lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 22,058
|
Post by lee058 on Feb 20, 2023 8:33:51 GMT -5
Hi everybody! This week we'll be talking about Agatha Christie's book, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." I'm going to pick a related topic, and I hope everyone will share their thoughts and feelings about it.
Monday, 2/20/2023 Topic: First thoughts about the book.
I think the first thing that I noticed about the book was its timing in the series. Hercule Poirot has retired and moved to a village, where he is growing "vegetable marrows." I looked them up, and the closest translation from British English to American English was "zucchini." He has said in previous books that he wanted to add a "bouquet" to the vegetable, giving them more taste and possibly even scent. Personally, I like zucchini as they are, and have never tried growing them. However, I have friends who have grown them, and apparently zucchini is quite profuse, producing dozens of plants easily. This would make it easy for Poirot to experiment, but he would have a lot of vegetables to use or give away. I loved the scene with him throwing the marrow over the fence, making Dr. Sheppard's acquaintance as a result. I could picture it easily and found it very funny.
But getting back to the book's timing in the series: Although this was one of Christie's first books and (I think) the first with Poirot, it obviously takes place after many of the books that were written later. There are plenty of references to Poirot's experiences in detective work, Scotland Yard, and various people (including Hastings and Japp) that he had contact with before the occurrences of "Roger Ackroyd." Nonetheless, Poirot is still fairly young and active in the book, and his "little grey cells" show no sign of difficulty.
As in previous books, at first Poirot is not appreciated for his brilliance. People misspell his name ("Porrott"), think he was a hairdresser, and generally mistrust his observations. However, again as in other books, people grow to appreciate his skill in figuring out motives, and finally, finding the solutions to the questions raised in the book.
I liked this book a lot, and am looking forward to our discussions.
See you later! Lee
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 20, 2023 11:13:24 GMT -5
I am mid-book...thought I'd have time to finish it all this weekend, but I will be back to participate tomorrow!!!
|
|
|
Post by juliajones54 on Feb 20, 2023 11:46:40 GMT -5
I was surprised that Poirot was retired in this book and also surprised that the funny little man next door turned out to be him . I also had to look up the definition of vegetable marrow. I have grown lots of zucchini and the big ones such as was lobbed over the fence are worthless for eating except maybe in zucchini cake!
As I was reading reviews about this book, someone said it was on a list of 100 books you should read as it is the best one that Christie wrote. I'm not usually a fan of these old mystery writers - I love mysteries though. I'm not finished yet but I do agree that Roger Ackroyd is really good! I have absolutely no idea so far who has done him in.
|
|
lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 22,058
|
Post by lee058 on Feb 20, 2023 13:19:21 GMT -5
Hmm, since at least a couple of people haven't finished the book yet, I shouldn't have any spoilers tomorrow. I'll keep that in mind.
|
|
|
Post by peacemama on Feb 20, 2023 13:45:36 GMT -5
Always bear in mind that the person who speaks may be lying. -Poirot
Yes! Finally a Christie mystery I was able to determine the whodunit early on! It was confirmed by subtle clues along the way.
It helped that prior to reading the book I saw this Goodreads comment that made me consider Sheppard as an unreliable narrator: "Considered to be one of Agatha Christie's greatest, and also most controversial mysteries, 'The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd' breaks the rules of traditional mystery."
I still didn't fully unravel the "why" until the final chapter.
A few random thoughts about the book: -I enjoyed the touches of humor. -Poirot's suggested course of action to the murderer at the end shocked me. -I'm generally not a fan of locked room mysteries; however, I enjoyed this one. -The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is nearly a century old. It was first published in 1926. Wow!
|
|
Mashy
This space for rent
Posts: 14,878
|
Post by Mashy on Feb 20, 2023 14:55:24 GMT -5
Alternative Title - Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. 😃
|
|
suby
This space for rent
Posts: 10,376
|
Post by suby on Feb 20, 2023 16:37:20 GMT -5
-Poirot's suggested course of action to the murderer at the end shocked me. Same. Funny thing: there are bits of of French here and there, which I understand, but at one point they were talking about a dead end and Poirot said "comment dire" which roughly means "who do you say?" but I didn't realize he was speaking French at first and I was baffled.
|
|
|
Post by corgi on Feb 20, 2023 23:27:47 GMT -5
I don’t know why but Murder on the Orient Express with it’s “Everyone’s the murderer!” always seemed to be cheating. This puzzle answer, if you can call it that, didn’t bother me at all, though.
|
|
sal
This space for rent
Posts: 13,424
|
Post by sal on Feb 21, 2023 7:18:50 GMT -5
I can understand why a lot of people would have been ticked at the ending (I was not one of them). I enjoyed this one, and the sister cracked me up. She was so nosy though that I'm surprised in ways that she didn't accidentally figure it out and then discount it somehow.
