Agatha Christie Lovers discussion

i totally hate sherlok holmes!there's something about him that makes me hink hate him:he's very selfish.i know that poirot is selfish 2 but his personality is so lovely.and i also disagree that sherlok holmes is the greatest detective of all times.i think poirot is the best.

Now I love them both. I love that one is so fussy clean (Poirot) and the other is a mess to everyone but himself (Holmes). I love their relationships with their assistants. I think both series are fantastic for different reasons.

but i never found myself intrested in Holmes.i hate it when he says Watson.in other hand,i love it when Poirot says mon cher.

I've read all of the Sherlock Holmes, from first to last. I loved the progression of his relationship with Holmes and also how he started to lose it at the end. But I also love Poirot, which I've also read from start to finish. Where he ends up so old and frail, but still smart as a whip.

How awful am I?! I actually haven't read any Sherlock Holmes books! But even if I had, I would definitely choose Poirot. He's lovely, Strange, unpredictable, and sooo clever!!!

^ really? wew..

i've read them both. Holmes's deduction is amazing, but Poirot's style is great. yeah, love them both :P

I love Poirot as much as I dislike Holmes, he is so selfish, arrogant, in the other hand, Poirot is egocentric but charming, carismatic...

Poirot, hands down!

Poirot! he's the best one, no Sherlock can be compared with him

1972booklover wrote: "Poirot, hands down!"

Ivana wrote: "Poirot! he's the best one, no Sherlock can be compared with him"

I've read all the Holmes. He's just so manic and then there's the whole drug issue, which kind of ruined Holmes for me.

1972booklover wrote: "1972booklover wrote:
I've read all the Holmes. He's just so manic and then there's the whole ..."

I just love everything about Poirot, his obsession with details, his way of thinking and the little gray cells, his picture of a detective work - just sit and think... the list could on and on and on... he's just the bloody little Belgian we all love

Hello everyone! I didn't see an introduction topic, so I hope you don't mind if I just jump right in...

I do like both Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, but I definitely like monsieur Popirot best =oD . I like that he's such a gentleman with appreciation for proper etiquette (and his pride in and care for his famous moustache does make me laugh...hehe).

his mustaches! one more thing I love him, thank you Eclipse for reminding me

Jasja wrote: "Hello everyone! I didn't see an introduction topic, so I hope you don't mind if I just jump right in...

I do like both Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, but I definitely like monsieur Popirot..."

I'll take care of that right now!

Hello, everyone...I'm new to the group and this is my very FIRST post on Goodreads. I love both Hercules Poirot and Sherlock Holmes for different reasons but they do share something in common...they make me curious about them and keep me hooked on their adventures!

Welcome Beatriz! I like both of them too - enjoy both books. I've read all of the Sherlock Holmes books.

I'm not an an either or kinda guy; I like them both. I think Doyle was a great writer - loved the Holmes books, but also The Lost World and I'm just now reading his non-fiction work The Coming of the Fairies. If we're speaking as if the characters of Holmes and Poirot were actual human beings and then asking who we'd rather spend an evening with, then I'd have to go with Poirot as Holmes was admittedly an anti-social bore.

I like both, but I favor Poirot. Holmes is cold, aloof and humorless. Poirot may be full of himself, but he's also a gracious human being and enjoys some humor once in a while. (He even tells a few jokes himself.) So it's Poirot for me.

I admire Poirot, more than Holmes. Saying that I must add i dont HATE Holmes. But there are certain traits of Holmes, being moody humorless, which I dont like. And, simply if I go by the books, I would say the Poirot or any Christie novel is better in terms of being a detective fiction, in comparison to Holmes, which according to me, was more of adventure genre. So, Poirot all the way!!!! :)

I love both - but I'd say of the two, I favour Holmes. I like that he Doyle based him on an actual person, and the deductions are fun to follow.

I also like how Christie refers to Holmes in a condescending manner (mostly in Poirot stories) so often - it tickles me. :) Poirot's a doll though. <3

Of Christie's sleuths, I like Tommy and Tuppence the most, to be honest.

I like Tommy and Tuppence as older characters, not so much when they were young. As we are reading through the books, this was the first time I had realized they had started as young people. The books I had read before they were middle-aged.

