Reviews with content warning for Violence - And Then There Were None

Essentially no details extraneous to the plot are included in the book. This allows for extremely rapid and tense plot progression at the expense of any meaningful character development. The book therefore reads more as a series of facts in a logic puzzle than an emotional journey. Nonetheless the book is short enough that the plot and mystery are enough to retain the reader's attention.

I would have preferred not to have the "message in the bottle" at the end. Now if I reread it won't be quite as interesting, although it will have a new perspective

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limdurlu's review against another edition

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fast-paced

5.0

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ed_moore's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Ten Little Soldier Boys went out to Dine, one choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine Little Soldier Boys stayed up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight Little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven Little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six Little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five Little Soldier Boys going through a door; One stubbed his toe and then there were four.
Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three Little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One Little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none.

The initial title of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ was perhaps the only fault of this story. The characters could have had a little further development too to engage a greater reader connection but for the premise of the story I would argue it wasn't overly necessary. It was a murder mystery so well crafted to the verses of the old nursery rhyme ‘ten little soldier boys’ that each of the ten people invited to Soldier Island off the coast of Devon died as the soldiers did in the verses of the rhyme. Those ten were the only people on the island, meaning the murderer must be among the cast of victims. Each had committed a murder in their past that was unpublishable by the written law hence the enactment of the deaths was a passing of justice, where in paranoia people are turned against one another in a bestial manner in effort to not be killed like all those around them. It was such an excellent tale of human instinct and morality so cleverly tuned by the rhyme and concluding almost poetically, fate playing its cards. The lack of a detective also enhanced the intensity of the mystery, for the reader became the detective because the murders were ongoing, and to oneself the next victim was always assured but unknown. The red herrings are even plainly spelled out but just slip under ones nose. I cannot doubt the genius of Christie’s mystery and the role it placed I as the reader in perhaps made it the most engaging, well thought out and intense murder mystery stories I have ever read, I absolutely loved it.

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jcreads85's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.0

This was my first Agatha Christie novel. I didn’t hate it, but neither was it a 4 or 5 star either. It was intriguing but her tales don’t age well in some ways. I do think I’ll give her work another chance; however, I'm not part of the camp who will say she’s top notch. At least, not yet. I can say, though, that I see how her books and writing style transfer well to the screen.

I’m grateful for the list of the cast of characters at the beginning. I just wish I hadn’t needed to reference it so much. I also loved the mini parts, basically a shift in perspective, within each chapter. However, this really started out slow and I almost put it aside. I was just so determined to get it read this month as it was so short.

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knitsandnovels's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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