The Comfort Book Club / 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie

Welcome to January's Comfort Book Club discussion! My Mum, Donna, and I are chatting about this month's book club choice, '4:50 from Paddington' by Agatha Christie, one of my favourite Miss Marple mysteries from the Queen of Crime. There are spoilers in this chat, as we're assuming you have read the book if you watch. Special thanks to the readers who sent voice messages for this video, which were included in our discussion: Jason, Christina, Faith, Nicola, Mireia, Vanessa, Eloise, Cristina, Laura, Madeleine, Gina, Victoria and Dawn.
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[dmurphy]

Spoiler: to add to my voice comment regarding Lucy’s choice: the last few sentences of the book is a conversation between Jane and the inspector and he says “I wonder who she’ll marry” - And Jane Marple’s reply is “don’t you know?” That really clinched it for me after all of his interest in Lucy and his implied annoyance at the attention she gets from each of the male characters. I guess we’ll never know for sure. How perfect for Christie to leave us a forever mystery. Today’s book club was so enjoyable. I found everyone’s comments so interesting and agree completely that the women characters were all women you’d want to hang out with: loyal, responsible, formidable, independent, etc.

[librarian-D]

Lucy winds up with (actor John Hannah) Inspector Tom Campell in the Marple series (with Geraldine Ewan) and I love Pam Ferris as Elspeth McGillicuddy ... i loved that in the show. It's my favorite 4:50 tv show. I loved out Inspector, Marple and Lucy worked together.. I need to read the book now!! Love the Comfort Book Club 😊🍂🍁🌻

[ArtyMpaints]

Usually I'm spending my free time painting, crafting or crocheting but after subscribing to your charming channel I've started reading books again. I thoroughly enjoyed reading 4:50 from Paddington. Thank you so much Donna for recommending The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie which will be my next book. I also have Nature Writing for Every Day of the Year in my bedside cabinet. I think dear Lucy shouldn't marry either of them 🤣

[NadineTouzet]

Hello Miranda and Donna, I’ve always found Miss Marple more relatable than Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells. Now living in a small village, I can’t help thinking about her (and chuckling) when I hear a female neighbour gossip behind my hedge, there’s always some kind of « mystery » to solve. But she’s no Miss Marple, unfortunately! Loved the book and the biography. There’s so much more to Agatha Christie, in terms of sociology and humanism, than I was led to believe when I was young. Thank you so much. ❤

[sue]

The Comfort Book Club is becoming global with all the wonderful international contributors! I listened to this book via audio and really enjoyed it so much - I loved all the female characters and also thought the two young boys were such fun with their amateur sleuthing! This was a book that I probably wouldn't ordinarily have read so I am delighted to have enjoyed it so much. I have already started The Nonesuch and am also looking forward to The Wind in the Willows! I hope you both loved the treacle tart!

[rebeccawright]

I enjoy the Comfort Book Club so much. The discussion and input from readers around the world make this a very special place to enjoy our mutual love of books. Thank you, Miranda and Donna, for hosting us every month.

[jasonlow]

Hello Miranda, thank you for a wonderful discussion of 4.50 Paddington! I nodded in agreement with all of the other lovely messages. I am thrilled with March’s choice – Wind in the Willows is on my TBR trolley for this year. Great reading minds think alike. My reading world is fuller, brighter, and richer in diversity through the CBC – thank you! Have a great weekend ahead. Best wishes, Jason

[carolbialy]

When I was a young girl Miss Marple was like a cherished auntie and it was like looking through an old forgotten scrapbook to re read 4.50 from Paddington. It was a favorite then and now. Thank you Miranda and Donna!

[sally-ts]

I loved this discussion. Just when I thought I knew this story too well to learn anything new....🤔 I'm almost ashamed to say I've never really considered Emma much. Lucy is such a sparkly character fizzing with energy and we all want to be her, but it's actually Emma I'm closer to in age and temperament. You're absolutely right. She is marvellously serene and very capable and it's a shame she's overlooked. I no longer shall! I think I have been too influenced by the brilliant Joan Hickson tv adaptation as I just presumed Lucy would marry Brian Eastley. Thank you Miranda and Donna for bringing fresh thought to an old favourite xx

[danasp]

One of the best lines ever in a book..."I think, my dear, " said Miss Marple "we won't talk anymore about murder during tea. Such an unpleasant subject!" This is my first Agatha Christie novel I have ever read and I can tell you it will not be my last. Thank you Miranda and Donna!

