Erika’s Comments (group member since Nov 26, 2019)

Erika’s comments from the #ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge group.

@Shannon no worries!!!

@Nada yes, I was just thinking this the other day, we all kind of skipped over the last part of our discussion! I really like this Christie novel, honestly. I admit, the first time I read this one I did not even think that Jackie and Simon set up the affair etc (so kudos for you for figuring it out! haha). And yes, I completely agree with you: what did both girls see in someone like Simon?
I also really liked it, and I really love the setting. I would recommend the Poirot TV-movie if you have time to compare the book to it! And, it's not the most accurate rendition of the story, but I absolutely love the other movie version of it with Peter Ustinov as Poirot. It's filled with a lot of cool actors (Angela Lansbury is in it. I love her!)

@Vicks yes, I really enjoy it as well. Even though I usually (there are exceptions of course) enjoy the book more, it's really interesting to see the characters come to life on screen.

Very excited for May's read. @Gia oh yes, you definitely have to watch a few Christie movies! Some of them are great. And David Suchet's Poirot TV series is very good, in my opinion. The later ones are basically movies rather than episodes (in terms of length and production quality).

I'm so late with this one! (Work has been taking up a lot of my time).
1. Although this novel isn't my #1 favorite of her works, it is definitely on my list. I love the Egyptian setting and the characters.
2. I actually like Race a lot more when paired with Poirot. And I agree with Nada: I tend to like any Poirot sidekick team.
3. Although this is a reread for me, when I first read the book (and saw the movie) I found the mystery to be really well crafted. Like Shannon pointed out, there's so many res herrings! This is what makes it such a fun read, I think.
4. Since it's a reread for me I will skip this question.
Hope everyone is doing well!

@Shannon that's a great idea. I love doing movie vs book comparisons. Think I'll do the same.

I'm currently reading it. This one is a reread for me, and I'm enjoying it. Also, I absolutely love the movie adaptations for this Christie book in particular!

I really enjoyed this one, and I ended up rating it a 5/5 (honestly it's a little hard for me to rate her work less than that. It might be nostalgia mixed with truly enjoying her mysteries). I liked the way each character was explored, rather than solely focusing on the detective. However, this did leave me a bit disinterested in Race, honestly.
@Gia, I agree, I really loved the transformation of Anthony! At first I hated him, and the unexpected turnaround was actually quite nice.
@Nada, you're better at solving these than me haha! I thought that the scene where Ruth first meets/is fascinated by Victor may have contributed to just her killing Rosemary, but then when George died I threw that idea out the window. So I was completely surprised.
@Shannon, I think that idea for the last discussion of the month works well ☺️. Looking forward to our next read!

Sounds great, yes choosing the titles in advance was a great idea. Also, it's been a really, really long time since I've read Sleeping Murder so I'm excited for the reread ☺️. Hope everyone is doing well!

Shannon, thank you for setting aside time for these, it is greatly appreciated. (But please don't feel obligated next time if you have something more pressing! I'm sure we'd all understand)

1. I could see where George was coming from when he orchestrated the recreation dinner (perhaps it would "smoke out" the killer, by making him or her extremely nervous, etc.), but I agree with Gia: I felt bad that he used Iris' birthday as the cover.
2. I thought something may go badly, but I did not expect it to include the murder of George. I actually exclaimed, "What??" out loud while reading of George's demise. I think that he was the intended target. Only because I think the killer may have felt trapped and thought that he might already know who they were, and expose them.
3. I agree with Nada: Race honestly hasn't made much of an impression on me so far. Then again, he hasn't made many appearances in the book yet, so I guess that is to be expected. As we discussed last week, this book seems more central character driven/backstory driven rather than focusing on the detective and his ingenuity. So maybe it is on purpose?

Wednesday and Monday both work for me (I completed the chapters for this week so I'll be happy with either option) ☺️. Hope everyone is staying healthy/being safe. I'm definitely appreciating the escape reading provides lately!

Oh and also, I voted on the other thread, but just in case it was missed: B, D, E, and G are my choices.

1. I am actually a fan of dividing the book into three different parts. I think it is setting the stage really nicely. As for why she did it: I'm thinking it might be for keeping track of the characters and each of their unique relationships with Rosemary? Just a thought.
2. Yes, I think that Rosemary as the name of the victim was a deliberate choice because of the meaning. I noticed that small quotes pertaining to remembrance and Rosemary are sprinkled throughout book 1. (but @Shannon, yes, who knows, maybe she loved Rosemary and Iris flowers and simply wanted to incorporate them into a story)
3. Honestly I'm not quite sure about George so far... I get a feeling that he did find out who Leopard was. But then again, maybe if he had known who Leopard was and then murdered Rosemary, he wouldn't be so obvious by acting oddly in front of Iris/asking so many questions. I'm not sure. I haven't made up my mind completely about him yet.

This one is a real page turner! I love the setup of it, and I like how we're getting a bit of insight into the characters. Can't wait to check in next week ☺️

Great options! I'm voting for B Endless Night, D Sleeping Murder, E Peril at End House, and G A Murder is Announced

That's fine with me as well ☺️, looking forward to discussing it with everyone. And I am also thankful that you are organizing this group! I don't meet many Christie fans, so to find a group of like-minded readers is so great.

I'm also excited for this one!
I'm going to vote for option 1. I like checking in and discussing the book midway through.

Sorry I'm a bit late!
1. I wouldn't say that my thoughts changed regarding any of the characters.
2. No! Far from it. I actually began suspecting Ronnie of all people, just to have someone to suspect.
3. Yes, if anything I liked her even more towards the end, and I wish that she appeared in more Christie stories. She's a very fun character, and so clever.
I'm also planning on a 5 star rating. I really enjoyed this one; the atmosphere was perfect, and I loved reading about all the characters.

@Nada I can totally relate to the busyness! And my suspicions are all over the place as well, so far. I'm hoping that I'll kind of see the light before the murderer is actually revealed lol.

@Shannon For some reason I am getting the feeling that there may a few red herrings in this one...

@Kris thank you ☺️! At first I thought Charles' appearance in the village was a bit suspicious, but I am also coming to like him. Especially his dynamic with Emily. @Gia that's a really interesting thought process regarding Emily. I failed to think about the possibility of her having something to do with the case, rather than simply going to bat for her fiance...
I was also thinking that Major Burnaby can't technically be rules out either, but I like his character so I hope he isn't involved!