A Pocket Full of Rye discussion: Finished? Post here!

[Caryl]

This thread is for sharing our thoughts after we finish A Pocket Full of Rye. What did you think of this Agatha Christie mystery? Here are a few questions you can answer if you like:


Who were your favorite characters?
Did you enjoy the plot? What parts of the plot were unexpected for you?
What did you think of Christie's writing style?


It also might be fun to compare notes now from our first thread (http://www.storknotes.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4420) and see if any of our predictions were correct!

[k-mom]

I have to preface this post by saying that I am not a big fan of the Murder Mystery genre and this was my first Agatha Christie book. I thought that this book was a very easy read, but I don't think that it is that great of a book. I am enjoying A Murder is Announced much more.

My favorite character was Ms. Ramsbottom, a no-nonsense, intelligent, mature, older woman. Though she was a little extreme spiritually.

The plot was okay. I enjoyed the whole nursery rhyme bit. I didn't expect Adele to be murdered, as I thought that she was the murderess. Lance also had me charmed as he did everyone else in the book.

Christie's writing style is very easy to follow, and a quick read, which is something that I enjoy once in awhile. But, I don't think that I would recommend this book. Sorry all you Agatha Christie fans.

[Jer]

Well, I am a fan of Dame Agatha-- mainly for her generally-unpredicatable twist endings. (For the absolute zenith of her career in that regard, see "Witness for the Prosecution" and 'Murder on the Orient Express'!!) I enjoyed this book-- but I will agree that it's not one of her absolute best. Still, there were plenty of twists, and I enjoyed it.

Honestly, Lance was my first suspect-- the black sheep must be that for a reason, right? But I couldn't see any way for him to have done it-- he wasn't there when Rex was murdered, and his train hadn't arrived when Adele was killed (or so we thought). So I rejected him in favor of Mary Dove (blackbird-->Dove). I figured she must have been the MacKenzie girl-- but, surprise! It was Jennifer Fortescue!

That's what I love about Christie. She unabashedly throws in whatever coincidences and chance occurrences she thinks will work.

Heather-- if you like 'A Murder is Announced,' you might consider giving a couple more of Christie's novels a chance. 'Murder on the Orient Express,' a Hercule Poirot book, is excellent. 'Death Comes as the End' is another of my favorites-- set in ancient Egypt. 'Sleeping Murder' is Miss Marple's last case, and another great one.

Anyway, I love Agatha Christie-- her books are always fun. Can't wait to see what others think!

:D

[k-mom]

Thanks for the recommendations, Jer. I will give her another try w/one of the books that you mentioned:)

[Caryl]

Heather, I agree with Jer that this is not one of Christie's best. I enjoyed it, but you should definitely try another. (I'm glad you're enjoying A Murder Is Announced, by the way!)

I've read Murder on the Orient Express (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0425173755/ref=nosim/storknet00 ); I think that would be a great one to try. The movie is excellent, too! Hercule Poirot is a wonderful character.

I'll be back to post more of my thoughts on this book soon. :)

[Caryl]

Okay, I just re-read our posts on the predictions thread, and I am laughing at myself. Just after I posted my last note there, I turned the page and read the end of that chapter. Miss Marple said, "Nope, Caryl, you're way off. Pat does know the killer, and she knows him very well..."

I did find the Africa connection interesting enough to post about!

Who were your favorite characters?

I really liked Pat; even though I didn't really like Lance, I wanted him to be good because she was with him, and she deserved someone good.

Did you enjoy the plot? What parts of the plot were unexpected for you?

I always enjoy Christie's plots, trying to predict how she will surprise me! See the predictions thread for how she surprised me. ;)

What did you think of Christie's writing style?

I enjoy her books because they are quick and I love the surprises. I also enjoy the settings.

I'm on to A Murder Is Announced now!

[SusanH]

I didn't think the novel had nearly enough Miss Marple in it! She seemed to just pop up long enough to neatly solve everything. I like her as a character and wanted to see more of her. All in all I enjoyed the novel, but I remember enjoying others more. However, I haven't read an Agatha Christie novel since I was a teenager, so it's hard for me to really compare.

Who were your favorite characters?
Definitely Miss Ramsbottom. She was funny, interesting and seemed to see everything from her room at the top of the house.

Did you enjoy the plot? What parts of the plot were unexpected for you?
The plot did keep me guessing. I fell for the "Mary Dove is Ruby" red herrings and really didn't suspect Lance. Looking back, I should have been more suspicious but I thought he had airtight alibis.

What did you think of Christie's writing style?
I thought this novel was a little clunkier than I remember her others being. Miss Marple's entrance was too forced (the detective was immediately happy to have her there, which seemed odd) and she played such a background role. I was actually a bit disappointed that she solved the crime - we had gotten to know Inspector Neele so well that I really wanted him to say, "Yes, I know all that" when she expounded her theory of the crime.

[Nancy]

I liked Pocket Full of Rye, but like the others here, it wasn't my favorite Agatha Christie book. It kept my interest and was a fun read, as I knew it would be. So for<b> her writing style</b> - it was good, but not her best.

I too, thought there should have been a little more Miss Marple. I thought she was welcomed into Miss Ramsbottom's apartment too easily or something. She just seemed to fit into the household too smoothly. I wanted to see a little more of her personality, as well. Okay, I wanted to see more of her in the book. I've enjoyed her in other books more.

I was completely surprised that it was Lance. I thought it was Mary Dove from the beginning, even when she was accused of being the MacKenzie daughter. I figured she was caught right there. Jer, I can't believe I didn't see the Dove/blackbird connection. LOL That's what happens when you read six pages before you fall asleep each night around midnight, huh?

<b>My favorite character</b> was definitely Miss Ramsbottom for all the reasons already listed here - especially her short tempered honesty. It would be fun to cast that character in a movie! I also liked the cook - can't think of her name and my book is upstairs. Poor thing was so frustrated with everyone. I liked Pat and I was worried about her. That should have been a clue, huh?

<b>I liked the plot</b> because it had a lot of twists and unexpected situations. Like Caryl mentioned somewhere, I could picture all these characters stuck in that house with all their agendas.

Very glad I read the book because I'm a huge fan of hers and now I can tuck this one under my belt too. But it wasn't one of my favorites. Yes, Orient Express may have been my favorite of all. :)

Nancy

[Nancy]

How did the rye get into his pocket? That went over my head...

Nancy

[k-mom]

Nancy,

I assumed that the maid who was in cahoots w/Lance placed the rye in his pocket.

[KariLynn]

I've always loved Agatha, and the Miss Marple books are my personal favorites. I agree that this mystery wasn't her best, but it was entertaining. I've always liked the presumption of Dame Agatha that people are people the world around, and people generally behave in certain ways according to human nature. Individuals tend to fall into categories and while it's dangerous to assume or over generalize, it's usually a good bet that they'll behave in a certain way.