An Agatha Christie* cocktail, anyone?
- Book: A Night on the Orient Express
- Location: Europe
- Author: Veronica Henry
A lovely addition to Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie is Veronica Henry’s romantic novel A Night on the Orient Express. A gathering of people from all walks of life, and all with different backstories board this vintage train in Northern Europe to rattle down to Venice in luxurious and charming style. Take Sleeping Car 3473 built in Birmingham in 1929, which started out in life as the Train Bleu ploughing down to the Riviera admire the intricate garlands of flowers in a marquetry frieze which entwines its way round the cabins or get carried away in the Cote d’Azure car, the plush ornateness of the carriages and fine dining just lift off the pages. Track the passengers through the Garden of England, to Calais and down to Lake Zurich and on to Innsbruck (which is actually in Austria and not in Switzerland as the book would suggest: “After Innsbruck, the train left the Alpine perfection of Switzerland”….) and past vineyards, “pink buildings with roofs…square towers and campaniles….” (Are you there in your mind’s eye?).
And as the passengers disembark in the final stages of the novel, we are presented with Venice at its most alluring: as Emmie and Archie plough their way down the Grand Canal, Emmie takes it all in – “She glimpsed bridges and balconies and balustrades distressed wooden shutters and wrought iron lamps and arched windows mullions and exposed brick. Uneven, crumbling foundations surrounded doorways almost completely submerged in water. Gargoyles and lions’ heads leered at her from their buttresses flowers tumbled from window boxes faded signs made promises, but of what she had no idea. When she saw a black gondola, nonchalantly making its way up the canal in front of them, she nearly swooned”.
So, if you are thinking of taking a trip on The Orient Express, you not only have Agatha Christie’s novel to entertain you on board (and as the Orient Express website says: “There’s a real frisson about reading this book aboard the very train on which its author travelled in the 1930s”) there is now also this top romantic read to accompany you on your voyage. Enjoy!
The Agatha Christie Cocktail: *the full recipe for this cocktail cannot be disclosed, suffice it to say, it features an ingredient from each country through which the train passes – Kirsch, Anise and of course Champagne.
And this link will take you to our blogpost and author interview with Veronica Henry http://tripfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/Novel-set-on-The-Orient-Express.html
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