Amani > Recent Status Updates

Finally got to the lead up of the ultimate conflict & damn, talk about the sins of our forefathers. This duology does such a good job of explaining the complexities of relationships and history for each of the main characters.
Also I find it hilarious that Ria is only now starting to realize that Virun cares about her. Like, girl, come on! He follows you cause he cares!

Smart idea to use Sir Percival’s secrets against him! Hartright seems to be a competent amateur detective/ adventurer. It’s a good plot hook that his time abroad gave him experience, though I’m not sure about using Marian’s dream as the means of describing his adventures.

Ok I now want to fight Count Fosco. The letter he sent Marian sealed the deal. It’s so fascinating because from external POVs, he’s charming and follows all social conventions, including doting on his jealous wife. Yet as Marian’s journal hints, he rules his wife completely. She doesn’t do anything without his approval and aids his efforts at obfuscation. I suppose £10,000 and spite also help motivate her

Right now I want to fight Frederick Fairlie (or rather slap some sense into him) and Sir Percival. I’m unsure how much I want to fight Count Fosco, which is so interesting and shows how well the narrative protects him, at least at this point in the story, from appearing as the villain I suspect him to be. For all that he is definitely the brains of the operation, I’m still unsure. Fascinating

Frederick Fairlie has been frustrating from the beginning due to his narcissistic invalidity, but becomes even more frustrating because he is absolutely failing to uphold his role as protector and guardian in every respect. I can totally see how this book shocked Victorian audiences, as it’s shocking me, though perhaps for different reasons. It was kinda slow, but the climax has fascinated me. I am utterly absorbed

Jack Ryder is such an absolute idiot, a great representation of a 20th century young American abroad. Despite being in Egypt for 2 years, he’s learned next to none of the Turkish cultural norms, keeping instead within the Anglo-European world of tourists and archeologists. His only friends in Cairo are a Scotsman and an American tourist. He flaunts social norms left & right and yet is rewarded! It’s infuriating.

“‘Charity begins at home.’ ‘So do mental cases’” Enjoying it so far, especially the historical references, but can talk that I’m going to be freaked out eventually. It’s doing a good job of emphasizing the different walks of life the characters are from within NYC. I especially enjoy the Harlem bits but am worried for Isaiah

I’ve already figured out that Karina Cordovan is Laura’s mother & Roach will immediately know that because she’s into true crime. Also I don’t like Roach. She’s very “I’m not like other girls” and Holden Caulfield-esque (everyone else are posers but not me)
Unsure if the bookseller who dies is Laura’s mum or Laura herself

I’m so excited. Wendell has a cat! A cait sidhe! Which makes perfect sense. Emily is a dog person because she herself is a cat, which is part of what draws Wendell to her.
It’s a good example of how Emily is an unreliable narrator, as she thinks she does everything logically, but then you have Rose as a scholarly foil, pointing out that she’s guided more by instinct than logic

I’ve just finished the first part. And I think Marya was foolish, but understandably so. She didn’t know to take the opportunities in front of her, since the only one looking out for her was Zvenka, who even then didn’t give her any information till it was too late. But I do think that her advice was sound, if Marya can manage to follow it

Pg 253: “Paul wondered at what thorough believers in mechanization most Americans were, even when their lives had been badly damaged by mechanization. The conductor’s plaint, like the lament of so many, wasn’t that it was unjust to take jobs from men and give them to machines, but that the machines didn’t do nearly as many human things as good designers could have made them do”

Ok, I’m feeling a bit more sympathetic towards Judith. Cause if Hastings was my father, I’d want him to but out of my business too. And the fact that he even considered murder is a lot.

For a sec it sounded like Poirot suspected Judith, but I think he’s more suspicious of the ppl I’ve been suspecting.

And I do think Poirot’s dying. Not sure if it’s just old age or if he’s also being poisoned.