I
have always wanted to read the Hercule Poirot series by Agatha
Christie for as long as I could remember. I couldn't because well
given the restless and compulsive reader I always have been, I
wouldn't have exercised self-control (as there are around 40 books in
the series- novels, not including the short stories), I made a
deliberate decision to forgo the series back in the days when I was
in school.
So,
in September, 2014- I bought a Kindle. I have already written about
it once before how I enjoyed reading on my Kindle, so I will not gush
about the pros and my Kindle experience again. So having bought a
Kindle, and having literally the world for an oyster, I vowed in 2014
that I would read the entire series and make up for the lost time.
The
year is over, and I am so happy that I am finished with the series. I
thoroughly enjoyed the experience of going through each book. Agatha
Christie is truly a literary genius. Good authors have this annoying
habit of often repeating themselves, but not Christie. She will give
you the slip at any point you feel cocky and try to get ahead of
yourself.
The
best thing about reading Agatha Christie is how Hercule Poirot would
say, “It's all about the victim, and the psychology”.
The
characters and the intricate plot is always so believable. Christie
in all her novels has always based the motive on the Seven Cardinal
Sins. The motive is always simple, the characters not so much. They
all exhibit shades of grey.
Much
like the criminals, even Hercule Poirot himself is not spared from
the fallacies of the human nature. In One, Two, Buckle my Shoes he is
shown to be someone who takes the high moral ground by preserving the
sanctity of life by putting behind the bars a man on whom the entire
stability of a nation depends- a man who professes to kill not for
himself, but for what he believes is patriotism. But in the Murder of
Orient Express, he lets go of the killer(s). Oops! Spoiler over
there! :)
Hercule
Poirot like his namesake- the Greek hero, is proud, vain and
patronizing. But he is acutely aware of his personality and
disposition which he himself reflects upon from time to time,
providing comic relief- along with Capt. Hastings, his valet, and
Poirot's own reflections on his socially awkward secretary.
Ideally,
a review of the entire series is supposed to follow. However, yours
truly has grown a lazy streak over the past year. I feel lazy when it
comes to writing, and honestly a lack of enthusiasm as well. But
given the stupendous effort which went behind this particular blog
entry, I will however list the absolute must reads from the series in
chronological order.
-
Murder of Roger Ackroyd
-
Lord Edgware Dies
-
Murder on the Orient Express
-
Three Act Tragedy
-
Murder in Mesopotamia
-
Cards on the Table
-
Dumb Witness
-
Sad Cypress
-
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
-
Evil Under the Sun
-
Five Little Pigs
-
Taken at the Flood
-
Mrs McGinty's Dead
-
After the Funeral
-
The Clocks
-
Elephants Can Remember
I
hope anyone who reads this write-up is inspired to take up the
series. I believe people immortalize themselves when they publish a
book in ink. However, very few of them are able to make a mark as
strong as Agatha Christie. The books are to survive any generation-
of that I am sure.
Happy
Reading!
