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leosaki's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Ableism, Death, Car accident, Blood, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Child death, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia
bronwensbooks's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.5
Not one of Christie’s best, I think it’s fair to say. It was published at the end of the 60s and you can really feel that Agatha was spooked by the rise of psychological thrillers as a genre. Much of the book is spent complaining about “maniacs and deviants” in a way that comes across as very bitter and out-of-touch. The actual mystery is fine, and eminently solvable, but I wish it was paced out a bit better; the plot really stagnates in the middle and then the climax feels a bit rushed rushed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Ableism
smoakwithwifi's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Slow, repetitive, and full of pearl-clutching about how "children don't behave responsibly anymore" and "they don't lock up deranged people anymore like they ought to".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault
inkysplodge's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Xenophobia and Sexism
daniellekat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Not my favourite. I found this predictable and over repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Ableism, Murder, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Blood
Drowningj_squaredd's review against another edition
dark
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, and Murder
nialiversuch's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Classism, Child death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Murder
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual assault
hannahcstocks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Death, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Car accident, and Alcoholism
heini's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
1.0
It felt like every. single. thing. was repeated at least twice. I was almost starting to think it was some sort of number three-motif but no.
Very boring and very predictable.
A child as a murder victim is always horrible to read about, but the way Agatha Christie (repeatedly) described the murder felt out of place.
Although she does this often, describes and introduces everyone matter-of-factly by their "flaws" (everyone is ugly, annoying, stupid, horse-faced, too thin or too fat, too young or too old, doesn't dress well etc.) it is uncomfortable when she does it to children. She treats her cut-out characters the same, adult or not.
I had to check twice the year this was published (1969) since there was so much talk about The Good Old Days not only from Poirot but the same exact thoughts repeated by every slightly older character.
Especially saddening was the way they talked about mental illness and increasing crime rates.
Sometimes it's hard for me to discern what are Christie's own personal thoughts, what's critique and what's from a charcter. Poirot is especially unlikeable when trying to teach moral lessons: in his opinion a ten year child got what he deserved (murder by drowning) because he Understood the consequenses of blackmailing someone for money. Ffs.
I've been listening to Poirot audiobooks too much this year. Would not recommend. Christie is enjoyable in small doses, otherwise all her weird fucked up thoughts (anti-semitism, misogony, sexism etc.) just stand more and more out book by book and you realize it's all negativity, all the time.
Very boring and very predictable.
A child as a murder victim is always horrible to read about, but the way Agatha Christie (repeatedly) described the murder felt out of place.
Although she does this often, describes and introduces everyone matter-of-factly by their "flaws" (everyone is ugly, annoying, stupid, horse-faced, too thin or too fat, too young or too old, doesn't dress well etc.) it is uncomfortable when she does it to children. She treats her cut-out characters the same, adult or not.
I had to check twice the year this was published (1969) since there was so much talk about The Good Old Days not only from Poirot but the same exact thoughts repeated by every slightly older character.
Especially saddening was the way they talked about mental illness and increasing crime rates.
Sometimes it's hard for me to discern what are Christie's own personal thoughts, what's critique and what's from a charcter. Poirot is especially unlikeable when trying to teach moral lessons:
I've been listening to Poirot audiobooks too much this year. Would not recommend. Christie is enjoyable in small doses, otherwise all her weird fucked up thoughts (anti-semitism, misogony, sexism etc.) just stand more and more out book by book and you realize it's all negativity, all the time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Toxic friendship, Car accident, Infidelity, Suicide, and Mental illness
justineboots's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I've been on a bit of an Agatha Christie binge. I chose this as the next to read since I learned this would be the next one turned into a movie. The synopsis alone made me wonder why this was chosen. Pretty dark for Hollywood to kill of a 13-year old in the opening act.
Overall it was quite an interesting mystery. I guessed one of the main twists but was quite pleasantly surprised how all the different threads came together. I didn't guess it in it's entirety so it was quite satisfactory. While I didn't guess, everything did come together nicely with sufficient clues having been laid and for Poiroit's explanation being quite clear that most of it made a lot of sense looking back and it was overall cohesive enough to be satisfactory.
MAJOR trigger warnings for (the obvious) child's death, attempted murder of a child but also a lot of ableism directed towards the mentally disabled. Or well, not just them actually, towards anyone they considered mentally disabled at the time (which is far more encompassing than our own definitions). It's not particularly relevant to the plot except as a sort of red herring so I assume it will be done away with in the modern movie adaptation but I can understand how it's difficult to release a book with it edited out.
Overall it was quite an interesting mystery. I guessed one of the main twists but was quite pleasantly surprised how all the different threads came together. I didn't guess it in it's entirety so it was quite satisfactory. While I didn't guess, everything did come together nicely with sufficient clues having been laid and for Poiroit's explanation being quite clear that most of it made a lot of sense looking back and it was overall cohesive enough to be satisfactory.
MAJOR trigger warnings for (the obvious) child's death, attempted murder of a child but also a lot of ableism directed towards the mentally disabled. Or well, not just them actually, towards anyone they considered mentally disabled at the time (which is far more encompassing than our own definitions). It's not particularly relevant to the plot except as a sort of red herring so I assume it will be done away with in the modern movie adaptation but I can understand how it's difficult to release a book with it edited out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Ableism