Rating: 
Summary: Love Story Complete with Poisoning Is One of Christie's Best
Review: "Sad Cypress" deals with the eternal triangle which always ends with sadness for someone. In this case, Elinor Carlisle is the odd girl out as her fiance and distant cousin Roderick Welman falls madly in love with his and Elinor's childhood friend, Mary Gerrard, after Mary returns from years abroad. The three of them had been great friends at Hunterbury, the lavish estate of Mary's aunt Mrs. Laura Welman. Mrs. Welman had hoped Elinor and Roderick would marry one day and live at Hunterbury. Mrs. Welman dies suddenly without leaving a will. As her next of kin, Elinor inherits all. Although Mrs. Welman had spoken frequently of providing for Roderick and Mary, the lack of a will leaves them without recourse. In the midst of all this upheaval, Elinor prepares lunch for Mary one day, and Mary dies of morphine poisoning. With suspicion falling heavily on Elinor, the body of Mrs. Welman is exhumed and found to also contain morphine poisoning. All fingers point to Elinor for having killed Mary out of jealousy and her aunt in order to get the full estate. Only one person, Dr. Peter Lord, believes in Elinor's innocence and he calls in the inimitable Hercule Poirot to investigate. An excellent courtroom sequence and outstanding characters make this one of Christie's best, in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: A Neglected Classic
Review: Agatha Christie is reknowned for creating apparently simple murder mysteries that unexpectedly twist for completely unexpected conclusions--and no where is this better seen than in SAD CYPRESS, a cleanly written tale about a romantic triangle that leads to murder with only one possible suspect. The novel opens with Elinor Carlisle actually in the dock, accused of double murder in an effort to hold the affections of her distant cousin and fiance Roderick Welman. When called into the case by a local doctor, Hercule Poirot discovers that Elinor behaves exactly as if she is guilty of the crime. Nonetheless, he agrees to investigate... and as Poirot works to uncover the truth, he finds that virtually everything about the crime indicates that Elinor did indeed commit the crimes--a circumstance which, almost perversely, makes him begin to question the guilt others have taken for granted. This is one of Christie's least known but most effective novels, a work that deserves to be ranked with the likes of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, THE ABC MURDERS, and A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED. The characters are among her most vivid, the story has an unpretentious atmosphere, and the solution is both absolutely reasonable and absolutely unexpected. Christie writes with considerable clarity, and the simplicity of her approach makes the story all the more effective. An impressive work, sure to please both old fans and newcomers alike; recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully done!
Review: Although there are other more exciting, more ingenious, or more haunting stories by AC, this remains my favorite. This book is beautifully written. The mood poetic. The love story touching. The murder plot surprising and engaging. Besides, Christie really knows how to please her readers. A woman with a delicate bone structure shall never be the murderer.
Rating:
Summary: she did a good job...again
Review: Before i read this book,little i know that this book could be a fast moving mystery book.the book is about a mystery surrounding one family of a poor woman who has been convicted with murder.but for the obvious reason(whodunnit),she is the most unlikely person to kill the victim...and the story goes on how hercule poirot investigates the murder to assist an innocent party....this book must be put on your upper shelf!!!
Rating: 
Summary: All motives of love - including passion for money
Review: Come away, come away, death,
and in sad cypress let me be laid;
fly away, fly away breath;
I am slain by a fair cruel maid
- clown's song in Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT, Act II, scene 4
Copyright 1939/1940. No narrator.
Unusual structure: the prologue is from the viewpoint of Elinor Carlisle, on trial for the murder of Mary Gerrard. Her defense counsel has a bad fright as she hesitates before pleading 'not guilty'. From her viewpoint, we can see only a frozen, numb detachment. Poirot is in court, watching her; she believes he's attempting to tell why she did it.
For all we know, she might have.
Part I, told in flashback from Elinor's viewpoint, begins at what Elinor considers the starting point - the arrival of an anonymous letter - and ending with Mary Gerrard's death; Poirot has no part to play here. (Occasionally the flashback slips a little, following Mary Gerrard through scenes where Elinor wasn't present; however, such scenes pull their weight in terms of character development, which also serves to bring the crime home to the reader, as we get to know the victim. Or do we?)
Poirot enters the tale properly in Part II, when Peter Lord, the local doctor who seems to have fallen for Elinor, asks Poirot to clear her - admitting flat out that he doesn't care about the truth. (Poirot, of course, doesn't take it on those terms, and Lord gives in, since no truth could make the case against Elinor any worse - as far as he can see). Part I is told in flashback from Elinor's viewpoint, though not in 1st person. Part II follows Poirot in 3rd person as do most non-Hastings Poirot stories.
