Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

91 reviews

sassylk's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

What an exemplary study in the art of the first person narrative!

Unfortunately I did guess the murderer earlier than it was revealed. I guessed the twist when we as readers understood that Sheppard’s narration was merely an account that he had written for Poirot, rather than just a fictional narrator, but the shocking announcement was still a real surprise!

At some points the details got lost to me, and I found it hard to keep up with the multitude of characters and timings, but that is part of what Christie ultimately succeeds at - we as readers honestly will never catch up with Poirot in terms of his ability to see a case so clearly, and so all we can do is watch it unfurl before us (even if it is not the way we think it will unfurl).

What is first person narration, if ultimately always unreliable? Is it not supposed, when we read a novel set in first person, that some part of the truth will always be concealed by the limitations of human perspective?

Christie plays with these questions in an exceedingly clever way, and the use of communication devices (the telephone call, the dictaphone) adds to the idea that this novel is a cautionary tale about the art of communication, truth, and changing perspectives. Almost a masterpiece in detective literature!

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lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Another really fun Agatha Christie. Exactly what you'd expect: a fun, fast, engrossing mystery you can fly through

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prettiestwhistles's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I’d never read this Agatha Christie book before and was really impressed at the complexity of the plot. Based on my memories of what I read in my youth, her books weren’t that complicated. Clearly I either didn’t read them well or thoroughly, or I just wasn’t remembering clearly.

Without giving details or spoilers I’ll only say Christie uses a great plot device in this story. I found it surprising and very satisfying as a result. As with all mysteries, everyone has something to hide, some far more unsavory than others.

Definitely recommended.

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