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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
mysterious
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I should probably give The Mysterious Affair at Styles five stars instead of four, because it is one of the few books I've read in the past several years that have compelled me to read large chunks at a time to get to the end. Agatha Christie uses the narrator, Mr. Hastings, as the perfect foil for ace detective Hercule Poirot, and after laughing out loud at Poirot's subtle pokes at Hastings' analytical shortcomings, it dawned on me that Hastings served as the personification of the reader and that Christie was poking fun at me, because I was as clueless in the who-dunnit department as Hastings. Hrrrumph!
The absence of the fifth star is my way of protesting that like Hastings, I, the reader, didn't really know all that Poirot had discovered, so my incompetence at detective work was not all my fault. I also thought that the loose ends regarding the various relationships in the story were tied up a little too quickly at the end. That said, Christie and Poirot did a superb job, each in their own right, and I look forward to doing better on my next case.
The absence of the fifth star is my way of protesting that like Hastings, I, the reader, didn't really know all that Poirot had discovered, so my incompetence at detective work was not all my fault. I also thought that the loose ends regarding the various relationships in the story were tied up a little too quickly at the end. That said, Christie and Poirot did a superb job, each in their own right, and I look forward to doing better on my next case.
lighthearted
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
Five stars
This is my first Agatha Christie book and I absolutely loved it. I had no clue who had done it and was left guessing to the last. Poirot is a funny little man and I look forward to reading about him solving more mysteries. I number of times I was completely dumbfounded by how obvious what he said was but how I had absolutely failed to see it.
The writing was good and the setting was interesting. I found the wartime setting interesting, especially as this book didn't really make anything of it except as a backdrop. Reading about saving all the waste paper and things like that was nice and gave me a glimpse into what life was like for those on the home front.
Overall I would recommend to anyone who wants a good mystery that leaves them guessing to the end.
This is my first Agatha Christie book and I absolutely loved it. I had no clue who had done it and was left guessing to the last. Poirot is a funny little man and I look forward to reading about him solving more mysteries. I number of times I was completely dumbfounded by how obvious what he said was but how I had absolutely failed to see it.
The writing was good and the setting was interesting. I found the wartime setting interesting, especially as this book didn't really make anything of it except as a backdrop. Reading about saving all the waste paper and things like that was nice and gave me a glimpse into what life was like for those on the home front.
Overall I would recommend to anyone who wants a good mystery that leaves them guessing to the end.
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
A quick read but not nearly as riveting as And Then There Were None
Ribadisco che io e la Christie abbiamo una relazione complicata, e questo libro ne è l'ennesima conferma. Da amante dei gialli sono incredibilmente dispiaciuta di non riuscire ad apprezzare il più delle volte le storie e la scrittura di una delle autrici più amate del genere, ma ho fatto davvero fatica a terminare questo volume che per me manca totalmente di coinvolgere il lettore.
La cosa peggiore che si possa dire di un giallo è "non è avvincente" e ormai è una costante dei miei approcci alla Christie. Ho trovato i personaggi incredibilmente odiosi, dal primo all'ultimo, primo fra tutti un narratore che è il fallitissimo tentativo di imitare lo Watson di Doyle; mi ha accompagnato durante la lettura un perpetuo senso di nervosismo e quello che doveva essere un finale ad effetto non ha fatto altro che infastidirmi ulteriormente.
Continuo a dare delle possibilità a questa autrice ma inizio a dubitare fortemente che faccia per me.
La cosa peggiore che si possa dire di un giallo è "non è avvincente" e ormai è una costante dei miei approcci alla Christie. Ho trovato i personaggi incredibilmente odiosi, dal primo all'ultimo, primo fra tutti un narratore che è il fallitissimo tentativo di imitare lo Watson di Doyle; mi ha accompagnato durante la lettura un perpetuo senso di nervosismo e quello che doveva essere un finale ad effetto non ha fatto altro che infastidirmi ulteriormente.
Continuo a dare delle possibilità a questa autrice ma inizio a dubitare fortemente che faccia per me.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A