The initial anonymous letter - warning Elinor to watch her back, since Mary Gerrard has become a much-favoured protege of Elinor's wealthy, invalid aunt Laura - draws Elinor out of her social butterfly routine in London to Laura Welman's country house. By bringing Laura and Mary to mind, the letter naturally flows into an overview of the Welman household as seen by Elinor.
Christie's characterization is unusually vivid herein: Elinor's passion for Roderick (her fiance, a relative of Laura Welman's late husband), Mary's neither-fish-nor-fowl social position (given a lady's upbringing through Laura Welman's efforts) and discomfort with her dependence on others. Roderick is uncomfortable with others' emotions, or with unpleasantness of any kind; it's characteristic that he avoided Laura Welman's sickroom after her second stroke. Elinor is honest enough with herself to admit that there's no *reason* for her deep feelings for him. Laura throws some light on this in conversation with Mary; her insight into her own character reveals that Elinor seems much like her. The district nurse (O'Brien) and the live-in nurse (Hopkins) serve other purposes than the obvious roles of witness and foil: they gossip with one another off duty, giving us sidelights on the lives of the other players, particularly their common patient.
When first introduced - after we know she'll be murdered - Mary emerges quickly as a more sympathetic character than Elinor, however we may pity Elinor's unhappiness in love. Mary wants to make her own way and support herself, while Elinor is content (as Roderick points out) to simply exist as a kind of living artwork. Roderick is honest enough to admit that he, too, has relied too much on the prospect of inheriting his aunt's money to seriously strive to make his own way.
Laura Welman's remarks on assisted suicide, and Dr. Lord's counters, reflect a position taken consistently in Christie's work. In particular, Lord's example of a man who survived sixteen years of the Little Ease torture also appears in DESTINATION UNKNOWN, whose chief character was persuaded to take on a dangerous secret mission rather than committing suicide, and who later came to see that people can adapt to almost any conditions.
Some of the courtroom scenes drag a bit, as expert testimony and other evidence are presented in part II without Perry Mason-style flash and dazzle, which may leave readers feeling that the story has built up to this point, only to let the dramatic tension fizzle. The obligatory Poirot Tells All tying-up-loose-ends scene helps bail this out, of course.
Rating:
Summary: All motives of love - including passion for money
Review: Come away, come away, death,
and in sad cypress let me be laid;
fly away, fly away breath;
I am slain by a fair cruel maid
- clown's song in Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_, Act II, scene 4 Copyright 1939/1940. No narrator. Unusual structure: the prologue is from the viewpoint of Elinor Carlisle, on trial for the murder of Mary Gerrard. Her defense counsel has a bad fright as she hesitates before pleading 'not guilty'. From her viewpoint, we can see only a frozen, numb detachment. Poirot is in court, watching her; she believes he's attempting to tell why she did it. For all we know, she might have. Part I, told in flashback from Elinor's viewpoint, begins at what Elinor considers the starting point - the arrival of an anonymous letter - and ending with Mary Gerrard's death; Poirot has no part to play here. (Occasionally the flashback slips a little, following Mary Gerrard through scenes where Elinor wasn't present; however, such scenes pull their weight in terms of character development, which also serves to bring the crime home to the reader, as we get to know the victim. Or do we?) Poirot enters the tale properly in Part II, when Peter Lord, the local doctor who seems to have fallen for Elinor, asks Poirot to clear her - admitting flat out that he doesn't care about the truth. (Poirot, of course, doesn't take it on those terms, and Lord gives in, since no truth could make the case against Elinor any worse - as far as he can see). Part I is told in flashback from Elinor's viewpoint, though not in 1st person. Part II follows Poirot in 3rd person as do most non-Hastings Poirot stories. The initial anonymous letter - warning Elinor to watch her back, since Mary Gerrard has become a much-favoured protege of Elinor's wealthy, invalid aunt Laura - draws Elinor out of her social butterfly routine in London to Laura Welman's country house. By bringing Laura and Mary to mind, the letter naturally flows into an overview of the Welman household as seen by Elinor. Christie's characterization is unusually vivid herein: Elinor's passion for Roderick (her fiance, a relative of Laura Welman's late husband), Mary's neither-fish-nor-fowl social position (given a lady's upbringing through Laura Welman's efforts) and discomfort with her dependence on others. Roderick is uncomfortable with others' emotions, or with unpleasantness of any kind; it's characteristic that he avoided Laura Welman's sickroom after her second stroke. Elinor is honest enough with herself to admit that there's no *reason* for her deep feelings for him. Laura throws some light on this in conversation with Mary; her insight into her own character