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jellyshelly's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
meekumoh's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is my first Tommy/Tuppence book (yes, I understand it's the last in the series; my e-reader doesn't sequence them). I was kind of shocked at the low rating! The main characters are loveable really, but the mystery is kind of sleepy and low-stakes. Makes sense that it's the last book of the series. It's not a re-read, and I can see why people rate it low if they read it sequentially. Standalone though, it is charming.
alise410's review against another edition
1.0
My least favourite Agatha Christie book. So confusing boring, and slow. Nothing intriguing or interesting like other Tommy and Tuppence books. Disappointed
irereadsfantasy's review against another edition
3.0
In generale è un bel libro, sicuramente non è uno dei suoi capolavori. In alcuni punti è come se mancasse il suo tocco.
sea_level's review against another edition
Started out well enough but turned into one of her late career paranoid global conspiracy ones with overt antisemitism.
crazygoangirl's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
2.5
This might be the lowest rating I’ve ever given a Christie 😢 It is the final book in the Tommy and Tuppence series and the last book she wrote. She was over 80 when she wrote it and it shows. This is a re-read for me, but I do not think I’ll re-read it again.
Tommy and Tuppence have moved into a house in the country and are settling in. While going through a bunch of children’s books left behind by the previous owners, Tuppence stumbles on a secret message in a childhood favourite, The Black Arrow by Stevenson. The owner of the book, a 14-yr-old boy called Alexander Parkinson has left a message stating his belief that a certain Mary Jordan did not die naturally and hinting that he knows the killer.
Naturally Tuppence is curious and begins an investigation into the mystery. This is a cold case that predates WWI, and information is hard to come by but she soldiers on with the help of Tommy, Albert, helpful old villagers and Hannibal, her fiercely protective terrier who is also my favourite character in the book ☺️ He at least is not as confused as Tommy and Tuppence appear to be! Eventually they manage to find answers and there are some interesting clues such as the rocking horse Matilda, Oxford & Cambridge, and Truelove. However, for the most part, the narrative is uncharacteristically meandering and Christie deviates from her tight plotting and sharp repartee. It feels like Tommy and Tuppence are talking constantly without saying much. They never seem to get to the point unlike in their previous cases. I understand that they are now grandparents and older but what disappoints more than their age is how Christie’s shows through. I mean both Poirot and Marple were old from their beginnings but they never seemed lost or feeble. It’s almost like Christie has lost the plot and her heart isn’t in it 🙁 It pains me to say this about one of my favourite authors but that’s what it felt like.
The ending too is vague and frankly I didn’t really care about who killed a girl sixty years ago! The attempt to connect it to the present day felt half-baked and I wasn’t convinced of the killers motivation. I’ve read worse books but I think this is my lowest rated Christie. It is slow paced and lacks her usual pithy style. Tommy and Tuppence feel like shadows of their former selves and the mystery which had much potential, falls rather flat on its face. I don’t remember disliking it this much on previous occasions but I must confess this is one of my least re-read Christies. Disappointing 🙁
Tommy and Tuppence have moved into a house in the country and are settling in. While going through a bunch of children’s books left behind by the previous owners, Tuppence stumbles on a secret message in a childhood favourite, The Black Arrow by Stevenson. The owner of the book, a 14-yr-old boy called Alexander Parkinson has left a message stating his belief that a certain Mary Jordan did not die naturally and hinting that he knows the killer.
Naturally Tuppence is curious and begins an investigation into the mystery. This is a cold case that predates WWI, and information is hard to come by but she soldiers on with the help of Tommy, Albert, helpful old villagers and Hannibal, her fiercely protective terrier who is also my favourite character in the book ☺️ He at least is not as confused as Tommy and Tuppence appear to be! Eventually they manage to find answers and there are some interesting clues such as the rocking horse Matilda, Oxford & Cambridge, and Truelove. However, for the most part, the narrative is uncharacteristically meandering and Christie deviates from her tight plotting and sharp repartee. It feels like Tommy and Tuppence are talking constantly without saying much. They never seem to get to the point unlike in their previous cases. I understand that they are now grandparents and older but what disappoints more than their age is how Christie’s shows through. I mean both Poirot and Marple were old from their beginnings but they never seemed lost or feeble. It’s almost like Christie has lost the plot and her heart isn’t in it 🙁 It pains me to say this about one of my favourite authors but that’s what it felt like.
The ending too is vague and frankly I didn’t really care about who killed a girl sixty years ago! The attempt to connect it to the present day felt half-baked and I wasn’t convinced of the killers motivation. I’ve read worse books but I think this is my lowest rated Christie. It is slow paced and lacks her usual pithy style. Tommy and Tuppence feel like shadows of their former selves and the mystery which had much potential, falls rather flat on its face. I don’t remember disliking it this much on previous occasions but I must confess this is one of my least re-read Christies. Disappointing 🙁
izanami's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
phantomgecko's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
The first Agatha Christie I've straight up disliked.
Not so much a murder mystery as a convoluted conspiracy. Which could be okay, I guess, but it wasn't.
Poirot and Marple are on top of things, do little investigations into their suspicions, and are competent. With Tommy and Tuppence, it's like they were starting over every chapter. They'd forgotten everything that had already happened. Like they establish that a woman was killed and it had something to do with espionage. Then any time someone mentions those things to them, they're like, "Oh that's so odd, what could they possibly mean? Do they suspect a woman was killed for espionage in our house? How strange!" Bumbling idiots.
Specifically, Tuppence mentions there was a census the night the woman is killed. Then a couple chapters later, Tommy is like, "There was a census," and she's like, "What's a census?" And I did not enjoy it.
Also. The murder in question happened a bit before WWI. And somehow nobody can remember anything about it. They are talking to people in their 70s and 80s and 90s, and those people are like, "Oh I wasn't born yet, but my great aunt heard something from her great aunt."
Hey. Babe. 1973 - 80 = 1893. Like, not only were y'all alive, you were adults. The timeline didn't make any sense at all, and it drove me crazy every single time it was mentioned.
The dog was the most interesting character. And it was a dog. Just a normal dog. I don't even really like dogs.
Not so much a murder mystery as a convoluted conspiracy. Which could be okay, I guess, but it wasn't.
Poirot and Marple are on top of things, do little investigations into their suspicions, and are competent. With Tommy and Tuppence, it's like they were starting over every chapter. They'd forgotten everything that had already happened. Like they establish that a woman was killed and it had something to do with espionage. Then any time someone mentions those things to them, they're like, "Oh that's so odd, what could they possibly mean? Do they suspect a woman was killed for espionage in our house? How strange!" Bumbling idiots.
Specifically, Tuppence mentions there was a census the night the woman is killed. Then a couple chapters later, Tommy is like, "There was a census," and she's like, "What's a census?" And I did not enjoy it.
Also. The murder in question happened a bit before WWI. And somehow nobody can remember anything about it. They are talking to people in their 70s and 80s and 90s, and those people are like, "Oh I wasn't born yet, but my great aunt heard something from her great aunt."
Hey. Babe. 1973 - 80 = 1893. Like, not only were y'all alive, you were adults. The timeline didn't make any sense at all, and it drove me crazy every single time it was mentioned.
The dog was the most interesting character. And it was a dog. Just a normal dog. I don't even really like dogs.
aswigart19's review against another edition
1.0
Interesting premise but the mystery was solved in the last twenty pages when one character simply told Tommy and Tuppence what had happened lol. Love miss Agatha but this one is not worth the read
starcat's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0