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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now this was good. For some reason I thought it was a Marple but I think they adapted it for the TV. I had no idea who the killer was and was happily yumming up the red herrings left for me until it all became clear and I was left exclaiming’You bastard’!
I think I've read some of the best and some of the worst of Agatha Christie this summer- this is the best. I won't mince words here. This is undoubtedly my favorite Agatha Christie book and perhaps one of my favorite books to date. I realize that Agatha Christie isn't often recognized as "intelligent literature" or often discussed in the category of "greatest authors" except in the sheer volume of books sold (she is right behind Shakespeare and the Bible), and I can understand why. Many of her stories have difficulty pairing theme and story well.
Nevertheless, Ms. Christie can be a force of sheer subversive genius. In this book, she lays out themes like xenophobia, societal standing, economic disparity, emotional manipulation, pride, greed, and the inertia of criminality. I don't want to spoil it, but I will say that if you enter this book expecting her usual formula, you will be shocked. It is beautifully written and surprises you in the best way possible.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I read a LOT of Agatha Christie novels when I was in high school, so when I read one now, I’m never quite sure if I have read it before. Am I really so smart that I figure out the mystery, or is it that I actually read this book 30 years ago and the solution was hidden in the recesses of my brain? We’ll never know for sure, but either way, it’s always a fun ride with Agatha Christie 😊
I missed Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, but it still had a lot of the elements of Agatha Christie that make her work enjoyable. I kind of solved this one, but as always there seemed to be more to it than I'd realized.
.
Spoiler
I had a sinking suspicion somewhere three quarters of the way through that we were dealing with an unreliable narrator. This proved to be true, but the finishing flourish of depravity really affected me. I give a lot of credit to Agatha Christie's storytelling for my discomfort, but I didn't really enjoy all the murders and the total unraveling at the end.
"Endless night" is written in first-person perspective. Our narrator is a man who marries a rich girl and builds a house with her on allegedly cursed ground. Disaster strikes.
The things that readers expect from a Christie novel, smooth dialogue and interesting plot are delivered.
Spoiler
In the end, it is revealed that the narrator is really in love with the companion of his wife and the two of them secretly schemed to lay their hands on the money and the big house. The narrator is mentally ill, it is hinted in the end. This makes for an interesting effect: for the whole novel, we have been in his head, seeing things from his perspective. The fact that he is actually an evil murderer.The things that readers expect from a Christie novel, smooth dialogue and interesting plot are delivered.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am not sure how to express how I feel about this book. The first part is very slow, but not boring. The mystery doesn't even really start until about 70% of the way in, but the build up kept me reading still. Agatha Christie is very good at characters and at build up. The plot twist is clever and satisfying in a way, but I also just personally hated it. It's not my kind of ending