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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie


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6- Did you work out whodunnit, who was on your suspect list?

I think I suspected most people except the culprit at some point. My money was on Flora for some time and I was disappointed when things started to unravel on that line!

This was just like me, at one time or the other I suspected all of them, eventually I settled on Raymond. I was elated when anything happened which placed him in a guilty light. During the reunion he got quite shirty and argumentative and I thought that was a sure sign of his guilt. I had practically written my victory speech and was a bit miffed to have to abandon it but not for long, the twist was just so audacious you couldn't help but admire it.

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

Definitely - in fact I've already bored people at work about reading it. As I said earlier I was disappointed when this was the book picked but it totally didn't disappoint and I'm really pleased I was "made" to read a book that I would have otherwise passed by

Exactly why I joined this forum :D

I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thanks for giving it a go even though it wasn't the book you would have chosen. That's the great thing about the reading circle, it does get you reading books you would never look at ordinarily :D

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Lol My only problem is the "to read" pile is even larger as two of the other suggestions are now on it!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

I didn't feel hoodwinked by the author at all - I just wanted to applaud! I'm usually pretty good at spotting the plot twists and with books and films I've usually sussed things that friends are surprised by during the reveal near the end. It was refreshing to be totally taken in by the author - like I said earlier, even when I thought the dr's bag would make great hiding place I STILL didn't make the connection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Lol My only problem is the "to read" pile is even larger as two of the other suggestions are now on it!!!!!!!!!!

Yes :giggle2: now that you've joined us here you can kiss goodbye to a reasonably sized TBR pile :D

 

I didn't feel hoodwinked by the author at all - I just wanted to applaud! I'm usually pretty good at spotting the plot twists and with books and films I've usually sussed things that friends are surprised by during the reveal near the end. It was refreshing to be totally taken in by the author - like I said earlier, even when I thought the dr's bag would make great hiding place I STILL didn't make the connection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't feel hoodwinked either, I just thought ... genius. She did such a good job of convincing us that the doctor was on the level that I didn't look any further. The nosy sister was ingenious because she never once suspected him, of being a blackmailer or a murderer, even though she had eyes and ears everywhere .. and their relationship was one of the things that fooled me into thinking he was truthful. I will never trust a writer again :D

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I've finally finished the book :) and loved it :)

 

1- Who was your favourite character?

I'm not sure. I liked Caroline, with her nosiness and her comments, but I also liked Flora too.

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

Yes, when the twist happened! I had to read that particular part over and over again. I never ever suspected that to happen.

 

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/ by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

Not first in the genre, I'm sure I've read more books like this but can't quite put my finger on what books. First book by the author, and I really want to get my teeth into more!

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Nope, I can't say I did, the only problem I had was putting the book down!

 

[/size][/font]5- What were your thoughts about Poirot?

I really liked the air of mystery that hung around him, and didnt really know what he was going to do or say next, which made it more exciting for me!

 

6- Did you work out whodunnit, who was on your list of suspects?

Everybody but the actual suspect! Flora, Raymond even Caroline for a little while!

 

7- In hindsight, were there clues easrly on as to the guilt of Dr Sheppard?

I think ill have to have a quick re-read of the book becuase I didnt pick it up at all!

 

8- Do you feel justice was done?

not really, it seemed like a bit of an easy way out"

 

9- Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes, a highly enjoyable read.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

Yes to anyone, I wouldnt have said I would have loved the book, but I absolutly loved it!

 

(can you tell I'm tired by my answers) :P

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Who was your favourite Character?

 

My favourite character was Dr Sheppard himself, until the end anyway. He seemed a nice genuine man, a pillar of the community. I guess I would make a terrible detective.

Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

I liked all the bits with Poirot and Sheppard together the best.

 

Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author/has it encouraged you to read more?

 

First by the author and first whodunit. I will definitely read more.

 

Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

 

No not really the story was easy to follow, and I knew that everything I was reading was important, I knew the clues must be all in front of me but I still could not work it out!

 

What were your thoughts about Poirot?

 

Poirot was great. A little pompous and ridiculous. We only ever saw him of course through Dr Sheppards eyes, as he was writing the story, so I wondered how much of Poirot ‘s mannerisms was an act to lull Sheppard into a false sense of security.

 

Did you work out whodunnit, who was on your suspect list?

 

I failed to work it out! For most of the book I thought Flora had did it.

 

In hindsight, were there clues early on as to the guilt of Dr Sheppard?

 

I did think as I read it that Dr Sheppard became unusually excited when Ackroyd started reading the blue letter but then stopped before revealing the blackmailer. Of course, we now know that reading the name aloud to his murderer would not have saved him from his grisly fate.

