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Post by WullieFort on Jun 23, 2020 8:23:30 GMT
Much to my surprise, I can't recall ever having read one of her novels, so help me correct that by listing 5 of her best and ensure that I get off on the right track
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Post by Carl LaFong on Jun 23, 2020 13:28:14 GMT
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 10 Little Indians aka And Then There were None Murder on the Orient Express. The ABC Murders Death on the Nile
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Post by Nalkarj on Jun 23, 2020 15:37:36 GMT
Heh; I just reviewed Five Little Pigs here. Christie, unfortunately, gets underrated these days: she combined first-rate plotting skill (clues, alibis, etc.) with intelligent character-insights for which critics refuse to give her credit. In large part, that may be because of her style—simple without ever becoming simplistic, and seemingly effortless, which means it took a huge amount of effort. More than anything, her unadorned prose is smooth, easily readable. Just to let you know, my top 5 has a mix of the famous and the unconventional; of course, your mileage may vary, as they say. In no particular order: Death on the Nile (1937)—one of the greatest deceptions in the genre, better characterized than the similar Murder on the Orient Express. Five Little Pigs (1942)—beautifully but subtly done character portraits, brilliantly plotted, exceptional cluing. And Then There Were None (1939)—tense and sinister, haunting images towards end, though the solution might have lost a bit of its bite because of all the movie adaptations (some credited, some not). Endless Night (1967)—wonderful narrator, spooky, Gothic romance gone wrong, curses and witches. Sinister, McCloy-y ending. The Seven Dials Mystery (1929)—her most successful thriller, an ingenious play on genre conventions. HMs: Towards Zero, The Sittaford Mystery, The Pale Horse, N or M?, The Murder at the Vicarage.
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Post by Morgana on Jun 24, 2020 10:23:33 GMT
These are some of my favourites, in no particular order:
Endless Night Sad Cypress And Then There Were None Death on the Nile The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
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Post by dirtypillows on Jun 25, 2020 3:09:09 GMT
"The ABC Murders" "A Murder is Announced" "Death on the Nile" "The Mirror Crack'd" "Funerals are Fatal"
"And Then There Were None" is excellent and absolutely deserving of its reputation, but it lacks the cozy feel of the Hercules Poirot and, especially, the Jane Marple mysteries.
I very much want to read "Endless Night" (just looks interesting and creepy) and I have heard some say that "Five Little Pigs" is Agatha Christie at her best.
Has anybody here read either of these two books? Opinions?
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Post by dirtypillows on Jun 25, 2020 3:13:31 GMT
Heh; I just reviewed Five Little Pigs here. Christie, unfortunately, gets underrated these days: she combined first-rate plotting skill (clues, alibis, etc.) with intelligent character-insights for which critics refuse to give her credit. In large part, that may be because of her style—simple without ever becoming simplistic, and seemingly effortless, which means it took a huge amount of effort. More than anything, her unadorned prose is smooth, easily readable. Just to let you know, my top 5 has a mix of the famous and the unconventional; of course, your mileage may vary, as they say. In no particular order: Death on the Nile (1937)—one of the greatest deceptions in the genre, better characterized than the similar Murder on the Orient Express. Five Little Pigs (1942)—beautifully but subtly done character portraits, brilliantly plotted, exceptional cluing. And Then There Were None (1939)—tense and sinister, haunting images towards end, though the solution might have lost a bit of its bite because of all the movie adaptations (some credited, some not). Endless Night (1967)—wonderful narrator, spooky, Gothic romance gone wrong, curses and witches. Sinister, McCloy-y ending. The Seven Dials Mystery (1929)—her most successful thriller, an ingenious play on genre conventions. HMs: Towards Zero, The Sittaford Mystery, The Pale Horse, N or M?, The Murder at the Vicarage. I just saw you put "Endless Night" and "Five Little Pigs" on your list of favorite Christie novels! I am fixing to do some travel and movies may not be accessible. I have a copy of FLP. Maybe barnes and noble will have EN in stock, though I doubt it.
