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Agatha's worst character?

(Contains spoilers!)

hellofansofachi 08 Apr 09 at 3:12 a.m. GMT

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Mine is Rowena Drake from Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. It's because she killed two children. Please put a spoiler warning if there are spoilers.

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Tommy_A_Jones 14 May 11 at 4:20 p.m. GMT

I have said this before but  but The Sittaford Mystery is a book I was tempted to re-read as soon as I had finished it even though I knew at the begfinning who the Murderer was, I liked Sad Cypress but didn't feel the same way, I absolutely HATED Miss Knight, I found her Patronizing and Horrible and wish she had been Murdered. Hastings is very true to life, some people don't change and don't grow, If he was only in one book he wouldnt have worked as a Character, He is only in 7 (or is it 8 Novels so it isn't as if people who don't like him have to put up with him in all the Poirot Novels, that would have been too much like |Holmes and Watson and perhaps wouldn't jhave worked as he didn't have speciallist skills like Watson did and some Books didn't need Hastings anyway, but he is in the books JUst enough and I like the way he is mentioned in books where he doesn't appear at least once, just like Poirot is once at least.

P_Lombard 14 May 11 at 1:41 p.m. GMT

To each to his own. I liked Emily Trefusis and Elinor Carlisle, even though they are bashed here. Miss Knight was one of my favorite characters in The Mirror Crack'd, though I am glad she does not appear in any other books. Perhaps Hastings would be palatable if he only appeared in one book, but we see him time and again and his character never grows. Most egotistical characters do not bother me, but Hastings's egotism is completely unmerited.

Tommy_A_Jones 12 May 11 at 3:38 p.m. GMT

P_Lombard those things are what make Hastings such a Great Character the fact he thinks he can solve Murders when actually he is so clueless and Egotistical, He is a Great Character, the fact that he tries to bat for the Birl in the story is just great aswell as always thinking a certain kind of Gentleman are innocent of everything when they aren't and the fact he assumes the wrong thing adds to his Charm, I liked his participation in Curtain

P_Lombard 12 May 11 at 2:29 a.m. GMT

I detest Captain Hastings. He is so blind! It really annoys me how he thinks he is so clever, noticing the important things that Poirot does not because Poirot is fussing with minutae and will never solve the case that way, when really it is Hastings who is the one who never has a clue. Then, his habit of falling for pratically every girl who so much as crosses his path adds to my dislike. Hastings ruined Curtain for me, but thankfully most of the other books he appears in are strong enough to dilute his presence. It says a lot that after only featuring Hastings in two novels Agatha Christie was also fed up with him and decided to marry him off.

Lone_Wolf 31 May 10 at 6:04 p.m. GMT

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Spoilers for Оrdeal bу Innоcence, Halloweеn Pаrty, Murdеr is Еasy. 

"Worst", as in "worst written", "most villainous", or "most annoying"? Or all three?

The character who produced the feeling of annoyance in me the most was Phillip Durrant from Оrdeal bу Innоcence. Not from anything having to do with his character, it's just that I realised that he won't survive the book almost from the beginning, and was annoyed with him for not realising it. It was obvious that Dr. Calgary is the book's detective here, and, therefore, Phillip's attempts to uncover the truth will lead to no good.

Worst written? Hillary Craven from the very perfunctory thriller Dеstinаtion Unknоwn gets my vote. That instant mood whiplash from being suicidal to calm thriller heroine, jeez.

Most villainous? While I dislike morality scales, child murderers, perhaps, get that honour  - Rowena Drake, Vera Claythorne (though she is sympathetic in a twisted way, like most of the other Ten Little Whatsits), Ratchett from Оriеnt. See also Honoria Waynflete, though the kid she killed isn't really written in a way to encourage our sympathy.

MissQuin 31 May 10 at 4:18 p.m. GMT

I have to agree with Bundle, I really don't like Emily Trefusis in The Sittaford Mystery. The way she uses Chales is so cruel. i didn't think she could get any worse, but they somehow managed to make her even more annoying in the McEwan adaptation.

Puffinjill 29 Dec 09 at 6:46 a.m. GMT

Ha, ha, ha!!! Do I detect a socialist streak there Nofret?!

Nofret 28 Dec 09 at 3:04 p.m. GMT

Personally I've always detested Elinor Carlisle in "Sad Cypress" What a stuck-up b!tch! Moaning about how expensive are the "necessities" of life - designer clothes, records, make-up etc., and never intending to do a day's work in her life, unlike her rival Mary Gerrard.  It's a pity Poirot took on her case or society would have been rid of a useless parasite, as "Death on the Nile"s Mr. Ferguson might have said!

On second thoughts, Theresa Arundell from "Dumb Witness" is just as bad!

ampman 21 Dec 09 at 10:19 a.m. GMT

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I can't stand Gwenda in Sleeping Murder. She is so wet and girly and patronises Miss Marple.

I don't like Miss Knight in the 4.50 from Paddington because she bossed MM around.

I don't like ANYBODY in They Do It With Mirrors. "Masive explosion in young offenders' institution" would have suited me fine.

MissQuin 20 Dec 09 at 1:17 p.m. GMT

My least favourite character is Pilar in Hercule Poirot's Christmas. I just found her really annoying!

squatty 16 Apr 09 at 6:04 p.m. GMT

I get irritated by those bunch of "plucky heroines" that AC regularly buily her thrillers around. Anne beddingfield in The Man In The Brown Suit was the first of the species but there were several over the years.

Tommy_A_Jones 16 Apr 09 at 3:03 p.m. GMT

Mole my own Darling, I am glad we agree about Race, and hellofansofachi please except my apologies as I didn't realise and didn't mean to sound cross.

TheMole 15 Apr 09 at 5:05 p.m. GMT

WINNEBAGO1901

I can't stand Colonel Race

Hello winne! I was actually just thinking about Colonel Race and I came to the conclusion that I don't care for him that much! He was one of the blander character's of AC's.

I also don't care for Emily Trefusis in The Sittaford Mystery.

Boomcoach 15 Apr 09 at 5:03 p.m. GMT

I would have to agree with the nomination of Race, especially for a major character.  I am sure there are annoying minor characters that I am forgetting, but Race rarely adds anything to the books he appears in.

go_leafs_nation 15 Apr 09 at 3:43 p.m. GMT

Sorry, WINNEBAGO, but a spoiler warning was indeed put up. But when it comes to the "title" post (the original post), the "show/hide spoilers" option is unavailable- the post is merely not shown in the folder (a spoiler warning appears THERE instead). So it is a rather risky topic...

Tommy_A_Jones 15 Apr 09 at 2:16 p.m. GMT

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I can't stand Colonel Race, his arrival in Sparkling Cyanide is an anticlimax and although he rescues the Hero and heroine in 'The Man in The Brown Suit he doesn't do much else, the book he participates best in is Cards On The Table, I haven't read Death On The Nile although I have seen both films. Funny how you tell people to put spoiler but you your self didn't hellofansofachi.

go_leafs_nation 15 Apr 09 at 9:24 a.m. GMT

An interesting topic, although someone might easily miss this one.

Personally, I can't stand Mr. Quin (The Mysterious Mr. Quin). I've always hated that book- it tries making him too much of a mysterious harlequin (a type of character I've never liked) and doesn't focus on the story enough, instead shrouding him in a (rather annoying) cloud of mystery.