 

Do you feel justice was done?

 

No I am with everybody else on this one. It makes no sense at all for Poirot to do that.

 

Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

Yes very enjoyable.

 

Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

 

I would recommend the book to anybody. I think Agatha Christie must have had a really great clever mind to write a story like that which shows everything at the same time as keeping things hidden and tricking the reader!

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Who was your favourite Character?

My favourite character was Dr Sheppard himself, until the end anyway. He seemed a nice genuine man, a pillar of the community. I guess I would make a terrible detective.

 

Ah but if you were a detective you would also be able to see his body language. The book being told from his point of view was so you could only see his way of thinking which was deflect any suspicions away from him.

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This was just like me, at one time or the other I suspected all of them, eventually I settled on Raymond. I was elated when anything happened which placed him in a guilty light. During the reunion he got quite shirty and argumentative and I thought that was a sure sign of his guilt. I had practically written my victory speech and was a bit miffed to have to abandon it but not for long, the twist was just so audacious you couldn't help but admire it.

 

I think thats the beauty of Christies writing in that I could be anyone. I also think if you were to re-read any of her books years after you first read them you would probably still suspect all the same people again even though you should remember who did it.

 

My only complaint with AC books so far is that she always introduces so many characters early on that I have to keep pen and paper beside me to make little notes to remind me who is who and how they are connected. I have just started "And Then There Were None" and I am already confused with all the people.

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What I love about Agatha Christie is that with a few exceptions (Death in the Clouds, Murder on the Orient Express and now possibly this one because it was sucha shock I can't imagine I'll forget!) if I pick up a book I've read before I don't remember who did it so I can read and enjoy it fully again!

 

Wierd because I usually remember stuff like that and it's not that she writes badly - I've really enjoyed each book of hers that I've read....

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Who was your favourite Character?

My favourite character was Dr Sheppard himself, until the end anyway. He seemed a nice genuine man, a pillar of the community. I guess I would make a terrible detective.

Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

I liked all the bits with Poirot and Sheppard together the best.

This is interesting, you're the first not to choose Caroline. I wonder if, from a male perspective, she's just a bit too much of a nosy parker. I didn't mind that trait in her, I probably recognised a bit of myself in it, not that I would ever be so outrageously nosy but I would most definitely be speculating (and getting it all wrong) but for men though that sort of behaviour is probably a bit tiresome. I quite liked the doctor, I thought he was a bit dismissive of Caroline at times but then, in hindsight, he would be wouldn't he? In actual fact it's a wonder he wasn't more cross with her for meddling, but then he was probably enjoying all her wild theories.

 

My only complaint with AC books so far is that she always introduces so many characters early on that I have to keep pen and paper beside me to make little notes to remind me who is who and how they are connected. I have just started "And Then There Were None" and I am already confused with all the people.

I do this sometimes, though I was ok with this book. I had to do it with AS Byatt's 'The Childrens Book' .. hadn't a clue who anyone was in that for ages. It's even more important in crime novels though to commit everyone to memory. I suspect it's one of their ways of bamboozling the reader .. introduce so many characters that the reader can't give their attention to anyone in particular.

 

What I love about Agatha Christie is that with a few exceptions (Death in the Clouds, Murder on the Orient Express and now possibly this one because it was sucha shock I can't imagine I'll forget!) if I pick up a book I've read before I don't remember who did it so I can read and enjoy it fully again!

 

Wierd because I usually remember stuff like that and it's not that she writes badly - I've really enjoyed each book of hers that I've read....

That's encouraging :) I'm really looking forward to reading more by her. I would read this one again just because knowing the outcome should give me a completely different perspective on each event. But obviously they'll be no surprise at the end (unless my memory is even worse than I think :o)

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This is interesting, you're the first not to choose Caroline. I wonder if, from a male perspective, she's just a bit too much of a nosy parker. I didn't mind that trait in her, I probably recognised a bit of myself in it, not that I would ever be so outrageously nosy but I would most definitely be speculating (and getting it all wrong) but for men though that sort of behaviour is probably a bit tiresome. I quite liked the doctor, I thought he was a bit dismissive of Caroline at times but then, in hindsight, he would be wouldn't he? In actual fact it's a wonder he wasn't more cross with her for meddling, but then he was probably enjoying all her wild theories.

 

 

 

I think you are right it is a male perspective thing poppyshake. It wasn't that I didn't like Caroline, she was harmless and entertaining but also sort of irrelevant. I do think that whole olde English set up is very strange where unmarried siblings end up living together and everybody has servants; it is very funny. Although that last staement was nothing to do with what you were talking about, sorry :D

Edited by vodkafan
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What was everyone's view of the 'An evening at Mah Jong' chapter? I was really amused by it but it irritated Alan half to death (after a couple of pages he thought it became laboured). I don't know the game all that well so I wasn't sure what they were on about half the time but I thought it was clever. Stuff like .. 'I'll pung that green dragon' and 'it's a sign of weakness to chow so early' :D :mrgreen: and all the while carrying on a conversation about the murder.

