May 2014 Book of the Month: Sad Cypress

Tuppence

This month, we're celebrating Agatha Christie's work with poisons (in fiction, of course).

Sad Cypress is one example of this method, a novel in which Poirot defends the innocence of a young woman, who is condemned as a murderer by those around her. Elinor not only had the motive, but also the means, however Hercule Poirot insists that she is innocent until proven guilty.

What did you think of the novel? How does it compare to David Suchet's interpretation for the TV series?

Leave your thoughts, queries and questions here.

Tommy_A_Jones

It is an average book for me, I don't love it, I don't hate it, I will read it again but I wouldn't take it to a Desert Island with me, I don't look forward to reading it, I don't have a Grin from Ear to ear while reading it like I do with ABC Murders, Cards On The Table, The Clocks, Mrs McGinty's Dead, After The Funeral or Cat Among The Pigeons I feel fo this book what I feel for Hickory Dickory Dock, Five Little Pigs, One, Two Buckle My Shoe or The Hollow, but It isn't as good as The Hollow as It has no wit as far as I can see and I I wasn't that excited by the Plot.

youngmrquin

While I think it was a good story and very original in the way it was narrated, it certainly didn't hook me.

The plot is clever and well-developed, but I felt it just *dried* or *uninteresting*. I must admit I read it while I was in high school and maybe the fact that I used to be anxious to know who the murderer was didn't help, but this could have been told with less pages.

In my mind, I put this together with The Hollow, because they try to offer a classic who-did-it? with a deep character study. I find that in both cases the integration of both the mystery and its process of resolution and the psychological development is rather unsatisfactory. A complete contrast with very different books like After the Funeral, Five Little Pigs or even By the Pricking of my thumbs. With different styles of writing, plots and therefore levels of success in what they were trying to achieve, these three blend succesfully character development with storyline.

Finally, I find there were one or two possible plot holes near the end, but it's still too soon to debate about them. All in all, worse than some and better than many.

nzfan

In my top ten of Agatha Christie novels, it's been a favourite since I was young.  One of the reasons I love to read her books is that they take me to a place and time I would have loved to have lived in and Sad Cypress definitely does this for me.  I always enjoy the novels where this plot device is used - a character accused of a crime but there is some doubt to their guilt or a loved one cannot believe them guilty - such as Mrs McGintys Dead or Five Little Pigs and find the characterisation compelling. 

Tommy_A_Jones

SPOILER ALERT!!! It would have been Good if Agatha Christie had written a Book with this plot device where the person had done it I think, that would have been a good twist.

shifra.shomron

I really enjoyed Sad Cypress. Elinor is a believable character to me; AC presents her to us before, during and after the murder trial, and it's rare to get such a glimpse into a person's thoughts. I love it when Hercule Poirot is called upon to not only investigate a murder, but also play matchmaker. He's so wise! This novel keeps me in suspense up until the end - is Elinor guilty or not? If not her, than is her fiance the murderer? Yet he seems such a likable chap, even though he falls out of love with her and in love with another! I'm not sure that I like the solution finally presented as to the identity of the murderer. It seems, somehow, too fantastic. But the rest of the book more than makes up for that, at least for me.

Tommy_A_Jones

I didn't like the Fiance, he seems too flaky for me and he seems to be following the money, Elinor deserves better.

shifra.shomron

They have a very careful relationship. Elinor knows from the beginning that she loves him more than he loves her, and she's very careful not to appear clingy or needy or obsessive. He loves that about her, likes the distance between them - which shows that he's not aware how much she really does love him; she put on a good show! The money is important to the both of them, equally so, I think. Both were living at a higher rate than they could afford, because they had expectations. However, when Elinor is the one to inherit, and she offers money to him - he refuses to accept. He could have chosen otherwise! He also could have married her - she being the one with the money. If she remained in prison, or was killed, he could enjoy the spending of it... To his credit, he stuck with his decision. Luckily for her, and perhaps ironical, she found someone who loved her more than she - him. Tables reversed.

