The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Buddy Read

[Nix]

Discussion thread for The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

[Nix]

I've finished Chapter 12, so halfway through now. Looks like I'm a bit behind.

I've accidentally spoiled myself for the solution years ago, at least for the who, though not the why. But I'm having fun with this one regardless.

I really liked Poirot throwing vegetables as introduction. I marked "She gave me a handful of assorted knuckles and rings to squeeze" in Chapter 4. It's such a nice way to describe an uncomfortable handshake. I also loved "This theory was received in polite silence." in Chapter 10, after Mrs Ackroyd insists the obvious murder must have been an accident. Sometimes Christie just perfectly pins down a social interaction in one simple sentence. "Caroline was sitting beside the wreck of tea things." (Chapter 11) is a great image for the aftermath of having a thorough gossip with Poirot. And I find it rather charming that Dr Sheppard calls the town gossips "newsmongers" (Chapter 11).

Generally, I'm enjoying Poirot as his usual vain and fussy self and that he's occasionally treating Sheppard as his personal errand boy. Caroline is rather amusing as well.

Definitely looking forward to the second half and still curious about Mrs Ferrars.

[Adrian]

Have just spotted you set this up, well done Nix.
I think we must be at about the same place, so you're not behind me !
I will comment more later when I'm not on my phone :) But I am really enjoying the book so far.

[Brina]

I finished but no spoilers. This case was tricky for me to pick up I couldn't pick up whodunit. Christie knows how to write a multi layered case.

[Adrian]

Agree entirely, Christie is an expert at setting up mysteries (I am currently reading for another group's challenge, all the Miss Marple books this year and so far I have only guessed one correctly, and that was because I remembered the Joan Hickson TV episode)

I'm now just into Ch15 and still have no idea, despite Poirot's few hints to the doctor. I am enjoying the doctor playing the "Hastings" role, but my favourite character has to be the wonderfully nosey Caroline

[Brina]

I love Caroline haha. She has an opinion for everything and thinks she knows more than Poirot does. I have never read Miss Marple but intend to read at least 1-2 of those books later in the year.

[Adrian]

I'm sure you would love the Miss Marple books, especially if you have ever watched any of the UK produced shows with Joan Hickson. They are so archetypally 1950s English countryside.

Yes Caroline is a hoot. With all her theories and feeling pompous that Poirot called upon her to discuss the case.

[Brina]

The only Christie tv I have watched is Poirot on A&E starring David Souche. I have seen the movie versions of Orient Express and Death on the Nile and of course liked the books better. I guess I'm reluctant to read Miss Marple because I have been reading Poirot on and off since middle school.

[Adrian]

By the films, I am assuming you mean the Peter Ustinov versions, enjoyable but not Poirot. To me Poirot will only ever be David Suchet as you say. The acting is superb, plus the sets and locations are fantastic (if you ever get the chance to wander around certain areas of London you will see some of the Art Deco buildings used , fantastic).
Likewise to me Marple will only ever be Joan Hickson, if you ever do get the chance to watch on TV, I'm sure you'd enjoy. Unlike London locations it is more English country villages or sea-side resorts.
I think that you would enjoy Miss Marple, okay it's not V I, but it's just as good in a different way.

[Brina]

I have never been to Europe. I guess one day that could change. My husband also enjoys reading Dame Christie so I guess I better add sites from these books to my bucket list.

[Adrian]

And the bucket list gets longer :)

[Renee]

I didn't join in the buddy read, but I hope you don't mind my joining in with my thoughts. I love Agatha Christie, and this is one of my favourite books of hers. She had me fooled the whole way through. Adrian, I agree with you about the doctor taking Hastings' role, and thought he was great as an assistant to Poirot. Caroline was very amusing through the whole book. I think I've only managed to figure out a few of them, she always gets me at the end I never see it coming.

Like others have mentioned, David Suchet's Poirot will always be Poirot to me. I think he just perfectly captured the character. All the other characters are wonderful. The settings (as mentioned above) are great and set the stage for the story perfectly. After I read a book, I look for the show on Netflix and watch it. I don't want the book spoiled for me first :)

I've only read a few Miss Marple books so far, but I loved them. They have a very different feel to them than Poirot, but that's what makes them so good I think. Have any of you read any of the Tommy and Tuppence books? They're more of an action/adventure mystery series, and I haven't finished them all, but I loved the ones I read.

[Brina]

I was totally fooled and I'm glad for the recommendation that I will like Miss Marple as I am still only used to Poirot.

[Adrian]

I'm glad that someone else came in with their recommendation as I was beginning to feel that I was badgering Brina to read Miss Marple all on my own (sorry Brina) and thank you Renee.

Luckily I have all the Joan Hickson Marples and David Suchet Poirots on DVD (oh lucky me) so I can watch whenever I like :)

And yes I have read a couple of the Tommy and Tuppence books many moons ago (my GR"history" only goes back 3 years so doesn't include the 100s of books I read prior, although I am trying to re-read a lot).
I have this vague memory that I watched the 1983 T and T series, and also that BBC produced a new version a couple of years ago, it was ok, fun but not really Christie.

[Nix]

I've finished Chapter 16, 65% through now.

Caroline is a hoot. That thing with the jelly for Poirot was great. I'm also starting to suspect that (view spoiler)[Ralph Paton might be dead. (hide spoiler)].

David Suchet is my favourite Poirot, too. Pretty close to what I imagine, when I read the books. Strangely enough, while I enjoy all the Miss Marple portrayals to some extent, none of them really are Miss Marple to me.