Both of them, I guess. Poirot's really cool, but Holmes' thinking is great. They should both be in a book together, but both Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle are dead. :(

I will make a statement that will probably be controversial. I think that readers who love Poirot don't like Holmes and Holmes fans don't like Poirot. They are like apples and oranges since I don't think one can make a comparison of the characters. Holmes makes observations about people that sometimes are almost ludicrous.."I see that you have currently been to India and are an elephant hunter"....simply because the man has a suntan and wears an ivory tie pin. While Poirot never makes such far-fetched decisions and the solution to the case, although sometime a bit surreal, at least isn't based on vague assumptions. Then, of course, there are the personalities of the two detectives and their relationship with their assistants....Watson is treated like a dull witted child, while Captain Hastings is treasured as a friend by Poirot.
I could go on and on but you get the idea. And I have read all of the Holmes canon and all of the Poirot books (except for Curtain)......needless to say, I prefer Poirot.

I think we all prefer one character over the other, but that doesn't follow that if you love Poirot you won't like Holmes and vice verse. I enjoy reading about both characters, but I prefer Poirot mainly because I think the author is a much better writer than Holmes' creator is.

I said it would be a controversial statement,Emily!! :0)

I really like to read both Holmes and Poirot stories. As to whom I would rather hang out with, definitely Poirot! And Jill, Poirot does sometimes treat Hastings as an idiot, but a lovable idiot; he often says that is what he values in Hastings.

But Poirot had warm feelings for Hastings and missed him terribly when he went to South America. I don't think Holmes could have cared less when Watson got married and left.
Don't get me wrong.....I like the Holmes stories but he leaves me somewhat cold. Poirot is just fun with his little idiosyncrasies.

I think Watson liked Holmes more than the other way around. And when he thought he fell from the falls, I think Watson was devastated. I think Poirot really liked and enjoyed being with Hastings.

Jill wrote: "I will make a statement that will probably be controversial. I think that readers who love Poirot don't like Holmes and Holmes fans don't like Poirot. They are like apples and oranges since I don't..."

Very well put. Plus, Holmes cocaine just is a massive massive turn-off. While Poirot is such an amazing perfectionist and he cherishes life, both his own and the people around him. He would never crassly chuckle when he hears about a murder.

I am a real Holmes fan and love anything to do with him, stories, films or TV. Having said that I also enjoy reading Poirot stories and if I am honest I think Poirot is the more likeable character to most folk.

Neha wrote: "Plus, Holmes cocaine just is a massive massive turn-off. While Poirot is such an amazing perfectionist and he cherishes life, both his own and the people around him. He would never crassly chuckle when he hears about a murder. "

Yes, I think the main difference between the characters is that, despite his eccentricities, Poirot is a more "human" character. He enjoys exercising his brain and outwitting the murderer, but always understands the human cost as well. Holmes is more coldly analytical and emotionally distant - and from what I've read, rarely considers the moral implications of his actions.

I think it's easier to love Poirot, but I find both characters fascinating.

I like to read about both but if I were going to spend time in real life with one of them it would definitely be Poirot. One thing in common is that both the authors became tired of the characters before they were allowed to finish with them.

I have been reading Poirot stories since I was in middle school but I only began reading Sherlock Holmes earlier this year. I am loving Holmes. I love Poirot. They are two very different characters from two very different authors. There is much to be enamored with in both of them, but my first love will always be Poirot because he was the first detective I read and really enjoyed.

I love them both equally, but, differently. It's a matter of the "physical " vs. the "psychological". Poirot has more social graces than Holmes, but can be very dismissive of others, not just Hastings.
Other people just aren't their intellectual equals. The thing I like most about Holmes is that he doesn't bother to humor those people, so in a way he's more honest.

I couldn't choose since I don't know Holmes as good as I know Poirot. I prefer Poirot than Miss Marple if it does matter..

I once watched a movie but just from its half to the end (it was late and I wasn't sleepy) with Holmes and I promised myself that I'm going to read at least one book because I really liked him there

So, the only thing that makes me choose Poirot is that I prefer books and I loved him since I read the very few first lines about him :) and I also liked him in the movies, but I didn't read a book with Sherlock yet..

I don't think that anybody understood what I said but I still posted this comment..

I think you'd like Holmes Flavia, it doesn't have as much humor as the Poirot books but I think they're really good.

I like both. I've only read one Holmes book, though (A Study in Scarlet). I enjoyed it and I probably will continue reading stories about him. Poirot was my first experience in the "detective" genre, so I will always prefer him!

For sure I will, I usually like smart people. But I don't know who my favorite is because I didn't "try" Holmes yet..

I understand that the sales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books have increased by about 50%, although that may be in the UK only. I did notice a lot of Sherlock Holmes books at my local mall bookstore. It's interesting that something on TV is encouraging reading. I always find I want to re-read a Poirot book after seeing it dramatized for TV.

I started to read A study in Scarlet and I couldn't finish. The story was getting boring. So I have to say Poirot.