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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
informative
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another solid Poirot mystery. Again, I'd watched the TV movie of this story before reading the book but it has an intriguing and unexpected twist that should satisfy most readers. Most of the characters have distinct personalities, which is sometimes lacking in Christie mysteries given their usual large cast. My only quibble is that Poirot solves this mystery using some very circumstantial and tangential evidence and the conclusions he draws from them seem to be a bit of a stretch.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my favourite Poirot’s! No-one does it like Christie!
Another fun mystery in where I had no clue who the killer was until Poirot’s big reveal. I need to take some notes from him - whoever is the most likely killer is probably it, even if that person seems to have an alibi. The worst part of this story is what the real murderers did to the victim’s stepdaughter - not only allowing her to believe she killed her stepmother, but actively encouraging it. Luckily, Linda survived her suicide attempt, and even though she still felt guilt for wishing her stepmother dead, at least she was convinced her “witchcraft” didn’t have anything to do with it.
There has to be some commentary here on gender roles as they existed at the time. First of all, all the women seemingly disliked Arlena because she was too alluring and kind of dumb, and all the men seemingly liked her because she was beautiful and the seductive type. What did she really think? Did she just prefer the company of men to women? Did she like the power she had to bring men to her side? Or was she more of a tragic figure like Poirot framed her in the end - always being left behind and abandoned by men who grew bored with her, and willing to give anything to gain love and companionship?
I was also pretty annoyed at the end because I really enjoyed Rosamund Darnley’s independence and success as an unmarried business woman. I liked what Poirot had to say about her - she wasn’t unmarried because no man would have her, she was unmarried because she had met no man she wanted. To then turn around and have a man tell her, “if you want to marry me, you’ll have to quit your job and close down your business and move to the country,” and for her to AGREE with gusto to such a ridiculous request was just beyond frustrating. So basically, her whole life and business was just filler to kill time until the man she had always wanted finally realized he wanted her, too? That’s so weak. It’s hard to believe a woman wrote this.
There has to be some commentary here on gender roles as they existed at the time. First of all, all the women seemingly disliked Arlena because she was too alluring and kind of dumb, and all the men seemingly liked her because she was beautiful and the seductive type. What did she really think? Did she just prefer the company of men to women? Did she like the power she had to bring men to her side? Or was she more of a tragic figure like Poirot framed her in the end - always being left behind and abandoned by men who grew bored with her, and willing to give anything to gain love and companionship?
I was also pretty annoyed at the end because I really enjoyed Rosamund Darnley’s independence and success as an unmarried business woman. I liked what Poirot had to say about her - she wasn’t unmarried because no man would have her, she was unmarried because she had met no man she wanted. To then turn around and have a man tell her, “if you want to marry me, you’ll have to quit your job and close down your business and move to the country,” and for her to AGREE with gusto to such a ridiculous request was just beyond frustrating. So basically, her whole life and business was just filler to kill time until the man she had always wanted finally realized he wanted her, too? That’s so weak. It’s hard to believe a woman wrote this.
This is one of my favourite Christie novels that I read most years. She really is a master at balancing lots of characters , quickly you know who they are. This always makes me want to go to Burgh Island hotel for some decedent escapism!
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I will be honest, I listened to this on audiobook and around the 50-70% mark I started zoning out so my experience was jaded by that.
I did still like the setting and the twist and the way the twist was explained. I felt that it all made sense and there weren't any obvious plot holes.
But yeah I was just honestly lost for that middle chunk and it took until the end before I felt like I understood where the hell we were and what was going on. Maybe I'll like it more on a physical read?
I will be honest, I listened to this on audiobook and around the 50-70% mark I started zoning out so my experience was jaded by that.
I did still like the setting and the twist and the way the twist was explained. I felt that it all made sense and there weren't any obvious plot holes.
But yeah I was just honestly lost for that middle chunk and it took until the end before I felt like I understood where the hell we were and what was going on. Maybe I'll like it more on a physical read?
I really enjoy the Poirot series and this was such a fun, relatively light mystery read. You can’t really go wrong with Agatha Christie!