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Post by Morgana on Jun 25, 2020 10:40:13 GMT
"The ABC Murders" "A Murder is Announced" "Death on the Nile" "The Mirror Crack'd" "Funerals are Fatal" "And Then There Were None" is excellent and absolutely deserving of its reputation, but it lacks the cozy feel of the Hercules Poirot and, especially, the Jane Marple mysteries. I very much want to read "Endless Night" (just looks interesting and creepy) and I have heard some say that "Five Little Pigs" is Agatha Christie at her best. Has anybody here read either of these two books? Opinions? I know what you mean about Poirot's and Marple's books having that 'cosy' feel. I loved the TV series they did of both.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jun 25, 2020 13:14:33 GMT
I just saw you put "Endless Night" and "Five Little Pigs" on your list of favorite Christie novels! I am fixing to do some travel and movies may not be accessible. I have a copy of FLP. Maybe barnes and noble will have EN in stock, though I doubt it. Yes, both of them definitely make my list—two of Christie’s best jobs combining plot and characterization. Just to let you know, though, neither book really has the coziness you like—EN in particular is dark and sinister, and FLP’s solution, far from restoring order, is a bit of a punch in the gut. Don’t know where you are, but my local Barnes & Noble stocks EN—not entirely sure why, as it’s not one of her best-known, though it is one of her best. Oh, and my FLP review here, if you’re interested.
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Post by Nalkarj on Jun 25, 2020 16:36:54 GMT
Interesting and amusing to note that the one constant on all of the lists so far has been Death on the Nile…
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Post by marianne48 on Jun 26, 2020 2:00:09 GMT
The ABC Murders The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Murder on the Orient Express Five Little Pigs The Pale Horse
Death on the Nile is just too far-fetched for me. The setup for the murder is clever, but the actual execution of it is just a bit ridiculous. Why such an elaborate set-up when that falling boulder earlier in the story would have done the trick and made everything look like an accident? (Lots of suspicious "accidents" like that happen on real-life honeymoons). Also the initial of the supposed killer which the victim writes with the blood from her instantly fatal bullet wound in her head? Yecch--why even do that if everyone knows it's fake and corny? And this bit:
Murder witness: I know who the murderer is! And I'll tell you all about it in this long, drawn-out explanation...aaand...to make a long story short...this is the name of the murderer! That person is....(shot rings out; witness falls over dead before revealing name). I hate it when that happens. Still kind of a fun novel, but not on my list of favorites.
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Post by Marv on Jun 26, 2020 3:56:12 GMT
Ive only ever read "And Then There Were None" but it was fantastic and I definitely recommend it. It's the blueprint for so many murder mystery films.
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Post by enigma72 on Jun 26, 2020 21:28:23 GMT
I read all the Christie I could find!
That was years ago.
I recently just saw on TV Ten little Indians Murder on the Nile Murder on the orient express.
You can't go wrong. All great reads and the movies are good too!
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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Nov 20, 2020 0:02:01 GMT
Never read her...yet...I guess I should.
The Murder on the Orient Express with Sean Connery I just checked out from the library.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 20, 2020 0:18:06 GMT
I have the following Agatha Christie books
The Hollow Poirot`s early cases Death on the Nile Death in the Clouds Elephants can remember Murder on the Orient Express Evil Under The Sun Appointment with Death The ABC Murders The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Secret Adversary N or M By the Pricking of My Thumbs Hercuke Poirot`s Christmas Sad Cypress Mrs. McGinty`s Death
I would recommend all of them
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Post by BATouttaheck on Nov 20, 2020 0:22:28 GMT
one summer I read all of them .. in the order written. There were only two I do not own. I recommend getting a copy of this book
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Post by Morgana on Nov 20, 2020 8:01:57 GMT
Never read her...yet...I guess I should. The Murder on the Orient Express with Sean Connery I just checked out from the library. You definitely should! I've read nearly all of her books and loved them all. Did you check out a film? If so, I would recommend reading a book of hers before watching any films. The books are always better.
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Post by Morgana on Nov 20, 2020 8:02:59 GMT
one summer I read all of them .. in the order written. There were only two I do not own. I recommend getting a copy of this book That looks interesting. I hope I will be able to find it here.
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