What did everyone think the worst Poirot novel was? I haven't read too many so I can't really choose yet but I've heard that The Big Four, The Clocks and Third Girl aren't great. Thoughts?
My personal least favourite Poirot is Dead Man's Folly. I just didn't like any of the characters (except Poirot and Mrs Oliver). I liked the idea of a fake murder turning out to be real but that was all.
The other least favourite is The Big Four. The main problem for me, is that it's very unlike a Poirot. It goes at a faster pace. Instead of sitting in his chair, Poirot is running after criminals and avoiding explosions. The book might be bearable if it had different characters. Maybe if she'd used the ones in Chimneys, it may have been better. But saying that, it was never going to be a great book.
My least favorite is The Big Four. For exactly the same reasons that MissQuinn wrote in her post. It's very unlikely for Poirot to be so...active. I always thought that Sherlock Holmes was the activist and Poirot the thinker. It really isn't suitable for him to run around trying to avoid explosions. And what is more, I think that there is too much happening in this book. Too much of everything except the mystery it self.
The Identity of No 4 is revealed too quickly, and is that the book with Achilles? that is an iodea Agatha Christie had that turned out to not as good as the expectation, I think it has some good chapters and would have been better of as a book of short stories, Agatha Christie could do an Episodic Novel but with this was not good, but not the worst book with Poirot, That in my view was Murder In Mesopotamia Most of the Characters were week, and The subject matter was not to my taste, It might have been ore sitable for Poirot but It stops me thinking The Big Four is the worst Poirot Book.
I didn't like Cat Among The Pigeons the first time I read it. But I warmed towards it the second time.
But I found even the very worst Poirot story is readable and has some good points. In The Big Four spoilers!!! I did like the idea of Poirot using a cigarette to escape death, it's so ironic! But the adaption has Poirot half running half shuffling in his tight shoes, out of the exploding building, it's quite funny. If it was intentional or not, I don't know...
I think it is Third Girl. The ending (the solution of the crime) is unconvincing. Although I like all Poirot's books, I think this one is the weak one. I think The Big Four is very "unPoirot", but I enjoyed reading.
Critically, the worst would have to be "Elephants Can Remember" - rambling, overlong and very easy to figure out. This one would have come out much slicker has Christie's editors taken the book in hand.
Probably my least favourite would be "Murder In Mesopotamia" - quite a clever method but wholly implausible situation - could the victim really be deceived in such a way? And "The Hollow" - I know it's quite well received by fans but it left me cold. But then it's probably one of those that didn't need Poirot.
What did everyone think the worst Poirot novel was? I haven't read too many so I can't really choose yet but I've heard that The Big Four, The Clocks and Third Girl aren't great. Thoughts?
I can agree with "The Big Four' but I strongly disagree with 'The Clocks' (it can be listed in the top 5 greatest novels starring Hercule Poirot) and slightly with "Third Girl' as it is uselessly extended.
Technically, the worst Poirot novel is Elephants can remember. Of course it was also the second to last book Christie ever wrote, when her health declined. So it's understandable. But my least favourite is The Big Four.
I just finished reading the Big Four and I actually quite enjoyed it, but I agree, it probably doesn't suit Poirot. Maybe she could have made it a T&T or something.
Oddly enough Poirot books that I don't like can be turned into great adaptations.
I''m in the minority of people who really like Third Girl. Most people think of Poirot as being in the 20's and 30's so the book being set in the 60's takes it Poirot of his comfort zone.
I think they turned into great adaptations because we were not expecting too much and in their cases the changing couldn't make any bad, I suppose. The books are not so intriguing as the rest of A.C work. So the changings only made the movies better.
I have read only 9 of Poirot's books , Cats AMONG The Pigeons is the worst of the lot IMO. It was really slow & the characters were not attractive enuff .
I have read only 9 of Poirot's books , Cats AMONG The Pigeons is the worst of the lot IMO. It was really slow & the characters were not attractive enuff .
Interesting criteria for determining whether a book is good or not - the attractiveness of the characters :P
For me, it's the Big Four. As various other people have said, I never imagined Poirot so active! I thought that it was TOO fast paced because there was a second murder straight after the first without explaining it! In the end, I thought the idea of having an electric chess board was far-fetched and didn't really enjoy it.
The other one that I wasn't so pleased about was The Mystery of the Blue Train... SPOILERS!!!! I liked the idea that Ruth and Caroline swapped rooms, and there were some eccentric and suspicious characters in it, but it was still a little far fetched and unrealistic.
