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    The Golden Ball: A Short Story
    The Golden Ball: A Short Story
    The Golden Ball: A Short Story
    Ebook32 pages15 minutes

    The Golden Ball: A Short Story

    By Agatha Christie

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Previously published in the print anthology The Golden Ball and Other Stories.

    George Dundas has been disowned by his wealthy uncle for refusing to work hard. As he contemplates his fate, socialite Mary Montresor passes by in her car. She takes him off to the country and proposes marriage. They stop to investigate a pretty country house, and a maid opens the door to them. Mary picks a name at random and asks if the house belongs to Mrs. Pardonstenger. Amazingly, the maid leads them inside, where they encounter a very dangerous situation ...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 5, 2013
    ISBN9780062302762
    The Golden Ball: A Short Story
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for The Golden Ball

    3.5/5

    146 ratings7 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I must say that I had hesitated reading this book as I knew it was not one of Christie's better known detective stories. I was very surprised and pleased.15 Stories:1. The Listerdale Mystery: A woman in desperate straits finds a good home 2. The Girl on the Train: A young woman jumps on a train making a fast escape3. The Manhood of Edward Robinson: A Young man learns to stand up to his bossy fiance4. Jane in Search of a Job: A young woman agrees to impersonate a princess and ends up involved in a jewel heist5. A Fruitful Sunday: A young couple find adventure & a ruby necklace6. The Golden Ball: A young man ousted by his uncle makes good7. The Raja's Emerald: A spurned young man makes good after finding a stolen emerald8. Swan Song: An opera singer faces her past9. The Hound of Death: A refugee nun, a secret cult, and the vanquishing of evil10. The Gipsy: A young man and a Gipsy that is ever present warning him of danger11. The Lamp: A haunted house, a ghost child, & a strange death12. The Strange Case of Arthur Carmichael: A young man in a trance acting very strangely and a grey ghost cat13. The Call of Wings: A once impoverished millionaire begins having visions of doom14. Magnolia Blossom: A run-away wife returns home to save her husband from disaster15. Next to a Dog: A young woman is offered a much needed position, but declines for love of her dog
    • 3/5
      These are stories that a definitely written for the times. We get a man who learns how to be manly when he buys a car and hides it from his fiance. British imperialism is written throughout the book. This edition didn't tell me when the stories were written - so at times some stories seemed quite modern, while others seemed much older. Generally, the women were plucky, finding love with an appropriate Gentlemen, Men were either manly, or bookish. Its a book filled with stereotypes, most that are inappropriate for today's world.One last thing - I didn't expect to find mysticism/magic realism in these stories. A few of them were borderline ghost stories. The standout story for me was the "Listerdale Mystery" - where a widow with little money and children to take of moves into a house that seems to good to be true.Recommended if you like the author, but I think it might be better to read one of her well known books first.
    • 3/5
