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thenovelbook's review against another edition
4.0
I really wish that I could have had the experience of reading this blind, as I’m extremely curious whether I would have picked up on any of the legitimate clues. Alas, the ending was spoiled for me years ago so all that was left was to see how Agatha Christie worked her tricks… which is a worthwhile enough reason to read, anyway! She’s masterful at misdirection and piling on the secrets and mysteries until the heart of the problem is hopelessly obfuscated.
Knowing the solution as I did, I slightly lost patience with some of the distractions, but I was impressed at how simple she kept the narration surrounding the crucial moment. The solution was signposted brazenly and brilliantly. Of course, I couldn’t quite understand everything about how it all had worked, and had to wait on Poirot to explain exactly who made the telephone call. But as an authorly exercise, she must have found it irresistible. To break the unspoken contract with your reader like that! The world of whodunnits would not be the same without this novel, but it blazes a trail that can’t really be gone down twice.
Knowing the solution as I did, I slightly lost patience with some of the distractions, but I was impressed at how simple she kept the narration surrounding the crucial moment. The solution was signposted brazenly and brilliantly. Of course, I couldn’t quite understand everything about how it all had worked, and had to wait on Poirot to explain exactly who made the telephone call. But as an authorly exercise, she must have found it irresistible. To break the unspoken contract with your reader like that! The world of whodunnits would not be the same without this novel, but it blazes a trail that can’t really be gone down twice.
bennnnnnnn's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
dezs_diary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vlreid's review against another edition
4.0
I was a huge Agatha Christie fan when I was a teenager, and read many of her books including this one. I always remember this as one of her unique books, and I was anxious to re-read it for an upcoming book club. Needless to say, it has survived the test of time. It's also the kind of book that I want to start re-reading immediately after finishing it just to examine the clues and see the structure.
As often happens in small English country villages, there are a number of suspicious deaths and murders. The local doctor, James Sheppard, is the narrator of the story and he is assisted by Hercule Poirot who has just retired and moved in next door. We follow along as they discover clues, interview individuals, and of course Hercule Poirot solves the crime in the end.
This is the sixth book that she has written, and her fourth Hercule Poirot novel. It is also the book which catapulted her to fame. The British Crime Writers' Association voted it the Best Crime Novel ever in 2013. I absolutely love the 1st edition cover of this book from 1926 - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/The_Murder_of_Roger_Ackroyd_First_Edition_Cover_1926.jpg/220px-The_Murder_of_Roger_Ackroyd_First_Edition_Cover_1926.jpg
I read the Kindle version of the book which contains quite a bit of bonus content: A Forward by James Prichard (the great grandson of Agatha Christie); An Introduction by Louise Penny; a letter from Agatha Christie to her publisher; Poirot's Favorite Cases; and Creating Poirot (both written by Agatha Christie herself!). I would definitely recommend getting your hands on the Kindle version in order to read these wonderful documents!
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
As often happens in small English country villages, there are a number of suspicious deaths and murders. The local doctor, James Sheppard, is the narrator of the story and he is assisted by Hercule Poirot who has just retired and moved in next door. We follow along as they discover clues, interview individuals, and of course Hercule Poirot solves the crime in the end.
This is the sixth book that she has written, and her fourth Hercule Poirot novel. It is also the book which catapulted her to fame. The British Crime Writers' Association voted it the Best Crime Novel ever in 2013. I absolutely love the 1st edition cover of this book from 1926 - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/57/The_Murder_of_Roger_Ackroyd_First_Edition_Cover_1926.jpg/220px-The_Murder_of_Roger_Ackroyd_First_Edition_Cover_1926.jpg
I read the Kindle version of the book which contains quite a bit of bonus content: A Forward by James Prichard (the great grandson of Agatha Christie); An Introduction by Louise Penny; a letter from Agatha Christie to her publisher; Poirot's Favorite Cases; and Creating Poirot (both written by Agatha Christie herself!). I would definitely recommend getting your hands on the Kindle version in order to read these wonderful documents!
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
dnjms's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
lost_in_space's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
dnandrews797's review against another edition
5.0
This is without a doubt one of the best mystery books I’ve ever read with one of the best twist endings I’ve ever seen. I can understand why Agatha Christie is the queen of mystery from the quality of this novel.
sklus's review against another edition
5.0
Finished while my family was watching a Cold War Chess movie. Despite already having read the book, I found this infinitely more interesting.