Appointment With Agatha discussion

A new month, a new novel. Enjoy!

Is it Poirot's ,the name sounds spooky

Mansi wrote: "Is it Poirot's ,the name sounds spooky"


It is a Poirot. I'm 25% through it. Not at all spooky. A puzzle book linked to the nursery rhyme:

Hickory, dickory, dock,
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock

She really enjoyed using nursery rhymes in her books, didn't she? 🐀🐀🐀

Wanda wrote: "She really enjoyed using nursery rhymes in her books, didn't she? 🐀🐀🐀"

Yes, and I'm reading this thinking "What has a mouse and a clock got to do with anything?" which is probably exactly what she intended.

Yes she wrote a few books with titles and references to rhymes.
How can we forget "And then there were none" which was totally based on the rhyme.

And One, Two, Buckle My Shoe and A Pocket Full of Rye. It must have been fun for her to find ways to incorporate them in the novels.

and Five little pigs...

My book cover says Hickory Dickory Death

Jessica wrote: "My book cover says Hickory Dickory Death"

That's the US title. It was published by Dodd, Mead abd Company in the US, not Collins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickory...

Mike wrote: "Jessica wrote: "My book cover says Hickory Dickory Death"

That's the US title. It was published by Dodd, Mead abd Company in the US, not Collins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickory......"

Interesting! That's the copy I will be reading maybe with a little assistance by Hugh Fraser.

You can't go wrong with Hugh 😂

Finished Hickory, Dickory, Dock yesterday, the first Christie mystery I’ve read in a few years. I had forgotten how great they are.

Even though they are dated, I really liked the way she depicted the unique personalities of each of the hostel residents. I thought they were particularly authentic for the 1950s.

I actually finished this one at the end of July, so I'm ahead (for once). I enjoy this one, but some of Agatha's xenophobia is on display here, especially with her depiction of Mrs. Nicoletis and the African students, which were sometimes cringeworthy to my modern sensibilities.

I love Miss Lemon and her sister, though. I am always delighted whenever we get to interact with Miss Lemon and wish that Agatha had used her more prolifically. She's not quite up to the standard of Ariadne Oliver, but I still love getting glimpses of her.

I loved this one. I was intrigued by the setting of a student hostel. Poriot had a very limited role in this one.

Wanda wrote: "A new month, a new novel. Enjoy!"

My first with the group! :-)

Nice to have you join us! I'm enjoying it, but I about a quarter done.

I still haven't started. I ordered it but I think it's disappeared in the post!! Wouldn't be the first time.

Another enjoyable - if cringey - read. I hope to see Christie evolve out of her racism, but maybe the 1950s were too early for that.

I must say I was disappointed with how little the nursery rhyme contributed to the plot. Nigel doesn't even mumble his version of it until 70% of the way through!

I'm just wondering about the very end. I don't think it's a spoiler but I'm gonna put it in spoilers anyway... (view spoiler)[Poirot learns that Mrs Hubbard is going on a cruise and wonders if possibly... but then decides that nothing could induce him to take a sea voyage. Did he have a romantic interest in Mrs Hubbard? Because if so, I wasn't picking up on it. (hide spoiler)]

Jessica wrote: "I'm just wondering about the very end. I don't think it's a spoiler but I'm gonna put it in spoilers anyway... [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[Poirot has never had a romantic interest in anyone in his entire life, Kenneth Branaugh's horrifying characterization notwithstanding. He is entirely avuncular and asexual. (hide spoiler)]

Finally started today! Don't remember much about this one.

I'm enjoying this but I don't understand the connection with the nursery rhyme. Other than the road being called Hickory, I don't see anything else to tie them in.

I'll be starting this today or tomorrow. I'm interested in the fact that a few of you have mentioned only a very loose connection for the title of the book. I wonder if there's any commentary on this by Agatha anywhere or by critics/reviewers?

Kelly wrote: "I'll be starting this today or tomorrow. I'm interested in the fact that a few of you have mentioned only a very loose connection for the title of the book. I wonder if there's any commentary on th..."

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hickory...
cites a couple of contemporary reviews that are not very complimentary about the book or the fit to the nursery rhyme.
I've quoted them below but taken out a spoiler about the plot.

"Robert Barnard: "A significant falling-off in standards in this mid-'fifties story. A highly perfunctory going-through-the-paces: the rhyme has no meaning within the story; the plot (xxxxxxxxxxx) is unlikely in the extreme; and the attempt to widen the range of character types (Africans, Indians, students of Freud etc.) is far from successful.

Evelyn Waugh's diary records that it 'began well' but deteriorated 'a third of the way through into twaddle' – a judgment which, unusually for him, erred on the side of charity."

I wasn't a fan of this one. Her older books really are better!

I set this aside at 52%.

Here's my (short) review

https://mikefinnsfiction.com/2024/08/...

Mike wrote: "I set this aside at 52%.

Here's my (short) review

https://mikefinnsfiction.com/2024/08/..."

Good review of what you read Mike. You can only say what you think. Other than the racism I'm quite enjoying it so far but I'm not halfway in yet!

On the bright side, next month's Dead Man's Folly is a far better book (at least in my opinion).

Yes I do like that one.

Mike wrote: "I set this aside at 52%.

Here's my (short) review

https://mikefinnsfiction.com/2024/08/..."


Thank you for the resources!

I think I'm still going to give this a go and see what happens. Your website is fantastic!

Kelly wrote: "Mike wrote: "I set this aside at 52%.

Here's my (short) review

https://mikefinnsfiction.com/2024/08/......"

Thank you!

I am 50% through. I quite like it. I've found it engaging and interesting. The setting of a student hostel is fun, although with the number of characters, they easily run together in my mind. I actually made a character list to try to help this!

The racist descriptions and commentary is off-putting for sure.

I also do agree about the attempt to widen the character types being unsuccessful. It's easy to see through it. I have listened to the audio a bit as well and the narrator is talented in speaking in many accents. Some of them, idk, sound kind of insincere and too clownish, however.

I finished. 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the mystery a lot. I thought the plot was interesting and the setting was my favorite part. Because of the awkwardness of the racial stereotypes I dropped this a few stars. In our modern, progressive sensibilities, this is definitely off-putting and more than cringy, making it a difficult part of the read.

The title controversy -- ;-) I thought the title was clever enough, since the hostel was on Hickory Road. Poirot does (view spoiler)[quote the nursery rhyme at the very end, but it was probably too little too late. Nigel did quote another nursery rhyme in the middle of the book as did Inspector Sharpe (right?) When Nigel did so, it made me suspect him. It seemed too ironic. (hide spoiler)]

Kelly wrote: "I finished. 3/5 stars. I enjoyed the mystery a lot. I thought the plot was interesting and the setting was my favorite part. Because of the awkwardness of the racial stereotypes I dropped this a fe..."

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I enjoyed it up to a point but then felt it dipped. It kind of went around in circles. I also found it hard to follow all the characters there were so many students in the hostel. Not her best but I'm glad I read it.

@Mike thanks!

@Teresa Good point about it going around in circles. It did do that somewhat. And I agree 100% about the number of characters. The hostel could have used about 5-6 less people!