reveals that Elinor seems much like her. The district nurse (O'Brien) and the live-in nurse (Hopkins) serve other purposes than the obvious roles of witness and foil: they gossip with one another off duty, giving us sidelights on the lives of the other players, particularly their common patient. When first introduced - after we know she'll be murdered - Mary emerges quickly as a more sympathetic character than Elinor, however we may pity Elinor's unhappiness in love. Mary wants to make her own way and support herself, while Elinor is content (as Roderick points out) to simply exist as a kind of living artwork. Roderick is honest enough to admit that he, too, has relied too much on the prospect of inheriting his aunt's money to seriously strive to make his own way. Laura Welman's remarks on assisted suicide, and Dr. Lord's counters, reflect a position taken consistently in Christie's work. In particular, Lord's example of a man who survived sixteen years of the Little Ease torture also appears in _Destination Unknown_, whose chief character was persuaded to take on a dangerous secret mission rather than committing suicide, and who later came to see that people can adapt to almost any conditions. Some of the courtroom scenes drag a bit, as expert testimony and other evidence are presented in part II without Perry Mason-style flash and dazzle, which may leave readers feeling that the story has built up to this point, only to let the dramatic tension fizzle. The obligatory Poirot Tells All tying-up-loose-ends scene helps bail this out, of course.
Rating:
Summary: Morphine, Murder, & Money
Review: Dr. Lord loves Elinor, who loves Roderick, who loves Mary. Aunt Laura Wellman loves them all. They all appear to love Aunt Laura's money. When Aunt Laura dies intestate, the question of who inherits seems simple indeed. The characters occasionally appear shallow, but they can also display depth of character. Elinor (who got Aunt Laura's estate) could be very likeable if she didn't hate Mary so. Despite her hatred, Elinor honors Aunt Laura's dying wish and settles a tidy sum on Mary. Mary behaves nobly throughout. Roderick acts like a dunce throughout, but is capable of occasional sparks of nobility. Dr. Lord stands on the sidelines and makes moon eyes at Elinor. Is this a murder mystery or a soap opera? Where is Hercule Poirot? Doesn't the cover say this is a Poirot mystery? That's the only reason I bought the radio play. I'm at the end of tape one, and no Poirot in sight. Mary dies and an autopsy reveals poisoning by morphine. Aunt Laura is exhumed and found to have died from morphine poisoning also. Elinor, who has motive and opportunity in spades for both deaths also appears to have the means. Finally Dr. Lord shakes off his inactivity and calls in Hercule Poirot to save the woman he loves. Poirot engages in the usual snooping and deduction, catches everyone lying, reveals all the dark secrets, and guides Elinor's barrister in the defense of the case. He also figures out whodunnit. At least he amasses enough evidence to . . . but I don't want to give away the story. I'd hate to destroy your enjoyment when you figure it out for yourself. When the time comes for Mary to die, you will have grown to like her so much that you will truly regret her killing. You will also share Dr. Lord's forlorn faith in Elinor's innocence. This novel has a much smaller cast of suspects than most Poirot novels, but the murderer's identity should remain opaque at least until the commencement of Elinor's trial. The BBC radio play is very well done, as are all the BBC plays of Christie's Poirot stories, but the cover gives too great a hint as to the murderer's identity. Luckily, I pay more attention to the writing on the back of a book cover than I do to the picture on the front. I thus noticed the cover's significance only after I finished the play.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant stuff
Review: Fantastic...Christie develops the psychology of her characters brilliantly. The love of Elinor Carlisle for Roddy Welman is very touching and the solution is, as usual, terrific. Perhaps it's not actually the killer/murderer who is the surprise, but the way in which the murder is commited. Not one of the author's most popular books, but certainly an asset to the collection.
Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful tale by Agatha Christie.
Review: I heard it said that Agatha Christie enjoyed writing to entertain her readers. This book proves this statement to be true. This book brings you in to the world of whodunit and you can't put it down untill you find the answer. A must read for everyone weather or not you are an Agatha Christie fan. Try it, you'll like.
Rating:
Summary: Very entertaining
Review: Not her most popular, but well up to the Christie standard. Seamless plotting, unusually strong character development, dramatic courtroom scenes, plenty of red herrings, and a neat solution... Christie has been known to say that SAD CYPRESS was ruined by having Poirot in it. While the dapper Belgian detective's presence is never unwelcome, I believe that the book could have certainly flourished without him, though it would have been much more somber and would have had less humor. A great book.
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