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I think you are right it is a male perspective thing poppyshake. It wasn't that I didn't like Caroline, she was harmless and entertaining but also sort of irrelevant. I do think that whole olde English set up is very strange where unmarried siblings end up living together and everybody has servants; it is very funny. Although that last staement was nothing to do with what you were talking about, sorry :D

It is odd and something that used to be quite common (the unmarried siblings living together bit.) I think people were a lot more family orientated back then .. men especially felt an obligation to look after their unmarried sisters. Does anyone have servants now except for the aristocracy? (no, we just have dishwashers/washing machines/tumble driers and microwaves :D) I used to long to live in Jane Austens time until I realised that I would have been slopping out bedpans :(

 

Although that last staement was nothing to do with what you were talking about, sorry :D

That's ok because I'm allowing 'wandering off' on this thread. I'd have to ban myself otherwise :D

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What was everyone's view of the 'An evening at Mah Jong' chapter? I was really amused by it but it irritated Alan half to death (after a couple of pages he thought it became laboured). I don't know the game all that well so I wasn't sure what they were on about half the time but I thought it was clever. Stuff like .. 'I'll pung that green dragon' and 'it's a sign of weakness to chow so early' :D :mrgreen: and all the while carrying on a conversation about the murder.

 

The Mah Jong chapter worked well for me I thought it was amusing and flowed well enough, I didn't find it a sticking point; in fact there were no "sticky bits" for me in the book which stopped me reading.

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The Mah Jong chapter worked well for me I thought it was amusing and flowed well enough, I didn't find it a sticking point; in fact there were no "sticky bits" for me in the book which stopped me reading.

 

It had the opposite effect with me. I thought it was a waste of time and that I had either missed the point and it was actually telling us something that I didn't pick up on or it was just to add a piece of everyday-ness into the book.

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My memory (especially for details in books) is rubbish these days, so I was pleased with my result.

 

You scored: 1244 / 1500

 

You scored 14 questions correct on your first try.

You have earned 207 FunTrivia points for this quiz.

The average score for this quiz: 11 / 15

I got question 12 wrong - it was a toss up between two and I went for the wrong one the first time!

 

Good fun - thanks for the link. :)

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Hi all

I don't want to read thru previous posts yet . I'm working my way through the book ,so don't want to read any spoilers. I'm never good at figuring out the WHODUNNITS,so the crime has happened, but I am clueless as to who the bad guy is .

Will wait til I'm done to go back to the beginning of the posts to respond more.

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Oh the shame - 11 answers correct! Three of the ones I got wrong I swithered between two answers and picked the wrong one of the two, the one I didn't pick being correct

 

DOH!

 

Publish date I had no clue about

 

And as for the mah-jong chapter, I loved it - but that's possibly because it brought back happy memories of playing it with my family when I was a kid.

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1- Who was your favourite character?

Probably Caroline, because she was such a yakker. I like to yak a lot too,so I guess I could relate to her .

 

2- Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest

I guess I'd have to say the end when they tell the rest of the story . I'm never good at figuring out mysteries ahead of time, but it had slipped through my mind that it might turn out the way it did .

 

3- Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author/has it encouraged you to read more?

No, I read a few others a long time ago. I think my favorite so far has been "Ten Little indians" or I've also heard it called " And Then There Were None .

 

4- Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

I guess in the beginning when they first started bringing all the characters in,it was hard to remember who was who .

 

5- What were your thoughts about Poirot?

He sounded like a very cute little dude,and very good at putting all the pieces together to figure out who the guilty party was .

 

6- Did you work out whodunnit, who was on your suspect list?

As I said above, that person had crossed my mind,but so had everyone else. I'm never able to figure mysteries out .

 

7- In hindsight, were there clues early on as to the guilt of Dr Sheppard?

I really didnt see anything until close to the end .

 

8- Do you feel justice was done?

Well, I guess the guilty person kinda chose their own way to punish themselves . I wondered how the remaining family member was afterwards . ( Sorry, trying not to give anything away in case someone else reads this before finishing .

 

9- Overall was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

I'd say it was ok .... I'm not a huge mystery fan,but it was easy to read and not a struggle.

 

10- Would you recommend the book and if so to whom?

 

I'd recommend Christie to anyone who likes mysteries. She is a good writer and good at describing the characters ..

Edited by julie
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