Unremarkable yet not unenjoyable
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While "Elephants Can Remember" isn't one of Christie's best efforts, it's done down by "The Cambridge Guide to Women's Writing in English" which claims that it is one of the "execrable last novels" where she "loses her grip altogether". Ariadne Oliver takes centre stage with sparkling aplomb. Christie clearly delights in writing her and as such her parts are always enjoyable to read. The early chapters, revolving around a literary party, are filled with what much surely be Christie's own observations and thoughts about the London literary scene, and are a great deal of fun.
I think what the plot *really* suffers from is a lack of suspects. There are certain elements one comes to expect from a Christie novel: a corpse, a collection of "flawless" alibis, and a set of would-be murderers, all of whom have a decent motive. "Elephants Can Remember" has the first two but not the third, and by the end I didn't feel as though Poirot had really pulled the rug out from under my feet. I didn't guess the ending but I was less than impressed by it. The plot is rather bitty as well: there's an odd running joke about dogs having ivory teeth which is dropped several chapters in, and the middle is taken up mainly with the narratives of several elderly ladies.
Still, it's fairly enjoyable, with a number of interesting (if rather bizarre) themes running through it - the hat/wig motif, for example. Overall quite an average book, less witty and more pensieve than its predecessors, which is worth giving a go if you're a Christie fan.
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'Great despite the age', says a relatively new Christie reader
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I first must say that as I write this review I have only read five Christie books. Those were 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd', 'The ABC Murders', 'One, Two, Buckle my shoe', 'After the Funeral' and 'Elephants Can Remember'. I must say firstly how much I have enjoyed reading these five books and how much I look forward to reading a sixth.
Elephants can remember has to be appreciated by all due to the age of the author at this point. I must say, that for all of the ideas Christie has put to paper, she still has some good ones even after almost eighty books.
Poirot is indeed and interesting and enjoyable character but I think that this is a book that belongs the Mrs. Oliver. She is another great detctive idea- not quite Japp or Hastings- but still good.
Elephants is all about remembering and I must say that it is pulled off well here. Despite his age, Poirot is charming right to the end of the series and here he continues in this trend.
All in all, I enjoyed Elephants very much. Christie seems to get all the details and always has a great twish in there somewhere. Elephants isn't quite The ABC Murders, but like all of the five, its still absolutely brilliant. As I write this, the book is currently only three stars. Thats just far to underated!
Finally, you can't fail to admire the closing line in the novel made by Mrs. Oliver.
Great stuff as always!
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Not one of Christie's best but still readable
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Poirot is a fantastic character and through his adventures Agatha Christie has transported millions of readers into a world of mystery and intrigue. However, in 'Elephants Can Remember' we are less transported and more dragged along on a whimsical trip down memory lane. After being informed of a 12 year old double suicide by an old friend Poirot decides to discover what really happened on that cliff so many years ago. As the evidence is not new enough Poirot uses a tactic different from most of his books and that is to interview those that may have known the people all those years ago. From the evidence gathered he has to determine whose memories are nearest and what really happened. Poirot is not in large sections of this book so it lacks the humour of his earlier books. Also it seems to lack direction and coherence that a more a traditional story would have. One for Agatha Christie completeists and not to be used as an introduction to her books.
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Quite a good read
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For the third time in Poirot's career, and this time with the help of Mrs Oliver, he finds himself dealing with a case that has happened many years ago. In this case the deaths of a retired general and his wife who seem to have died in a strange suicide pact - only there was no reason for it. This was the last Poirot novel Agatha Christie wrote, since "Curtain" been written many years before. And it feels like an eulogy to memory and to things past. It's not her best novel or even one which surprised me, since I guessed what had happened (and felt really happy because of it). But nevertheless is quite a good read, and I am sure other people will enjoy it as well.
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Disappointing beginning
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This book takes a long time to really get into - I was well over halfway through it before it sparked much interest, but when it did, the plot became fascinating. The ending was possible to guess, but it was still entertaining.
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