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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Not my favorite Hercule Poirot story but a solid one.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first time I read this, I rated it three stars because I thought it moved slowly and was boring. I reluctantly picked it up again a year or two later, and was pleasantly surprised at how good it actually was. Then, this past week I reread it for the third time and was stunned at just how good it was. This book gets better and better - I don't know if that's because I wait a few years before returning to it and see things I missed the last time around, or if it's because the older I've gotten the more I've understood and enjoyed, or if it's because my tastes have changed, but whatever it is, this book is so well-written and compelling.
Part of what I like about the book is that it takes place in one spot (they don't travel much after the first few chapters), and it's set in a place outside of England (Petra, Jordan). It's also a relatively quick read, and has a very distinct vibe to it. In some places, it's got a very eerie, foreboding, gloomy, overshadowing, stifling feeling to it, because it centers around a controlling, gas-lighting, mentally abusive, sadistic mother and the seven "children" who live under her control. As it's the first time they've been allowed to travel, it's both a breath of fresh air and adventure, as well as a wake-up call to the reality of the prison she's kept them in - one of the most interesting aspects of this book is how it dwells on each of them and how they react to this realization, and what comes out of this painful awareness to their unusual circumstances. Wanting to get out and break free, desperate for a life outside of the house/prison they'll go back to, and convinced that this is the only chance they have of leaving, you see each individual person make an effort or plan to break free, mentally and/or physically. No matter what they try or how hard their effort is to get help from the outside, they are continually stopped and imprisoned by the mother's mental control over them. Subduing them and giving them no hope makes them even more desperate and determined in a fatalistic, defeatist way. Willing to do anything, risk anything, in order to escape, the children start forming plans, and the story begins.
You do have to slog through the interrogations some, but they're actually better than the majority of interrogations in Christie's books. It's a much quicker, easier read than I remembered. The murder was intricate and complicated, and the more Poirot points out the flaws, or the things that don't match up, the more you realize how scattered and confusing the whole thing is - how many loose threads are not tying up, how many of them have no alibi and multiple ways to do it, and each one is cast in a dubious light. Like most Agatha Christies, you have to pay careful attention to the wordplay going on between the murderer and Hercule Poirot, and the little hints Christie drops, to accurately guess the murderer.
After finishing it for the third time, I have now become a huge fan of this book and can't wait to revisit it in a couple of years. The way Poirot goes over each and every character's opportunities and motives is fascinating, and mind-boggling. There are so many motives and so much opportunity, yet so many things (as usual) that don't make sense if person x had been the one to do it. Poirot is constantly bringing up holes in every theory he puts out for every person, such as, "if she had done it, then why did she do xyz? If he really was guilty, there was no reason for him to do blahblahblah", and I love how much doubt and confusion Poirot brings to the table when he breaks it down. The end of the story walks us through his reasoning, and helps us think through each person's "process", but it still leaves us with more questions and more confusion as to who could have possibly carried it out.
The ending wraps everything up nicely, as usual, and we're left with a sense of satisfaction - justice has been, more or less, served. The murder was intricate, and in many ways could have gone undetected if the almighty Hercule Poirot had not been there. The story finishes with a "where are they now?" segment, and closes that chapter in their lives, leaving us with closure and optimism, and, in the end, a great appreciation for Christie's impeccable writing.
Part of what I like about the book is that it takes place in one spot (they don't travel much after the first few chapters), and it's set in a place outside of England (Petra, Jordan). It's also a relatively quick read, and has a very distinct vibe to it. In some places, it's got a very eerie, foreboding, gloomy, overshadowing, stifling feeling to it, because it centers around a controlling, gas-lighting, mentally abusive, sadistic mother and the seven "children" who live under her control. As it's the first time they've been allowed to travel, it's both a breath of fresh air and adventure, as well as a wake-up call to the reality of the prison she's kept them in - one of the most interesting aspects of this book is how it dwells on each of them and how they react to this realization, and what comes out of this painful awareness to their unusual circumstances. Wanting to get out and break free, desperate for a life outside of the house/prison they'll go back to, and convinced that this is the only chance they have of leaving, you see each individual person make an effort or plan to break free, mentally and/or physically. No matter what they try or how hard their effort is to get help from the outside, they are continually stopped and imprisoned by the mother's mental control over them. Subduing them and giving them no hope makes them even more desperate and determined in a fatalistic, defeatist way. Willing to do anything, risk anything, in order to escape, the children start forming plans, and the story begins.
You do have to slog through the interrogations some, but they're actually better than the majority of interrogations in Christie's books. It's a much quicker, easier read than I remembered. The murder was intricate and complicated, and the more Poirot points out the flaws, or the things that don't match up, the more you realize how scattered and confusing the whole thing is - how many loose threads are not tying up, how many of them have no alibi and multiple ways to do it, and each one is cast in a dubious light. Like most Agatha Christies, you have to pay careful attention to the wordplay going on between the murderer and Hercule Poirot, and the little hints Christie drops, to accurately guess the murderer.
After finishing it for the third time, I have now become a huge fan of this book and can't wait to revisit it in a couple of years. The way Poirot goes over each and every character's opportunities and motives is fascinating, and mind-boggling. There are so many motives and so much opportunity, yet so many things (as usual) that don't make sense if person x had been the one to do it. Poirot is constantly bringing up holes in every theory he puts out for every person, such as, "if she had done it, then why did she do xyz? If he really was guilty, there was no reason for him to do blahblahblah", and I love how much doubt and confusion Poirot brings to the table when he breaks it down. The end of the story walks us through his reasoning, and helps us think through each person's "process", but it still leaves us with more questions and more confusion as to who could have possibly carried it out.
The ending wraps everything up nicely, as usual, and we're left with a sense of satisfaction - justice has been, more or less, served. The murder was intricate, and in many ways could have gone undetected if the almighty Hercule Poirot had not been there. The story finishes with a "where are they now?" segment, and closes that chapter in their lives, leaving us with closure and optimism, and, in the end, a great appreciation for Christie's impeccable writing.
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hercule Poirot never fails to impress. In this mystery set among the sweeping backdrop of the Middle East, out favorite mustachioed detective has only twenty four hours to solve a distressing case. Stylistically this novel was quite different from the other Poirot novels I have read. It was interesting to follow our potential suspects as they lived through the death of the odious Mrs. Boynton in real time. It was equally impressive to see our good detective piece together the logistics of the crime with no more than piecemeal interviews to go on. Very enjoyable read!