. Intrigued by the case, Poirot begins his investigations ...

It's been a long time since I've read an Agatha Christie novel and I'd forgotten how much fun they can be. The enjoyment mainly derives from trying to work show more out the puzzle before Poirot (or Miss Marple) announces the solution to the assembled suspects, and sifting the liberally strewn red herrings from the real clues. Poirot doesn't feature prominently in this mystery, and is mainly there to set a few wheels in motion and to pull the threads together at the end. As Sophie Hannah rightly observes in the Introduction, Agatha Christie wasn't concerned with plausibility, but intent on creating an entertaining, and cleverly crafted, murder mystery; in this she has entirely succeeded, with a very neat twist. Of course the upper middle-class structure of society, so often depicted in her writings, appears terribly dated these days, but the insights into human psychology are universal. Not world literature, but excellent value as a brain teaser. show less

This is a very well plotted book, set in the middle of the 20th century. It features an upper-middle class family who gather together after the demise of the family head, Richard Abernethie. Agatha Christie isn't noted for characterisation, but she creates some believable and distinct family members, any of whom could have committed the crimes which are investigated through the course of the book.

There's a fair amount of detailed descriptions, conversations and internal monologues, skipping about from person to person... but of course the clues to the puzzle are in these; I fell for several red herrings, and was convinced, at different times, that each main character must be guilty... other than the one who is eventually show more denounced.

Hercule Poirot is involved half-way through the book; he's always a delight, and I liked this book very much. Recommended to anyone who enjoys this kind of light crime fiction of sixty plus years ago. show less

In between the heavier non-fiction work, I like to cleanse my palate by re-reading an old Agatha Christie novel. Like the French do with the trou normand halfway through dinner. Only in this case, it felt like I was chewing on a mothball. It's a classic Agatha Christie story, but the usual humour seems to be lacking. Maybe because it is set in the austerity years right after WWII, and the author repeatedly reminds us of Britain's decay: food is rationed, the upper class is impoverished, servants start having a will of their own, and the welfare state is being built by - gasp - taxing the wealthy. For once, the author is the grimmest character in the novel.

After The Funeral was published in 1953 and reflected the ‘post-war’ greyness and sense of loss as many of the great country houses were being lost. The book is dedicated to all those at Abney (Hall in Cheadle Cheshire) which was being sold in 1953 by her cousin James Watt. It has often been said that the country house novels Christie wrote were based on experiences at Abney Hall. The hall still stands today and is rented out by Stockport MBC as offices and the parkland which remains is mainly public parkland while much is underneath the M60.

Richard Abernethie has died suddenly, and all the family gather at Enderby Hall. After the funeral Mr Entwhistle was reading the will when Cora announces that Richard had been murdered. A few show more days later Cora too is murdered. Mr Entwhistle as the solicitor or a good reputation engages the service of Hercule Poirot to investigate without the knowledge of the family. Poirot and the police look at the family trying to consider who had the motive to commit two murders. Most of the family have something to hide and plenty to say about others in and around the family. While things look confused to the Police Poirot using his logic is able to steer a path towards the truth.

This is one of Agatha Christie’s high-concept novels that seem almost impossible to solve as there is no or little evidence. But with Poirot even an aged Poirot on the case the crime will always be solved eventually. show less