      The Golden Ball and Other Stories contains fifteen miscellaneous stories including mysteries, paranormal and general fiction. It's a decent collection, showcasing the range of Agatha Christie's talents. My favourites were The Golden Ball, The Listerdale Mystery, The Girl in the Train, A Fruitful Sunday and The Rajah's Emerald. My least favourites were the The Hound of Death and The Call of Wings. I don't really enjoy the ones with paranormal/supernatural elements. Overall the collection rating comes in at 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. Individual story ratings and reviews below. THE LISTERDALE MYSTERY: ****THE GIRL IN THE TRAIN: ****THE MANHOOD OF EDWARD ROBINSON: ***JANE IN SEARCH OF A JOB: ***A FRUITFUL SUNDAY: ****THE GOLDEN BALL: *****THE RAJAH'S EMERALD: ****SWAN SONG: ***THE HOUND OF DEATH: *THE GIPSY: ***THE LAMP: **THE STRANGE CASE OF SIR ARTHUR CARMICHAEL: **THE CALL OF WINGS: *MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM: **NEXT TO A DOG: **MISC: THE LISTERDALE MYSTERY: ****A widowed woman struggles to provide for her son and daughter when she happens across an advertisement for a cheap house. I really enjoyed this one. It helped that I guessed what was going on. But it was also just rather amusing. And I liked the happy ending. One strange thing though;To distract herself Mrs. St. Vincent picked up the Morning Post, and glanced down the advertisements on the front page. Most of them she knew by heart. People who wanted capital, people who had capital and were anxious to dispose of it on note of hand alone, people who wanted to buy teeth (she always wondered why), people who wanted to sell furs and gowns and who had optimistic ideas on the subject of price.Christie, Agatha. The Golden Ball And Other Stories (Agatha Christie Mysteries Collection (Paperback)) (p. 5). William Morrow Paperbacks. Kindle Edition.Now I'm dying to know why people were buying teeth. 4 stars. MISC: THE GIRL IN THE TRAIN: ****A man helps a woman escape her uncle and finds himself embroiled in a mystery. Amusing little story. I liked how Elizabeth improvises with the ring in the sealed package to make George's little fancy about being in a mystery come true. 4 stars. MISC: THE MANHOOD OF EDWARD ROBINSON: ***A man wins some money and spends it while having a grand adventure. This one was kind of funny. Bit confusing though. 3 stars.MISC: JANE IN SEARCH OF A JOB: ***Jane answers a newspaper ad and finds more than she bargained for. This was average. Kind of too convoluted for me to really care about. 3 stars.MISC: A FRUITFUL SUNDAY: ****A couple go motoring on a Sunday and are shocked to find a stolen necklace. This one was pretty funny. I liked both characters and I enjoyed the plot. And I loved the ending. 4 stars. MISC: THE GOLDEN BALL: *****George Dundas is fired by his uncle for wanting to take a day off to have a holiday, so he proceeds to have an adventure. This was hilarious. I enjoyed it a lot. One of Christie's best. 5 stars.MISC: THE RAJAH'S EMERALD: ****James Bond (oddly enough, not the one you're thinking of - this was written long before Casino Royale) is jealous of his girlfriend Grace spending so much time with her richer, well to do friends and finds himself busy trying to keep up with the Jones'. This was good. I was left chuckling about the trouble James gets himself into. It's all particularly ironic when you consider that James Bond later becomes a spy, but here he is an accidental thief. Oops. 4 stars.MISC: SWAN SONG: ***An opera singer performs a private showing of Tosca. I liked the opera singer Paula. She was ruthless. And I felt sorry for Mr Cowan, the manager. He just wanted things to go well. 3 stars.MISC: THE HOUND OF DEATH: *A doctor investigates a nun who he believes as supernatural powers. This was weird. I didn't like it. 1 star.MISC: THE GIPSY: ***A gypsy continually predicts doom for a young man. I enjoyed this one although Dickie sounds like a bit of a moron. I mean maybe start listening to the lady? I liked the ending though. 3 stars. MISC: THE LAMP: **A woman buys a haunted house to live in with her son and her father. This started out alright but what a depressing ending. 2 stars. MISC: THE STRANGE CASE OF SIR ARTHUR CARMICHAEL: **A doctor is asked to investigate a case of memory loss that seems to have a supernatural twist. This was okay. Somewhat creepy. 2 stars. MISC: THE CALL OF WINGS: * A man struggles with his spiritual self worth. This was terrible. 1 star. MISC: MAGNOLIA BLOSSOM: **A woman is torn between two men - her husband and lover. It was alright. Kind of boring. 2 stars.MISC: NEXT TO A DOG: **A woman is running out of options to allow her to look after her pet dog. This is kind of morbid. Made me miss my own dog. 2 stars.
