The 1700-1939 Book Club! discussion
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
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I am trying to read them in order although I don't think it's absolutely necessary with Christie's books. I need to read Poirot Investigates next, but will try to do that soon so I can participate.
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I was wondering if it would be a problem not reading them in order once I saw it was book #4 in a series.
I'd be happy to help Jamie, if you're desperate!! I've got a week off and I've already finished Ackroyd.If you're interested, I'll send you a PM to find out what needs doing.
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Thanks! First, if you feel like I need to break the book up I can add folders. All I would need is for you to ask a few questions about the book to start the discussion and just read through the comments and respond and add your opinion when appropriate :)
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What are everyone's first impressions of this novel? Is it the first Agatha Christie you've read? What are most/least enjoying about it? (Remember: no spoilers here!)
I've read many Agatha Christie novels. I think I probably read this one about thirty years ago. I find her writing style very comfortable and familiar. She has been so widely copies, that one would suspect parts of her work of being trite or old hat, except that she did it first.
Hello again, Casceil! We seem to bump into each other everywhere!It's an interesting point you make about the triteness. It's strange that her writing seems so quaint and dated to us whereas with other novels we just accept the times as having been different. I think perhaps it's because the places and people she describes were probably somewhat stereotypical even for the 1920-30's.
As you say, though, very comfortable :-)
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I am awaiting the audible version from the library. It is "in-transit". I have never read any of her mysteries because so many of them have been made into tv movies and re-made and re-run endlessly.Usually though the books are better. This should be particularly good for audio since it is a first person narrative.
Diane wrote: "I am awaiting the audible version from the library. It is "in-transit". I have never read any of her mysteries because so many of them have been made into tv movies and re-made and re-run endlessly..."Yes, I think it would be a good one to listen to on audio, Diane! Let us know how you find it.
And don't worry about time - this thread will stay open so any time you have something to share, just go ahead!
I was never a huge mystery fan or Agatha Christy fan. I think I read Ten Little Indians years ago. I think I also listened to a couple other audiobooks. Once, I tried to read The Spider's Web but found it would not hold my attention. I might have liked it if it had been an audiobook. My attention span wanders easily.I listened to this book as an Audible audiobook.
I think if it hadn't have been that I was doing my knitting, the dishes, or something else while listening to it, I probably never would have finished it. The whole thing is one big logic puzzle. The characters have very little personality or depth. I prefer stories that are more character driven.
I will say that there were some good surprises in there that I will talk about on the ending post. I caught myself going "Oh my gosh!" out loud. That was a good quality of the book.
Joanne
Pip wrote: "Diane wrote: "I am awaiting the audible version from the library. It is "in-transit". I have never read any of her mysteries because so many of them have been made into tv movies and re-made and re..."Roger has just been murdered and the identity of the marrow growing neighbor has been discovered. I am enjoying it.
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What are most/least enjoying about it? (Remember: no spoilers here!)"
I like the busy body sister even though I don't like those type of people in real life. What I don't like is having people's thoughts or actions openly written about and so upfront. I like detail that you may or may not realize until later in the book when you may have to go back and reread a part to realize the connection that you missed ( or be happy you caught).
The busy body sister seems to be a forerunner of Miss Jane Marple. The very observant old woman who keeps in touch with everything going on in the community, and who makes shrewd deductions from what she knows, provides a way for the author to share with us information we might or might not have if we lived in the village, without telling us anyone's secrets outright as a given truth. Whether the wife poisoned her husband is something the author does not want to commit herself on at this point, but the author wants to raise the possibility for us to consider. Since the alleged poisoning happened a year earlier, and is backstory for this mystery anyway, raising the possibility through the busy body sister is kind of an elegant way to introduce it.
Interesting, Casceil - I hadn't made the Marple connection, but I know Christie was encouraged to continue Caroline in other stories as a central character in her own right.In Ackroyd, she's a very clever device for introducing a further level of information, in addition to our narrator's viewpoint and, later, the more official investigations by the police force and Poirot.
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I need to read some of the books in the Miss Marple series then! Thanks for the info.
That's weird. I didn't care for the busy body sister character. I tended to ignore what she said the same way I ignore people like her in real life. I didn't see her as someone who could give me clues. Maybe it would have been helpful if I did.
Diane wrote: "I am awaiting the audible version from the library. It is "in-transit". I have never read any of her mysteries because so many of them have been made into tv movies and re-made and re-run endlessly..."I became a member to the Audible library about two years ago. I find often that the books I want are either not owned by my library or not available. The membership cost $10.00 and that gives you 1 credit a month. Each credit gets you one book. That's usually enough for me.
Joanne
Joanne wrote: "Diane wrote: "I am awaiting the audible version from the library. It is "in-transit". I have never read any of her mysteries because so many of them have been made into tv movies and re-made and re..."I mean the membership costs $10.00 a month just to be clear.
Thanks for the info, Joanne. I'm finished and the reader, Robin Bailey, was excellent. His voice will forever be entrenched in my mind as the doctor. It was interesting that Hercule Poirot so respected Caroline that he offered the ending he did. I would have thought he would annoyed by such a nosy neighbor.
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Why dontcha read "The Moon and Sixpence"?, it's among W.S. Maugham's best. It wuz written in 1919.
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We have.
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Dirk Stroeve, what a pathos. The French couple that reared their children in quite an unorthodox way was really touching.
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I'm sorry. My comments above are for the book that this discussion thread is for which is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. If you would like to discuss The Moon and Sixpence please look under the "Past Group Reads" thread where the discussion is always open. I'm sure everyone would love to see what your thoughts are on the book.
PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT THE ENDING IN THIS DISCUSSION FOLDER :) I made a separate discussion folder to talk about the ending and to help with spoilers :)