Reviews

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

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danniprice's review against another edition

funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

Classic Agatha and classic Poirot! What more could you ask for! For me it still doesn't beat And Then There Were None but it was a fun read. I read this a bit slow but it's definitely not a slow read. Could get through it really quickly if you wanted to sit with it for a while. Kept me guessing and I think Poirot is established incredibly in his debut as a character.

reading_by_the_beach's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

pinkhydroflask's review against another edition

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4.0

RATING: 7.5/10

this is the first novel that i’ve read by agatha christie that i didn’t give a solid 10/10.

the good

this novel was confusing, suspenseful, and left you guessing all the way till the end.

the mystery was complex, and as usual, i loved how the way poirot tied in the whole story into a neat little bow at the end.

and once again, it never is the person you thought it would be.

it was intriguing, and i particularly enjoyed how the relationships/infidelity between the various couples made the book so much more confusing. it made me want to continue reading it all the way til the end, and for that, i am always eternally grateful for AC and her work.

the not-so-good

this wasn’t the most satisfying novel of hers that i’ve read for many reasons.

it was a little anticlimactic, and i really felt that it was misleading, what with the way poirot seemed to be leading the plot round and round and round before arriving to the conclusion.

i also didn’t really enjoy the ‘fake’ evidence that she planted in the readers’ minds, and then suddenly have it be something totally different right at the end, when poirot revealed a major clue. while i understand this is to make the suspense and mysterious element stronger, it felt like i was cheated out of something that could have been greater.

i did enjoy the way the story ended, i really did, but it just felt a little mediocre. i expected a lot more thought and planning to go into the murder, and felt a little disappointed when the facts were laid out so simply and quickly.

disastrouspenguin's review against another edition

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3.0

A lot of suspense and not a lot of things happening. I do enjoy Poirot as a character though.

bookswithruby's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? No

3.5

clockworkp's review against another edition

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4.0

425
Es curioso que esta sea la primera novela de Christie, es el comienzo de la fórmula pero la que (de las que he leído) más realista me ha parecido, no me esperaba para nada que la investigación durase tanto tiempo ni que hubiera varios juicios y vistas.
La trama es bastante enrevesada, pero debo admitir que aunque sospeché del culpable, eso fue porque sospeché de todo el mundo. Muy interesante.
Que transcurra en el pazo de meses es lo que hizo que me pareciera demasiado largo, a pesar de haberlo acabado en 2 sentadas.
El narrador es bastante insufrible en lo denso que es y lo inteligente que se cree, aunque queda claro que esto es intencionado. Que se "encapriche" de las dos mujeres de la casa (una de ellas casada con su amigo) se me hizo de muy mal gusto.
La ambientación en la 1ª Guerra Mundial fue novedosa para mí porque simplemente está de fondo y que la autora viviera esa época lo hace mucho más interesante.