Mrs. McGillicuddyy

I really like this book, despite the fact that Poirot is not as prominent as in other books.  One question, maybe I read it too fast, but why did the nurse prick herself . . . because she poisoned the tea, which she also drank but gave herself the antidote?

tacobell

Yes, she injected herself with a drug that made her vomit up the morphine. Hence, why she looked so flush when Elinor came in.

shifra.shomron

So very clever. This way she didn't have to worry about drinking from the poisoned brew; she had a sure-fire way of getting the poison out of her system.

Sunsets

Maybe for some people it seems like a boring novel but what made it really interesting to me is the personal lives of the characters because they seem so real. I really liked it, not for a moment did I question the nurse

Sunsets

Elinor seems like a nice person actually. I think that doctor was a nice partner for her, sweeter and ten times better than Roderick will ever be

shifra.shomron

@Sunsets, I agree with your - I never doubted the nurse! Sometimes AC draws your attention to the nurse by having her exceptionally young or pretty. But here she seemed capable and everything a nurse should be! And yes, I liked the doctor. Though for him it's just love from first sight - I mean we never really understand what drew him to Elinor. It's not like he knew her, and when he first met her she was engaged. He must have just really been attracted to her. It seems that AC often makes her doctors really nice, charming guys (even if they happen to be the murderer, they're really charming...).

debaleena.mukherjee

Sad Cypress is a sensitive and informed novel. The suspense is definitely very good; but this novel has a poignancy that  goes beyond murder and detection. The main characters are caught in a welter of emotions that creates its own kind of struggle . Murder happens, yes! But the murder uncovers more than motives and manipulations. The victim's shadow never leaves the story. The drama of passion doesn't end with the murder. Elinor is not just angry; she is bewildered by Roddy's betrayal. Roddy is bewildered by his torment, and Mary is at the centre of it all. Is Mary as unaware as is supposed? Did she not harbor even the slightest desire to triumph over Elinor? Her death leaves these questions unanswered and she becomes some sort of a martyr. Elinor's character is one of AC's best creations. She is vulnerable, sophisticated, aloof,and above all a little too trusting. The plot has some fantastic twists and turns. However Poirot the psychologist is at his best. And one question has always exercised my understanding of the novel- does Elinor really achieve any closure , even at the end , when things go right for her? Could she really explain Roddy's change ? She accepted it , but did she really understand it?

shifra.shomron

It isn't often that "the good Lord" or Agatha Christie, give both looks and brains (and the two of them + riches - extremely rare!). For Mary to be so bewitching, is balanced by her being extremely simple. She's not clever, or sly enough to retain her village friends, nor is she able to move into a more cultivated society. It seems so akward - her leaving to become a nurse, before the trial is over and there are still loose ends, but for a long time she's been at a loose end. Becoming a nurse will help her form an identity. She doesn't even discover that the man she thought was her father, wasn't really related to her until she grows up. Another girl might have guessed earlier.
I'd like to think that Elinor does find closure and happiness. She's severe on herself but hopefully she'll learn to relax somewhat. I always thought she understood Roddy very much; it's what helped her hold on to him for as long as she did.

MissQuin

Sad Cypress is one of my favourite Poirot novels and I think it's unfairly underated. . The story works very well on a emotional level. There is a melancholy tone throughout most of the book which stems  from Elinor's feelings of jealousy, and hatred  and finally despair. Perhaps because of her complex nature, she  isn't as well liked as alot of AC's female lead chaceters. Yet she's like Jacqueline De Bellefort in many ways, because she loves someone so entirely, it  dominates her life. But whereas Jackie was openly emotional, Elinor keeps all her feelings inside, remaining impassive on the inside and it  torments her  inwardly.

I love the fact that there was a chance of a happy ending. 

I thought that the crime was so well executed. First the Nurse seemed to have no motive. Secondly the way she was able to take poison and inject herself was so cleverly done.  Agatha Christie's medical knowledge really hepled here.

Daphne

Was it ever revealed who wrote the anonymous letter? I thought it must be Mrs. Bishop, but I don't know if she would have been clever enough to disguise her class and education by such poor writing. My othe guess was Mary's father, motivated by spite against her.

anne.clough.3

Daphne said:

Was it ever revealed who wrote the anonymous letter? I thought it must be Mrs. Bishop, but I don't know if she would have been clever enough to disguise her class and education by such poor writing. My othe guess was Mary's father, motivated by spite against her.

I thought it was the murderer who wrote the letter.