For a woman to truly count, she must have goodness or brains. Agatha Christie was clearly a writer with an endless supply of brains. That is why her books continue to wow readers 130 years after she was born. Unfortunately, sometimes she is perhaps a little too clever and books like Evil Under the Sun are good examples of that. Don't get me wrong, it's a fabulous read and she will always be entertaining. It's just there is something about this book that prevents it from being in the top 10. The plot just feels a bit too clever. A bit too contrived. There are so many possible slip-ups along the way that it can be difficult to believe that the killer actually pulled it off.
So unbelievable that it might, at least, increase the chances that you don't guess the outcome. It also helps that there are plenty of red herrings thrown into the mix. Arlena Marshall is a woman without many fans. When she, her husband, and stepdaughter, arrive at a secluded hotel in Devon, she soon finds herself at the centre of plenty of gossip. As a former actress, she is used to stealing focus and particularly revels in the attention of men. Something that doesn't sit well with most of her fellow guests. Arlena has set her sights on the Patrick Redfern, a young married man, and his wife, Christine, is less than impressed.
One morning, Arlena leaves the hotel early and misses an appointment with Patrick. Her absence is quickly explained when she is discovered on a secluded beach having been strangled to death. With all of the guest having seemingly unbreakable alibis, the police start to think that an outsider was responsible. However, everyone's favourite Belgian, Hercule Poirot, has other ideas. He has also been staying at the hotel and has already witnessed several things that are guiding his personal investigation. Can he uncover the killer? And what other mysteries is this idyllic setting hiding?
Evil Under the Sun is an interesting read but there's maybe too much going on. The plot is so intricate and clever but it lacks the human touch that normally makes her novels so memorable. It's not my favourite reveal but, as usual, watching Poirot putting the puzzle pieces together is a joy. He's such a brilliant character. You can't exactly like him but he draws you in. He's at his best when his ego is left to run wild.. Especially when he is surrounded by such a great mix of supporting characters. There is such a wide array of personalities here and you are bound to fall in love with several of them. Agatha Christie understands people and she understands their motives.
This is also a pretty personal novel for Christie. The ghost of her first marriage haunts the pages and you can feel the emotional fallout that remains. The passages in which she discusses married men being distracted by younger women have a depth and realism to them. There are some absolutely fascinating passages here that cry out for deeper study. As are her ruminations on evil. Are some people just born evil? If they are, are they destined to meet a grizzly end? If anyone can help figure it out then its Monsieur Poirot.
So unbelievable that it might, at least, increase the chances that you don't guess the outcome. It also helps that there are plenty of red herrings thrown into the mix. Arlena Marshall is a woman without many fans. When she, her husband, and stepdaughter, arrive at a secluded hotel in Devon, she soon finds herself at the centre of plenty of gossip. As a former actress, she is used to stealing focus and particularly revels in the attention of men. Something that doesn't sit well with most of her fellow guests. Arlena has set her sights on the Patrick Redfern, a young married man, and his wife, Christine, is less than impressed.
One morning, Arlena leaves the hotel early and misses an appointment with Patrick. Her absence is quickly explained when she is discovered on a secluded beach having been strangled to death. With all of the guest having seemingly unbreakable alibis, the police start to think that an outsider was responsible. However, everyone's favourite Belgian, Hercule Poirot, has other ideas. He has also been staying at the hotel and has already witnessed several things that are guiding his personal investigation. Can he uncover the killer? And what other mysteries is this idyllic setting hiding?
Evil Under the Sun is an interesting read but there's maybe too much going on. The plot is so intricate and clever but it lacks the human touch that normally makes her novels so memorable. It's not my favourite reveal but, as usual, watching Poirot putting the puzzle pieces together is a joy. He's such a brilliant character. You can't exactly like him but he draws you in. He's at his best when his ego is left to run wild.. Especially when he is surrounded by such a great mix of supporting characters. There is such a wide array of personalities here and you are bound to fall in love with several of them. Agatha Christie understands people and she understands their motives.
This is also a pretty personal novel for Christie. The ghost of her first marriage haunts the pages and you can feel the emotional fallout that remains. The passages in which she discusses married men being distracted by younger women have a depth and realism to them. There are some absolutely fascinating passages here that cry out for deeper study. As are her ruminations on evil. Are some people just born evil? If they are, are they destined to meet a grizzly end? If anyone can help figure it out then its Monsieur Poirot.
This was surprisingly good lol. I just wish Agatha didn't have the tendency to pair up every man and woman at the end of almost of her stories