Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)

I love this book for the memory it evokes:

Scene: 8th grade English class. The assignment, as it nearly always seemed to be in junior high, was to read a novel of my choice and present a book report to the class. I picked this book but did not read it. Instead, I made a ridiculous poster board with all kinds of crap on it as a visual aid (I know, right? I was one of "those" kids. I'm positive this poster board included feathers) and planned on pretending I had it done. This was primarily because I was last on the list of those who might go during Friday's class and I was pretty much banking on the other presenters going overtime so I could actually read the book over the weekend.

With about 10 minutes left in class, the presenters are finished and I am called to go. I can still remember the feeling of my stomach dropping as I walked to the front of the class, trying to dredge as many minute details as I can from my memory of reading THE BLURB ON THE BACK OF THE BOOK. My pulse is racing and, at least in my outlandish memory of this event, I am sweating. (Closely followed up with a dramatic wipe of the brow and nervous laughter) I hold up the poster and say, "Hi. For my project, I read Agatha Christie's Cat Among the Pigeons."

CUE THE FIRE ALARM GOING OFF.

You better believe I read that book over the weekend. And you better believe that I still remember where Poirot found the object he was looking for--THIRTEEN YEARS LATER. ( )

Ik vond het een aardig boek. Ben er in begonnen en heb het zo ongeveer in één ruk uitgelezen. Dat zegt wat over hoe goed het verhaal mijn aandacht vast hield. Het zegt ook iets over de dikte (een dunnetje voor mij) en over de moeilijkheid.

Het verhaal over hoe een gebeurtenis in een land in het Midden Oosten invloed heeft op het leven op een meisjeskostschool in Engeland. Ik vond het leuk om te lezen, was benieuwd hoe het nu toch verder zou gaan, af zou lopen. Wie zou nu wat doen, wat krijgen.

Het moment dat Poirot ten tonele verscheen vond ik het verhaal minder sterk worden. Als een soort Deus ex Machina heeft hij de goede ideeën, de uiteindelijke oplossing wordt naar aanleiding van zijn voorstellen gevonden. Ik vind hem erg arrogant overkomen.

Wat me reuze meeviel, was dat het boek, het verhaal niet echt gedateerd aandeed, ondanks dat het origineel al uit '59 stamt.
( )

One of the best works by Agatha Christie and the best among Hercule Poirot series. Set against the backdrop of Meadowbank school the revolution at Ramat lays heavy upon this plot. The ruler of Ramat and his friend/confidant Bob Rawlinson are murdered by the rebels. Rumors are abound that the jewels of Ramat have reached Meadowbank through Jennifer Sutcliff, Rawlinson’s niece.

Cut onto Meadownbank, the scene opens with the summer term where Miss Bulstrode and her teachers are busy welcoming new and old students. The atmosphere though is rife with an implied sense of doom. As term starts, Jennifer Sutcliff confides in Julia Upjohn her best friend and tennis partner about the robbery at her home. While Julia suspects that this maybe due to the Sutcliffs’ association with the Ramat events, Jennifer dismisses it as usual. This is soon followed by a murder at Meadowbank where the Sports Pavilion is ransacked and its sports mistress is murdered. The school’s image takes a further hit with the occurrence of 2 more murders involving the deputy headmistress and the french mistress . Julia pieces together the events and reaches out to Poirot for help. The question becomes – who is the cat among the pigeons? ( )

what a pleasant book to read. Really ingenious of Agatha Christie. The fairly harmless girl's school, the turn of events- murder, kidnapping and unlikely reveal. Love the way everything is smoothly tied together in the end. The introduction of Hercules Poirot into the investigation, comes in very late in the book and takes one by surprise.

The climax itself catches you off guard. A well knit mystery and surely one of Agatha's best. Highly recommended for everyone. ( )

This was a great book for people who love mysteries but I have to warn you, there's a couple murders. ( )