I hadn't read it before--though I'd read about it so I knew who the murderer was. (I've finished it now, though.)
I hadn't thought about it but I think you're right about the characters. I was just talking to a friend about it too and we were both saying something similar, how even though it's very well written it wasn't a favorite--we both preferred The Hollow, for instance.
I wonder if the reason is that the narrator is a murderer and Christie is letting his feelings about people color things. He has no sympathy underneath so there's this creeping dehumanizing quality to the way he describes them. He doesn't really allow himself to feel for anyone the way Christie's narrators usually do.
Re: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (don't read if talking about it spoils reading it for you)
I hadn't thought about it but I think you're right about the characters. I was just talking to a friend about it too and we were both saying something similar, how even though it's very well written it wasn't a favorite--we both preferred The Hollow, for instance.
I wonder if the reason is that the narrator is a murderer and Christie is letting his feelings about people color things. He has no sympathy underneath so there's this creeping dehumanizing quality to the way he describes them. He doesn't really allow himself to feel for anyone the way Christie's narrators usually do.