    • 5/5
      This is a collection of 15 short mysteries by Agatha Christie. They aren’t the typical mystery expected from Christie. A number of them have a romantic touch to them.“The Strange Case of Sir Andrew Carmichael” is along the lines of the supernatural. “The Girl In The Train” is a mad-cap tale of boy-meets-girl on a train. “The Rajah’s Emerald” is the story of the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of a magnificent jewel. There is a little mystery and an enjoyable story in each one. Written in the 1920s and 1930s, they have the taste of the black and white movies of that era.A selection of fun, light reads with the Christie touch.
    • 4/5
      Dieser Band enthält 7 Kurzgeschichten der Queen of Crime. Doch sind diese ein wenig anders, als man es sonst von der Autorin gewohnt ist. In keiner dieser Geschichten findet man eine gängige Kriminalgeschichte. Keine Familie mit Mordfall. Kein Herrenhaus auf dem Land und auch kein Inspektor oder Detektiv(in). Im Grunde genommen sind sie nicht weniger seltsam als andere Kurzgeschichten, doch in Verbindung mit diesem Namen haben sie sich dieses Adjektiv verdient.SOSEtwas stimmt nicht im Hause Dinsmead. Erst seit Kurzem wohnt die Familie abgeschieden in einem einsamen Haus irgendwo in einem Wald. Clevelands Auto bleibt liegen und er findet Zuflucht in eben diesem Haus. Die Familie ist freundlich und beherbergt ihn für eine Nacht. Doch gerade als Cleveland sich schlafen legen will, findet er im Staub seines Nachttisches drei Buchstaben geschrieben: SOS.Der Auftakt des Buches enthält noch die meisten Anzeichen einer Kriminalgeschichte. Die Familie Dinsmead scheint nur oberflächlich nett und freundlich zu sein. Cleveland fühlt sich zunehmend unwohler und will herausfinden, was die Buchstaben bedeuten und von wem sie stammen.Der Smaragd des RadschasJames Bond jagt einer hübschen jungen Frau hinterher. Doch diese bewegt sich in besseren Kreisen. Doch Bond gibt nicht auf. So folgt er ihr und ihren Begleitern zum Strand. Die Umstände zwingen ihn, sich in einem privaten Badehäuschen umzuziehen. Als er das Bad wieder verlässt, findet er in seiner Hosentasche einen Smaragd von unschätzbarem Wert.Der Name des Protagonisten verwirrt sehr und macht es schwierig, einen Zugang zu der eigentlichen Geschichte zu finden. Denn anders als der Bond in den Filmen, gibt dieser sich der Lächerlichkeit preis. Sein anbiederndes Bemühen um das Mädchen lässt ihn kriecherisch und unselbständig wirken. Denn das Ende der Geschichte zeigt deutlich seine wahren Charakterzüge, die jedoch im Schmachten völlig in den Hintergrund treten.Die Puppe der SchneiderinNiemand weiß, woher sie kommt. Eines Tages sitzt sie in den Räumlichkeiten der Schneiderei. Jeder Versuch, sie an einen anderen Ort zu setzen scheitert, denn sie weiß genau was sie will. Niemand kann sich ihr Erscheinen, noch ihre Selbständigkeit erklären. Denn sie ist lediglich eine Puppe. Den Näherinnen wird unterstellt, dass sie die Puppe bewegen. Doch als sie selbst durch einen geschlossenen Raum kommt, macht sich Angst breit.Puppen sind seit jeher ein gutes Horrormotiv. Allein ihre Starrheit und das Gefühl, sie würden einen beobachten und sich bewegen, wenn man nicht hinsieht, beflügelt die Fantasie einiger Menschen. Die Autorin lässt den Leser im Ungewissen darüber, ob es sich hierbei um ein übersinnliches Phänomen handelt oder sich jemand einen Schabernack erlaubt. Ersteres ist zu befürworten.Etwas ist faulMrs. St. Vincent und ihre Kinder gehören zum verarmten Adel. Jeden Cent müssen sie nach den Spekulationen ihres Mannes zweimal umdrehen. So kommt es ihr gelegen, als sie in einer Zeitung eine Annonce liest. Eine Haus soll zu einem Spottpreis vermietet werden. Mrs. St. Vincent hat zwar ihre