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 21, 2023 9:03:39 GMT -5
I just finished reading!
I was a bit bored at first with this story, but it got better and better as I read. I thought my kindle version had a typo when the people called him "Porrot"... I finally caught on and appreciated the humorous characters (especially Caroline...I could picture her being such a busybody). I did suspect the doctor, but only out of "wouldn't that be interesting" and not because of my great deduction skills.
I absolutely loved the ending. The twist was revealed in such a cool way and the character revelation that the mild mannered person was actually a psycho ... I loved that. Very cool. I do wonder if that was super shocking "back in the day" ?
|
|
lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 22,058
|
Post by lee058 on Feb 21, 2023 9:54:53 GMT -5
Tuesday, 2/21/2023 Topic: Characters
What did you think of the characters in the book? Was there anyone who you particularly liked or disliked, either when first introduced or later in the book? Why?
For me, I liked Caroline right away (having some mongoose tendencies myself!). I also felt inclined to like Dr. Sheppard. Since he was the narrator, we saw everything from his point of view. I enjoyed the comparisons with Hastings, and they also leaned me towards trusting and liking him. I probably should have been suspicious at how Dr. Sheppard was constantly in communication with Poirot and whatever was happening in the village, but I just took these for granted as 1) being part of the plot, and 2) related to his being the village doctor.
I also rather liked all the other characters, especially Ursula Bourne. I felt that there was some mystery about her, which when revealed would add another layer to the story.
The relationships between all the people in the book were just complicated enough to be interesting. My book copy had a handy index in front with the names of the characters and a little bit about each one, which made it easier to follow along.
I was a little disappointed in Major Blunt, having read about him in other books. In this book, he is more one-dimensional and not as interesting as he could have been.
I'm looking forward to reading your comments; thanks for participating!
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 21, 2023 10:06:45 GMT -5
I have this book called 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die, and I want to share something I found so interesting about Roger Ackroyd with you... it was new info for me. Maybe you already know. But I thought it was so interesting that I'm sharing.
"...the success of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926 made Christie a bestselling author and, in her gandson's apt phrase, "a household name." So popular would Poirot himself prove that when he met his death in 1975, in the novel Curtain, he became the first fictional character to have an obituary on the front page of the New York Times."
"Poirot, of course, isn't Christie's only famous detective: There's also Miss Marple, the gossip-loving amateur who features in a dozen novels of her own. In her autobiography, Christie reveals that this second beloved sleuth may well have been inspired by her favorite character in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd--Caroline Sheppard, sister of the doctor who narrates that mystery. Miss Sheppard is "an acidulated spinster, full of curiosity, knowing everything, hearing everything: the complete detective service in the home"--exactly like Jane Marple, who would make her debut in The Murder at the Vicarage (1930)..."
How cool is that? I loved Caroline!
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 21, 2023 10:09:25 GMT -5
I absolutely loved Caroline, and I really did like Dr. Sheppard too.
I felt that this version of Poirot was nicer and less stuffy, less hoity-toity, than other stories I've read of him.
I didn't really dislike anyone ... I thought these characters all had sympathetic explanations behind their actions!
|
|
|
Post by bumblebuzz21 on Feb 21, 2023 11:47:30 GMT -5
Finally finished. I really enjoyed this book and didn't really dislike any of the characters. I did not the ending coming at all!
|
|
sal
This space for rent
Posts: 13,424
|
Post by sal on Feb 21, 2023 13:51:06 GMT -5
I liked everyone, so kept breathing sighs of relief as people would get cleared, and then. Ha!
|
|
|
Post by juliajones54 on Feb 21, 2023 14:40:52 GMT -5
Caroline is my favorite character. I would love to have her as a next door neighbor. You certainly couldn't have much of a private life, but she would be fun to chat with over the fence.
I'm still reading but figured out the doctor did it in Chapter 8. He's too involved in every aspect of the mystery and is like a director in a play arranging the players and putting them into the roles he wants them to be in.
