Book Review: Poirot and Me

It's my absolute pleasure today to give you my review of the charming book 'Poirot and Me', by David Suchet (from Headline Publishing).  You may have already guessed if you're a regular reader of this blog that I am a huge fan of the Poirot television series, and it's probably no surprise then to hear that I adored this book.  It promised so much, and delivered!

The book starts at the end - the final episode of Poirot that is, and the experience of filming the demise of the Belgian detective - and the sentimental tone established in that first chapter had me gripped straight away.  The book is more than nostalgia though, and more than a 'companion' to the series.  Filled with humorous anecdotes about filming, and always showing Suchet's natural worries about doing justice to what Christie wrote, Suchet takes us from the very beginnings of the series on a journey through the precarious world of acting, the ups and downs of his personal life, and ultimately to the great success of a Poirot series that created 70 episodes and was broadcast to 83 countries.

It's taken me a few months to finish this book - not because I was struggling with it, but because I was enjoying it so much that I decided only to read it at times when I could be uninterrupted, relax, and give the book my undivided attention.  Some of it was so charming, that I needed to put the book down and smile to myself at what I'd just read, before moving forward with the narrative (if anyone remembers the episode in which Monsier Poirot is told that he's a 'marvel with a mango', there's a wonderful in-joke behind that bit of dialogue which will delight you!).  In addition to the stories, there are a few sections of photographs - some of which are David Suchet's personal photography - that make for very interesting browsing, particularly if you're a historical fashion fiend like myself.

I hoped that reading this book would endear Poirot to me even more, and it succeeded in doing that.  I had little idea that it would also endear David Suchet to me so much as well, and I've immediately added him to my fantasty dinner party list.  There's such sensitivity in what he's written (with the help of a writer friend), and his commitment to portraying Poirot to the best of his ability, despite the obstacles thrown by studios, costume departments and script writers, is truly admirable.
 
Any of the legion of worldwide fans (including nuns!) of the TV series couldn't fail to enjoy this wonderful, surely essential, book.

I was very kindly sent a review copy of the book, but as always, views are my own!