Bedenken, fährt aber trotzdem zur Besichtigung und mietet das Haus. Seitdem geht es mit ihrer Familie bergauf. Ihre Tochter verlobt sich mit einem wohlhabenden Gentleman und auch sie fühlt sich besser. Doch etwas stört und sie beginnt Nachforschungen anzustellen.Eine mehr als günstige Miete inklusive Dienerschaft würde wohl jeden misstrauisch machen. In dieser Geschichte geht es um die Ehre des Adels, auch wenn er jetzt verarmt ist. Und um den Wandel eines Menschen, der sein Leben noch einmal von vorne beginnen will.Die goldene KugelGeorge wurde von seinem Onkel an die frischen Luft gesetzt. Er nehme sein Leben nicht selbst in die Hand und würde nicht dankbar für das sein, was ihm geboten wird. In dieser Situation begegnet er Mary, einer Frau mit Lebenslust und Tatendrang. Was er nicht weiß: sie unterzieht ihm einen Test.Diese Geschichte hat am wenigsten das Prädikat „Fall“ verdient und das ist natürlich dem Verlag geschuldet, der das Buch unter diesem Titel herausbrachte. Denn dies ist einfach eine Geschichte zweier junger Leute, die in einem günstigen Moment die Chance ergreifen um ihr Leben zu ändern.SonntagEdward und Dorothy unternehmen einen Ausflug mit dem Auto. Auf der Fahrt zu einem idyllischen Örtchen halten sie noch einmal an und kaufen ein Körbchen mit Kirschen. Doch während eines Picknickes findet Dorothy unten im Körbchen eine Kette, die der Kette eines erst kürzlich verübten Juwelenraubs zum Verwechseln ähnlich sieht.Zufälle gibt es, die gibt es gar nicht. Haben Edward und Dorothy tatsächlich die wertvolle Kette in der Hand? Eine Geschichte über die Frage der Moral: Behalten, verkaufen oder der Polizei melden?Der Hund des TodesEin Kloster sprengt sich einfach selbst in die Luft. Die dafür vermutlich verantwortliche Nonne wird in eine Heilanstalt gebracht und steht unter strenger Beobachtung von Dr. Rose. Dort wo einst das Kloster stand, findet sich nun ein riesiger Brandfleck in Form eines Hundes.Wahrheit oder Wahnsinn? Dr. Rose verhört die Nonne immer wieder. Sie birgt ein Geheimnis in sich. Bruchstückhaft kann der Doktor die Geschehnisse zusammensetzen. Doch die jahrelange Arbeit treibt ihn letztendlich selbst in den Wahnsinn.
    • 2/5
      I thought I would love this, but like the earlier reviewer said, the supernatural mysteries were a bit disappointing. When I read a Christie mystery, I want to find out who did it in the end. When she writes the supernatural ones, the ending is left a bit unexplained, which I found aggravating. Also, some stories have a sad ending, which seems unusual compared with her other works.
    • 3/5
      A collection of short stories, some involving crime, some romance, some adventure. I liked the ones at the beginning better. The ones at the end have more of a supernatural feel, and I don't enjoy those at all.

    Book preview

    The Golden Ball - Agatha Christie

    Contents

    The Golden Ball

    About the Author

    The Agatha Christie Collection

    Copyright

    About the Publisher

    THE GOLDEN BALL

    George Dundas stood in the City of London meditating.

    All about him toilers and moneymakers surged and flowed like an enveloping tide. But George, beautifully dressed, his trousers exquisitely creased, took no heed of them. He was busy thinking what to do next.

    Something had occurred! Between George and his rich uncle (Ephraim Leadbetter of the firm of Leadbetter and Gilling) there had been what is called in a lower walk of life words. To be strictly accurate the words had been almost entirely on Mr. Leadbetter’s side. They had flowed from his lips in a steady stream of bitter indignation, and the fact that they consisted almost entirely of repetition did not seem to have worried him. To say a thing once beautifully and then let it alone was not one of Mr. Leadbetter’s mottos.

    The theme was a simple one—the criminal folly and wickedness of a young man, who has his way to make, taking a day off

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