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savvyrosereads's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-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
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The first of Christie’s Colonel Race series, The Man in the Brown Suit tells the story of Anne Beddingfeld, an intrepid budding adventuress investigating the mysterious death of a man in a train station and the apparently connected murder of a woman in a nearby home.
As you know if you’ve been following along with my reviews, I’ve been chronologically working through Christie’s writings, and have been enjoying myself quite a bit so far. Unfortunately, this one was definitely my least favorite. While it was hilarious in parts (possibly even funnier than it was intended to be, as some parts seemed a bit ridiculous), I found it long winded and confusing, and never really clicked with the narrator in the audio version. And, especially with a portion of the novel set in Africa, there were unfortunately some racist and sexist moments that are always disconcerting and problematic to see and definitely diminished my overall enjoyment level.
In the end, I was still shocked by the twist and enjoyed the characters, but if you’re looking for your next Christie this isn’t the one I’d rush to grab!
Recommended if you like: adventurous mysteries; tough heroines; humorous narration.
CW: Death/murder; kidnapping/confinement; some mentions of war.
The first of Christie’s Colonel Race series, The Man in the Brown Suit tells the story of Anne Beddingfeld, an intrepid budding adventuress investigating the mysterious death of a man in a train station and the apparently connected murder of a woman in a nearby home.
As you know if you’ve been following along with my reviews, I’ve been chronologically working through Christie’s writings, and have been enjoying myself quite a bit so far. Unfortunately, this one was definitely my least favorite. While it was hilarious in parts (possibly even funnier than it was intended to be, as some parts seemed a bit ridiculous), I found it long winded and confusing, and never really clicked with the narrator in the audio version. And, especially with a portion of the novel set in Africa, there were unfortunately some racist and sexist moments that are always disconcerting and problematic to see and definitely diminished my overall enjoyment level.
In the end, I was still shocked by the twist and enjoyed the characters, but if you’re looking for your next Christie this isn’t the one I’d rush to grab!
Recommended if you like: adventurous mysteries; tough heroines; humorous narration.
CW: Death/murder; kidnapping/confinement; some mentions of war.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Kidnapping
tatianars's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Trafficking, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Death, and Stalking
sunny_not's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book started off so fun, it was almost like watching an action movie. However due to its racism and misogyny and the weird Tarzan-Jane like dynamic between the main couple I couldn't enjoy this fully. Also Anne saying that the killer is nice???? What???? She had some serious issues. I also felt like the whole "I'm not Lucas I'm Harry" thing was pointless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
alaharon123's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia, Gun violence, and Murder
blinicat's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation, War, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
bhu's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, and War
beeley10's review against another edition
adventurous
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? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Racial slurs
Minor: Murder
Very outdated, sometimes offensive views expressed, confusing plotbackpackfullofbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Book four in my personal read through of Agatha Christie in publication order!
I had some trepidation in reading this one. I remembered loving it as a teen, and re-reading it many times, but my hazy adult recollections suggested a rather torrid romance (at least, the closest to a torrid romance I knew existed as a fifteen year old) that might be accused of all the unhealthiness associated with Twilight, but with rather more justice than when Twilight is accused of such.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the main character is funny and relatable in a way that makes for quite a fun adventure aside from the romance. And, I’d rather inflated the impact of one specific ‘romantic’ scene in my memory--much like Twilight, I still wouldn’t recommend this for teenage girls (ahem, sorry past self). But while not a great model for how relationships should be, the romantic part of the story can be enjoyed in the light of ‘people can make bad choices and still end up well later’.
I had some trepidation in reading this one. I remembered loving it as a teen, and re-reading it many times, but my hazy adult recollections suggested a rather torrid romance (at least, the closest to a torrid romance I knew existed as a fifteen year old) that might be accused of all the unhealthiness associated with Twilight, but with rather more justice than when Twilight is accused of such.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the main character is funny and relatable in a way that makes for quite a fun adventure aside from the romance. And, I’d rather inflated the impact of one specific ‘romantic’ scene in my memory--much like Twilight, I still wouldn’t recommend this for teenage girls (ahem, sorry past self). But while not a great model for how relationships should be, the romantic part of the story can be enjoyed in the light of ‘people can make bad choices and still end up well later’.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Murder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Racism
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