[bevmills]

Just discovered your channel and am absolutely loving it 💜 you have inspired me to read Agatha Christie for the first time and I started with this book. I can’t thank you enough for the inspiration as I can tell she will become my new favourite author. I don’t know why I waited so long to read her books! Thank you and best wishes to you both. Your channel is such a joy and a corner of peace and cosiness on YouTube xx

[Shannon-xebm]

I finally finished the book! My mother, who passed away six years ago, loved Agatha Christie, had many of her books, and read and re-read them as I was growing up and beyond. She tried several times to get me to read them. Did she? Honestly, I can't quite remember if I ever finished one. I remember starting one, decades ago, begrudgingly. I took this as an opportunity, given my mother's love for Christie and my loving your suggestions of Appointment with Venus, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, Woolf's A Writer's Diary, and Bedside Companion for Book Lovers. It was a slow start for me and took me forever to get to around page 70. I was determined, though, and I was taken around page 80 and burned through the rest. (It didn't hurt that your video came out, and I wanted to watch it so much but had to finish first!) I was so shocked by the ending! I was sure I knew who the murderer was, but I was so wrong! I told my father I was reading a Christie novel, and he asked if I'd figured out who'd done it. He talked of my mother reading the books and how she always, the first go with the books, tried to figure out who had done it. Oh.... After I finished, I so wished I knew if my mother figured it out or was as shocked as I was. I didn't have a suspicion until the fishbone! I have a feeling she figured it out before I did! I love the fact that you and your mother are able to read and talk about books together! What a wonderful thing! I did find Sharon Kay Penman novels some time ago, passed them on to my parents, and we all read them, loved them, and talked about them. Like those who called and left messages, I loved Lucy. Additionally, I imagine I will read more. I wish I could remember if my mother liked Marple or Poirot more. I know she favored one, but I can't for the life of me remember which or remember why. We still have her books, though. Perhaps I'll be able to tell which were read and re-read more! Thank you for your reading suggestions; thank you both for sharing your love of books and one another with us! My reading life if becoming reinvigorated.

[catholicpeaces]

Love hearing all the wonderful callers accents, tones and views about the characters. Great hive of discussion!

[sandyokey]

What a wonderful introduction for the readers who first discovered Agatha Christie through this month’s selection. I was fortunate enough to find her many years ago when I was in the seventh grade and I have read and reread her books throughout the years. While I love them all, Miss Marple is my favorite. I remember still my delight when I first discovered how many books she had written and would be available for me to read. Always wonderful to see you and Donna and I look forward to next month’s selection 💕

[SavidgeReads]

Sooo lovely to see you and Donna chatting about this, fab comments from people too. Marple is my favourite of Agatha’s sleuths, even if as many of you pointed out, she’s not in them too much. I have been collecting the new Holly Dunn editions and am planning on reading them in order. I must read Lucy’s biography of her. Must, must, must.

[eloisetravelcounsellor]

What a wonderful book club edition, thank you for including my comment. Loved hearing everyone else’s and we all seem to agree that we really want to be a bit like Lucy and we want to hire someone like Lucy 😁 looking forward to the next one! Best wishes to you both x

[naomihickman]

I so enjoyed listening to you and your mum talking about this book, and all the wonderful messages too. This is one of my favourite Miss Marple books. Such a great plot idea and a real surprise ending. I love the female characters and the boys are also so entertaining, the men however are mostly quite a poor bunch in this book! As to who I think Lucy marries… she seems to me to be most attracted to Cedric out of the Crackenthorpe men, however I hope Inspector Craddock may be the lucky man, he does seem interested in Lucy and is much nicer than any of the others! Really looking forward to the next two Comfort Book Club reads, both favourites of mine.

[suebraid]

Love your channel and LOVE Agatha Christie! I have read and own everything that she has ever written. My very first read was "After the Funeral" when I was fourteen, on a train, going to see my Grandma in Toronto, and I was hooked!. Also, I was reading an Agatha Christie when I heard she had died!

[DianeC]

Really great discussion. I loved the book. Miss Marple is my favorite sleuth. And I wish I could be a Lucy. Efficient, smart and capable. Thank you both for picking this great book. 📚 👍🤗💕💕

[nancyfritz]

Such a great book club and I enjoyed everyone's phone messages immensely (although Jason's did make me a bit hungry 😊). I am also a big fan of Lucy's. To me she was a "domestic Mary Poppins" - sweeping in when most needed, effortlessly whipping up fabulous meals and bringing order to the home. She also was very much a modern woman - assessing a need in society and creating a business to meet that need. All while helping to solve a crime and having many men fall in love with her. In terms of her future - Inspector Craddock is my vote. In the last line of the book Miss Marple "twinkled at him" as they were discussing the possibility of "wedding bells" for Lucy. I also developed a fondness for Emma's character and was happy that Miss Marple saw the possibility of a shipboard romance in her future. As we know, Miss Marple is never wrong! Every read and re-read of Agatha Christie reinforces my belief that she was not only a great writer and plotter, but had a deep understanding of human nature. Thank you, Miranda and Donna!💕