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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't even know how to begin writing and explaining what a perfect book this was to me. From beginning to end it sucked me in and sold me this fantasy of ambition and love and unease and i was made a FOOL. Of course you can GUESS the outcome and the culprit but its not in the normal christie way that you may overlook small insignificant details, you are actively being spun a story as you READ so you only know as much as he wants you to know at any moment. The last few pages of the book were such a dramatic punch to the gut for me because imo, Mike does SUCH a good job of painting himself as aloof and helpless without appearing like he is. He sets up this Me vs. Them ruse with him and the "smart wealthy sharks" so well (aided by ellie and the actual wealthy people) that you are always just as wary of everyone around him throughout the novel even BEFORE Ellie dies. But its not until after that you realize why he was wary of them, because he had his own intentions and performance to put on.
As always, small and seemingly insignificant details set themselves into place once you have the full story from Mike. From his and his mothers unease for eachother, his not wanting his mother to get acquainted with Ellie, his random bursts of anger at Ellie keeping secrets from him, his great mood the day of the incident, and the way he was so specifically questioned after her death (because Phillpot and Keene already suspected him). They question/prod at him about 'someone' paying off the gypsy and wanting her quiet, two 'lovers' sneaking off to the folly, and his plans afterwards.
Things that I can't stop thinking about:
-The absolute SPIRAL right after he initially lets slip his true plan where he has flashbacks of killing his friends..... it was absolutely HAUNTING. I felt something akin to just disappointment and betrayal because he was our storyteller and voice, our unassuming narrator, our fish out of water yet was admitting to murder and apathy and scheming?
-The way he spoke about Ellie before and after her death. It kind of felt like a sort of karma for his nature that even after pulling off the impossible, Ellie haunts him not only literally as an apparition but as a slap to the face that he WAS happy amidst his ruse. She haunts him as the ultimate 'What If?' and as his interpreted other half. Her sweet delight to his endless night becomes the ultimate karma because for all his scheming and lying, she will be the one to haunt him as a million different thoughts meanwhile he spirals into whatever madness his last chapter was.
Not a happy ending in the slightest but its a SATISFYING ending where you feel that even after how HARD they tried, Mike and Greta fell victims to themselves in the end. A million other thoughts about the individual karmas they went through but thats for another readthrough.
As always, small and seemingly insignificant details set themselves into place once you have the full story from Mike. From his and his mothers unease for eachother, his not wanting his mother to get acquainted with Ellie, his random bursts of anger at Ellie keeping secrets from him, his great mood the day of the incident, and the way he was so specifically questioned after her death (because Phillpot and Keene already suspected him). They question/prod at him about 'someone' paying off the gypsy and wanting her quiet, two 'lovers' sneaking off to the folly, and his plans afterwards.
Things that I can't stop thinking about:
-The absolute SPIRAL right after he initially lets slip his true plan where he has flashbacks of killing his friends..... it was absolutely HAUNTING. I felt something akin to just disappointment and betrayal because he was our storyteller and voice, our unassuming narrator, our fish out of water yet was admitting to murder and apathy and scheming?
-The way he spoke about Ellie before and after her death. It kind of felt like a sort of karma for his nature that even after pulling off the impossible, Ellie haunts him not only literally as an apparition but as a slap to the face that he WAS happy amidst his ruse. She haunts him as the ultimate 'What If?' and as his interpreted other half. Her sweet delight to his endless night becomes the ultimate karma because for all his scheming and lying, she will be the one to haunt him as a million different thoughts meanwhile he spirals into whatever madness his last chapter was.
Not a happy ending in the slightest but its a SATISFYING ending where you feel that even after how HARD they tried, Mike and Greta fell victims to themselves in the end. A million other thoughts about the individual karmas they went through but thats for another readthrough.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maybe I just don’t trust men but I could tell there was something up with him and Ellie just happening to meet and how against Greta he was for literally no reason, but I did love seeing the darker side of his thoughts in the last few chapters
One of Christie‘s later works, and one of her favorites. At times I thought the chapters were too long with unnecessary filling . By the end of the novel It all makes sense, Which is why I gave it the five stars instead of just 4 stars. It almost makes me want to re-read the book so I can put together the clues that lead to the reveal. Certainly some of what happens seems strange and unexpected but that’s what makes this a perfect example of a book with an unreliable narrator. The ones with the surprises are the best not the ones where I close the book and say oh yeah, I knew it from the beginning.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sarà anche uno dei lavori migliori di Agatha Christie ma io non sono riuscita proprio a farmelo piacere.
Il punto migliore del romanzo è il finale, ma per raggiungerlo bisogna affrontare un intero libro di noia assoluta.
Il punto migliore del romanzo è il finale, ma per raggiungerlo bisogna affrontare un intero libro di noia assoluta.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story comes together brilliantly at the end, but the journey there is pretty slow and tedious. I really didn't like the narrator and found him annoying from the start, so I don't think that helped matters. The last 10% of the book is a great thriller, but the rest of the book is kinda more slice-of-life romance, which isn't really what I'm in the mood for when I pick up an Agatha Christie book.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Love the ending. I also never would have guessed this is Agatha Christie. It’s a really different style than her other books I’ve read. (Also worth noting, the language and attitudes are quite dated and cringeworthy.)
Book connections:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - they move in to an old house with lots of rumors behind it. The vibes feel quite similar to me. And honestly, this is better.
Book connections:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - they move in to an old house with lots of rumors behind it. The vibes feel quite similar to me. And honestly, this is better.