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dalstellar's review against another edition
2.0
really not her best - the only agatha christie novel i predicted the ending of. written quite late in her life though and i feel like you can tell it was written by a woman in her 80s. not as well plotted as you would expect from christie with a lot of preoccupation on the past and memories as themes. kind of just made me feel sad tbh
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death
saliwali's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Death of parent, Child death, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Suicide
el90's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Murder, and Death
emma6544's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Mental illness
chalkletters's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
When I picked Elephants Can Remember off the shelf to read next, I was expecting it to be Miss Marple’s Sleeping Murder, which is one of my favourites. The two novels have similar concepts: a young woman with a past mystery about which she needs help discovering answers, so I’m not surprised that I mixed them up. On realising I wasn’t about to read Sleeping Murder, I was initially disappointed, but the first chapter of Elephants Can Remember got me over that hurdle almost immediately.
Ariadne Oliver is immediately charming, in much the same way that Tuppence is in By the Pricking of My Thumbs. Agatha Christie has mastered the conveyance of the meandering way one’s mind moves from topic to topic. In some adaptations (and possibly in the original stories they’re based on) Ariadne Oliver can act a little idiotically, but that isn’t the case here. Her relationship with Hercule Poirot, the way she chastises him for merely sitting at home, also helps cut through his character’s superiority.
The actual puzzle mystery in Elephants Can Remember isn’t Agatha Christie’s best. The clues are there, but the red herrings are presented in such brief and indirect fashion that it’s readily apparent they’re not going to be important. Hercule Poirot explains how he came to his conclusions, but he doesn’t really give each clue its proper weight and explanation. On top of all that, the final proof of the mystery comes not from deduction but from simply asking someone who knew the truth all along! It doesn’t feel particularly satisfying.
I immensely enjoyed reading Elephants Can Remember, I just know that Agatha Christie can and has done even better.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, and Mental illness
fujo_cat's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I've only read two other Agatha Christie stories but I've loved those; this one, on the other hand... Maybe I was just younger and more impressionable back then, but this just felt boring and pointless. The small talk bored me to death and this case in particular wasn't that interesting. I guess I just don't like classic detective books and prefer more of a "somebody died in this room and it could only be one of us" kind of story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Mental illness, Suicide, Murder, Death of parent, Animal death, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Fatphobia, Blood, Violence, Infidelity, Cancer, and Car accident
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