It is interesting to read from the vantange point of knowing who the culprit is. I can enjoy the writing instead of looking for clues. Agatha Cristie is an amazing writer.
|
|
|
Post by peacemama on Feb 21, 2023 14:55:14 GMT -5
Well, I wasn't as clever in determining the murderer as I thought. When I went to track the book in Goodreads yesterday, it was already in my Read list from 2020. I clearly had some residual memory tucked away deep in my "little gray cells."
|
|
lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 22,058
|
Post by lee058 on Feb 22, 2023 6:30:29 GMT -5
Wednesday, 2/22/2023 Topic: Plots and subplots.
What did you think of the main plot and the various subplots? Did you find them believable, logical, and naturally evolving towards the ending?
I did. This was one of Christie's books that I mostly absorbed totally all the way through. I especially liked Poirot's use of making lists (which I do too!), only his were of items that puzzled him. The incident of the chair particularly was memorable.
I liked the way that characters were introduced and how they each added something to the story. That was one thing about Christie; she hardly ever wasted the chance to give a person a purpose in developing the plot.
I liked the way that the house layout influenced the story, too. Including little maps helped me picture the actions.
As for who was in love with who, and who ended up with who, these played a big part in the story.
Dr. Sheppard was on the spot in so many instances that it should have clued me in better, but I took him for granted as the narrator.
What do you think?
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 22, 2023 8:42:20 GMT -5
I was taking him for granted as a narrator too, and then realized that "hey... could he be the unreliable narrator?" ...then I started wondering when that writing "tool" was created and tried to see if this was the first time ever...does anyone know about that?
I loved the setting of this story... I wanted to go there and stay for a while (but maybe watch Caroline from afar).
The whole chair situation confused me and I couldn't figure out why that was so important until it was outright explained, then I was like "OHHHH". Don't hire ME to solve your murders, people! haha
I loved the way Poirot kept telling Dr. Sheppard that they shouldn't lie to him cuz he'd find them out. Those were messages being delivered directly to Dr. Sheppard and not really about the others..very cheeky.
At the very end, when Dr. Sheppard was revealed and writing his book and his sinister evilness was revealed -- what a GREAT TOUCH. That played out in my mind like a movie (have you ever seen the Edward Norton movie, Primal Fear?) -- it was so GOOD and evil. I absolutely loved the revelation that this was Dr. Sheppards book the entire time and now his mask is off and we can see he's truly evil. I loved that.
|
|
|
Post by bumblebuzz21 on Feb 22, 2023 14:57:08 GMT -5
I literally just liked everything about this book. Super enjoyable to read. No notes Also, I have no good comments. Sorry to be so lame.
|
|
suby
This space for rent
Posts: 10,376
|
Post by suby on Feb 22, 2023 15:49:46 GMT -5
This doesn't relate to anything we've been talking about, but I was convinced Ralph was hiding out in Mrs. Ferrars' house.
|
|
Mashy
This space for rent
Posts: 14,878
|
Post by Mashy on Feb 22, 2023 16:22:24 GMT -5
I have nothing of value to add. I liked the book. 😂. Just pretend I said what Bernelli said.
|
|
|
Post by juliajones54 on Feb 22, 2023 21:44:56 GMT -5
I have nothing of value to add. I liked the book. 😂. Just pretend I said what Bernelli said. Mashy said what I was going to say. Bernelli summed things up very well! The chair was a puzzle to me, couldn't figure out what place it had. I was also surprised at all of the love/relationship connections. Shouldn't have been though. I've lived in many small towns over my lifetime and one thing for certain is that everyone is either related or is best friends with the relation. Can't assume a thing about who knows who.
|
|
|
Post by bernelli on Feb 23, 2023 8:44:30 GMT -5
So cool, peacemama about the unreliable character info. I don't know why it surprised me that this is something that's been used for centuries. Storytellers since forever have probably enjoyed creating those twists!
|
|
lee058
This space for rent
Posts: 22,058
|
Post by lee058 on Feb 23, 2023 10:14:18 GMT -5
Thursday 2/23/2023. Topic: The ending of the book.
Were you surprised? What did you think about what was revealed? What did you think about how Poirot handled everything?
I've read the book a few times, so I wasn't really surprised. However, I hadn't remembered a lot of the details. I was nonplussed about how Dr. Sheppard thought that everything he did was okay. Poirot said and did some surprising things, particularly in how he let Dr. Sheppard choose his own way out. In other books, Poirot is so adamant about how he "does not believe in murder." I feel like he let Dr. Sheppard off, although it was still a difficult choice of action.
More tomorrow.
|
|