I have read only 9 of Poirot's books , Cats AMONG The Pigeons is the worst of the lot IMO. It was really slow & the characters were not attractive enuff .
Interesting criteria for determining whether a book is good or not - the attractiveness of the characters :P
For me, the characters matters a lot. It gives me a feel of the situation, as if I'm present there silently observing em. Hence I judge a book on its plot & characters involved. In each of the book I've read , I secretly admired & rooted for on of the characters, expecting him/her to come clean.
Oddly enough Blue train isn't least favourites ,even if Ac herself hated it. I felt it was much much better than what I expected. The only thing that felt wrong was the end. Such an expected pairing off of characters annoyed me.
I have read only 9 of Poirot's books , Cats AMONG The Pigeons is the worst of the lot IMO. It was really slow & the characters were not attractive enuff .
Interesting criteria for determining whether a book is good or not - the attractiveness of the characters :P
"attractive" can mean appealing and not just if the book contains characters who are good looking.
Oddly enough Blue train isn't least favourites ,even if Ac herself hated it. I felt it was much much better than what I expected. The only thing that felt wrong was the end. Such an expected pairing off of characters annoyed me.
I have read only 9 of Poirot's books , Cats AMONG The Pigeons is the worst of the lot IMO. It was really slow & the characters were not attractive enuff .
Interesting criteria for determining whether a book is good or not - the attractiveness of the characters :P
"attractive" can mean appealing and not just if the book contains characters who are good looking.
I agree with you, MissQuin. The book is fine, but end isn't quite right. I don't know, but when I finished the book something bothers me about the ending.I think it could be a different murderer or maybe the way is was done. But I like this book and the short story.
I can't figure out why I didn't like the end of blue train. I think that one of the murderers seemed a little implausible. But then again the murder In Mesopotamia is implausible but I still enjoyed it.
I must say that I didn't like Five little pigs. I didn't like the investigation . Spoilers!!! While reading everyone's essay I noticed that everyone was telling the same thing. It was so boring. I wouldn't be so boring if it wast no a murder in retrospect but a murder in the present.
I'm not keen on Third Girl, but it has been such a long time since I read it that I wonder if I might enjoy it more now.
I know that the Big Four is one that appears on lots of people's lists of least-liked Poirots. Inexplicably, I love the book. I find it thrilling and exciting, and that is even having read it so many times that I know exactly what is going to happen. Yet I come back to it time and time again.
Comments
And what is more, I think that there is too much happening in this book. Too much of everything except the mystery it self.
The Identity of No 4 is revealed too quickly, and is that the book with Achilles? that is an iodea Agatha Christie had that turned out to not as good as the expectation, I think it has some good chapters and would have been better of as a book of short stories, Agatha Christie could do an Episodic Novel but with this was not good, but not the worst book with Poirot, That in my view was Murder In Mesopotamia Most of the Characters were week, and The subject matter was not to my taste, It might have been ore sitable for Poirot but It stops me thinking The Big Four is the worst Poirot Book.
It has got a slow pace and the plot is like some rotten detective novel.
Critically, the worst would have to be "Elephants Can Remember" - rambling, overlong and very easy to figure out. This one would have come out much slicker has Christie's editors taken the book in hand.
Probably my least favourite would be "Murder In Mesopotamia" - quite a clever method but wholly implausible situation - could the victim really be deceived in such a way? And "The Hollow" - I know it's quite well received by fans but it left me cold. But then it's probably one of those that didn't need Poirot.
Interesting criteria for determining whether a book is good or not - the attractiveness of the characters :P
For me, it's the Big Four. As various other people have said, I never imagined Poirot so active! I thought that it was TOO fast paced because there was a second murder straight after the first without explaining it! In the end, I thought the idea of having an electric chess board was far-fetched and didn't really enjoy it.
The other one that I wasn't so pleased about was The Mystery of the Blue Train... SPOILERS!!!! I liked the idea that Ruth and Caroline swapped rooms, and there were some eccentric and suspicious characters in it, but it was still a little far fetched and unrealistic.
I agree with you, MissQuin. The book is fine, but end isn't quite right. I don't know, but when I finished the book something bothers me about the ending.I think it could be a different murderer or maybe the way is was done. But I like this book and the short story.
I'm not keen on Third Girl, but it has been such a long time since I read it that I wonder if I might enjoy it more now.
I know that the Big Four is one that appears on lots of people's lists of least-liked Poirots. Inexplicably, I love the book. I find it thrilling and exciting, and that is even having read it so many times that I know exactly what is going to happen. Yet I come back to it time and time again.