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sarahpopham's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Racial slurs
libbyhb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Antisemitism, and Murder
kaylaramoutar's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Racial slurs
bookedrightmeow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
As an aside, as someone who loves spoof comedies like the iconic movie Clue, it was fun to read source material like ATTWN to see what inspired all those later works!
Now that that’s out of the way...this book has an extremely problematic history, including but not limited to the title itself. I encourage you to look up the Wiki on this book because it’s pretty bad. While the Christie estate has taken steps to change the title and remove racist slurs from the book, it’s a huge issue for me and I’m honestly not sure if I’ll continue reading Christie’s work. 😩
There’s so much to unpack and I’m not intellectual enough to expound on it. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. It’s a fun read. But knowing the back story certainly diminishes my enjoyment of the book in retrospect.
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Murder
alexhelme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Also it was unclear to me between the first person passages, police account at the end, and confessional whether Vera actually did what she was accused of...am I just dumb??
Moderate: Racism, Suicide, and Murder
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
lavender_lake's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Racial slurs
cj1701's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
jnelly14's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Death and Racial slurs
keen's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, and Grief
nuin_giliath's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Readers can assume from the title how the story will end, but there was still an incredible amount of tension from not knowing exactly when or how each character would be killed off. Even after reading the poem that serves as the inspiration behind each death, there was always an uncertainty about just how some of these scenarios might play out. In my opinion, some of the deaths were a touch ridiculous and didn't seem to align well with the lines of the poem. I also thought the final reveal was a bit of a stretch yet at the same time forgivable when considering what needed to happen for this story to work.
While I don't consider any of the characters to be a particular favorite, there's something to be said about how well they depict the baseness of human nature through the initial downplaying of their crimes, the distrust of the others, the rising hysteria, and their desperate attempts at self-preservation. I liked how the narrative jumped around the various POVs as this allowed brief insights into each person's thoughts and motivations in that moment.
I listened to the audio version that featured Dan Stevens' narration and I'd highly recommend it if you can get your hands on a copy. He really gives life and personality to each character. His normally soothing voice does not detract from the overall feeling of foreboding. If you haven't already checked this out, don't let its age deter you from reading this well written mystery novel.
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Racial slurs