Brina, you should definitely read some of the Miss Marple books too. Different from Poirot, but great fun as well. I haven't read every single one yet, but I'd say Murder at the Vicarage, The Body in the Library, The Moving Finger, A Murder Is Announced and 4:50 from Paddington are probably the strongest and a good place to start.

Renee, it seems the Tommy and Tuppence books are more 'controversial' as to likeability. :) Personally, I'm not a fan of Tommy and Tuppence. I found both The Secret Adversary and N or M? terrible. However, By the Pricking of My Thumbs is enjoyable, though still one of her weaker works. I would say that if someone likes Christie's forays into espionage (which I don't), they probably like T&T too.

Wow, you're definitely up to date with all the adaptations, Adrian. :) I've tried the recent T&T series, but I was so bored with the first episode that I never even watched the second. Have you seen the newest And Then There Were None mini-series?

[Brina]

I don't watch much tv but if any of these are on Netflix I will look them up. In the mean time I will look into Miss Marple for my next mystery but I am trying to space out my reads.

[Adrian]

I'm just onto chapter 19 and still have no idea, although certain revelations have occurred. Say no more.

If you mean the 2015 "And then there were none", yes I watched it. I thought the cast were superb, Charles Dance, Aidan Turner etc. wonderfully filmed and a good adaptation.

[Adrian]

Ooh talking of Tommy and Tuppence , I read that for the Geraldine McEwan "Miss Marple" they adapted the T and T story "By the Pricking of my Thumbs" into a miss Marple and Tuppence, what ???
Never seen it as don't like McEwan as Miss Marple, thank goodness.

[Nix]

I'm up to Chapter 22 now and will probably finish it tonight. I guess (view spoiler)[ the disguised man in Poirot's house must be Paton, so he's probably not dead after all. But I saw it coming that Flora and Major Blunt would end up together, that was pretty obvious from the pond scene onwards. That she stole the money should have been obvious as well, but I didn't guess that. (hide spoiler)]

Ah yes, By The Pricking Of My Thumbs. It still has Tommy and Tuppence in it and it's mostly about Tuppence, but they inserted Miss Marple as well, who doesn't add anything of substance. The TV adaptions don't seem to trust Christie's other detectives to draw in an audience on their own. And, of course, there aren't as many Marple novels as Poirot novels. They also put Julia McKenzie's Miss Marple in Endless Night (I haven't seen the older film yet). I really like what they did with that episode visually, the house and landscape for the setting are gorgeous, but having Marple there is just strange. It's such an un-Marplian (un-Marplesque?) story.

I really like the latest adaptation of And Then There Were None, too. Worth a watch for the atmospheric visuals alone.

[Nix]

Finished it two days ago, but I wanted to let my thoughts settle for a bit. The ending (view spoiler)[really got to me, even though I knew what was coming. The tension in the last encounter with Poirot is excellent. It was such a sad, little ending after the book up to that point had a mostly light-hearted tone, but I think a very fitting one. The usual drawing room denouement with every suspect and police present or anything more grand would have cheapened the effect. Poor Caroline had to be devastated. She and her brother were a good team, an unusual but very loving little family. (hide spoiler)]

I wouldn't say this is Christie's masterpiece, even if some people do. (view spoiler)[The twist is great and well executed, definitely a game changer for the genre. (hide spoiler)] The sibling relationship between Sheppard and Caroline is probably among the most poignant in her whole body of work. However, it doesn't quite have the elegance and depth of some of her other books for me. Nevertheless, very enjoyable and one of her best.

[Adrian]

Well I finished it last night and I must admit I didn't see it coming, (view spoiler)[ the Doctor that is. Although like Nix, I did catch on to Flora and Major Blunt (hide spoiler)]

All in all I did enjoy it, as I do (virtually) all of Agatha Christie's work, and especially liked the story coming from a different pov to normal, as in Dr Sheppard. The central characters of Sheppard and Caroline were good, although I think the rest became also rans and less and less important until the end. Poirot was his usual excellent self despite his age and despite no Hastings.

Finally thanks to Brina and Nix for involving me in this Buddy read, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
PS @ Nix, I think I prefer "Marplian" :)

[Brina]

If you read Miss Marple I will join you. Need to say that I finally discovered her cases.

[Renee]

I'll join in a Miss Marple read too if you all decide to read one.

[Brina]

I'd love to after I finish Les Mis and start Anna K. Really excited about these long reads but will need a break in between.

[Renee]

Brina wrote: "I'd love to after I finish Les Mis and start Anna K. Really excited about these long reads but will need a break in between."

Those are two books I really want to read, just have to make time. There are so many classics I haven't read yet that I want to read, I feel like I'll never be able to read them all! How do you like Les Mis so far?

[Brina]

Loving it but it's been a hectic week so hope to read more over the weekend.

[Adrian]

@all, I'm doing a Marple challenge to read all her books this year (all 14), so whenever you have a gap between your monster classics, then feel free to contact me and we can read whatever Marple I'm up to at that point together, if you so wish.
That obviously applies to anyone who's joined us on this buddy read including unofficial joiners ha ha.

[Brina]

I will do that. It is always more enjoyable to read in a group.

[Nix]

I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. I had a great time too. :)

Good luck with the Miss Marple challenge, Adrian!

Well, if you two ever do one of the Marples I haven't read yet as a buddy read, then I'm definitely in.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Please continue this discussion at The Murder of Roger Ackroyd threads here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...