Hercule Poirot Fans Anyone????

[ycr007]

Hello Guys,

Are there any Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple's Fans over here.Well,I am a BIG fan of Agatha Christie and I own all the Hercule Poirot books She has Written.There are Numerous groups on the net dedicated to Agatha Christie and i am a member (as well as founding-member) of many.If there are any Hyderabadis who Drool on Agatha Christie's books,you can post and we can discuss our Favourites and Dislikes.

[Habitual Perfectionist]

I'm not really a Hercule Poirot or an Agatha Christie fan here but I do like the character Poirot. One of my favourite detectives. If only Agatha could have been a trifle faster in her writing style. Too slow and dragging.

[CtrlAltDel]

If only Agatha could have been a trifle faster in her writing style. Too slow and dragging.

exactly my sentiment. i did start reading a few of her novels in school, but quickly grew tired of them. same with Sherlock Holmes stories...

[The Jackal]

same with Sherlock Holmes stories...

Come on Sherlock Holmes novels were simply awesome .I fell in love with it from the first short story.Poirot was also nice but as you guys said it was too slow.

[malakpetmasala]

If only Agatha could have been a trifle faster in her writing style. Too slow and dragging.

exactly my sentiment. i did start reading a few of her novels in school, but quickly grew tired of them. same with Sherlock Holmes stories...

that was the whole concept. to be slow. Agatha first created a character and wrote stuff to fit in. and one thing is thaty both these character are pretty old. and i think all the stories just fit in with the character perfectly.

My Fav: Murder of Ackroyd (been a while, not sure if thats whats the original name is)

[CtrlAltDel]

Come on Sherlock Holmes novels were simply awesome

i agree they are good n intelligently crafted, but for sustaining interest i need some pace and action too. btw IMO, Holmes was better than any of Agatha's creations...

[Prince of Darkness]

I agree with malakpetmasala.

How strange...when I saw the thread, the first thing I wanted to say was that one of my faves was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Then when I saw the statements about how slow the books were, I wanted to say exactly what mm said..

It is meant to be that way. These books were written when there was little else for entertainment other than reading. People had a LOT more time, and all they wanted was a book that would engage them. Of course, some books are better than others (some ARE slow, even by those standards), but by and large, Poirot novels are delicious!

[Prince of Darkness]

Come on Sherlock Holmes novels were simply awesome

i agree they are good n intelligently crafted, but for sustaining interest i need some pace and action too. btw IMO, Holmes was better than any of Agatha's creations...

Yeah, the stories are very good reads - especially the long novellas. And Holmes' deductions seem to always seem so brilliant and breathtaking. But the key to a good mystery is to give the reader every clue to figure it out themselves, like AC does.

But if you analyse Holmes stories closely, u realise the reader is not given all the info to make the deductions himself. Holmes almost always has some insider knowledge which is crucial in the deduction and seems like magic when the final result is shown. This is why I rate Agatha Christie higher in terms of mystery writers.

As pure characters, I think both Holmes and Poirot have equal pull and idiosyncrasies to make them intriguing and engaging. Not much to choose between them...

[ycr007]

But if you analyse Holmes stories closely, u realise the reader is not given all the info to make the deductions himself. Holmes almost always has some insider knowledge which is crucial in the deduction and seems like magic when the final result is shown. This is why I rate Agatha Christie higher in terms of mystery writers.
As pure characters, I think both Holmes and Poirot have equal pull and idiosyncrasies to make them intriguing and engaging. Not much to choose between them...

Those were exactly my thoughts when i was a voracious reader of Both Christie n Conan Doyle.But as i grew older,i felt the language used by christie was much more intense and captivating whereas Conan Doyle's English was very much Medeival and Queenish.



Both the detectives' deductions were simple to understand once they explain their processes but Holmes' was much more secretive than Poirot IMO.In many Stories,Holmes would Thrust a loaf of bread into his tweed coat and go on an unexplained sojourn only to return with the Solution.Whereas Poirot would mull over the facts in his arm chair or while Buiding a house of cards.



If you've observed closely,Many of Poirot's deductions were an indirect result of Hastings' silly statements.But I don't recall any Holmes' case where Dr.Watson Provided the breakthrough.



Now that we've talked abt Christie & Conan Doyle,What abt the other authors??Does anyone here read Robert Ludlum,Frederick Forsyth,Erle Stanley Gardner,Alistair Maclean,Sidney Sheldon ????

[malakpetmasala]

sorry, I just read Huxley.

[CtrlAltDel]

Does anyone here read Robert Ludlum,Frederick Forsyth,Erle Stanley Gardner,Alistair Maclean,Sidney Sheldon ????

*raises hand....*

all of above except Gardner and Maclean

[Sharjeel]

all of above except Gardner and Maclean

Same here. Tho i dun read a lot fiction.

[azazel]

have read just one Poirot novella, Poirot's Last Case or somethin it was called. really liked it, very intelligently written n explained. not much of a Holmes fan either, tho i do agree with PoD on the comparitive deduction of the crime.



p.s: if u wanna talk abt other authors/books, chk the other threads

[Habitual Perfectionist]

Now that we've talked abt Christie & Conan Doyle,What abt the other authors??Does anyone here read Robert Ludlum,Frederick Forsyth,Erle Stanley Gardner,Alistair Maclean,Sidney Sheldon ????

My thoughts on the authors mentioned.



Ludlum : Liked the Bourne trilogy. Picked up The Icarus Agenda & The Apocalypse Watch. found both of them boring as a dead village. That was the end of Ludlum for me. but some FHites recommended some other books. Let's see.



Forsyth : My favourite. Works magic with the political thriller genre. Has a deep insight into the workings of Special Forces and intelligence agencies which makes his fiction so make-believe. My top recommendation any day.



Gardner : Perry Mason was one of my favourite reads in school. Gardner made some wonderful characters in Mason, Della Street, Paul Drake & my favourite, Hamilton Burger. A good light read anyday.



Alistair Maclean : Another of my school reads. I liked his Guns of Navarrone, Where Eagles Dare and HMS Ulysses. Taut style of writing and very crisp.



Sidney Sheldon : Liked only his first couple of novels. That was it. Enough said.