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devirtualized's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Drug use, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
Minor: Misogyny and Pregnancy
bloomerism's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Crime is terribly revealing. Try and vary your methods as you will, your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind, and your soul is revealed by your actions.
Sometimes when you go back and read the books that are the origin of common motifs and tropes, it's disappointing because the themes have been repeated and improved upon. That was not the case with this book, because Agatha absolutely ate it up. The locked room murder?? A classic, and she executed it so well. I was fully locked in for the whole 6 hours of this audiobook, and she somehow managed to do ALL THAT in such a short period of time. I'm not giving it a full 5 stars on principle because of the #racism😔💔 but wow, what a delightful mystery experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Child death
marianasreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder, and Suicide
haileyeh's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicide, Child death, Murder, and Gun violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, and Antisemitism
limdurlu's review against another edition
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Violence, Suicide, and Child death
Minor: Terminal illness and Antisemitism
ed_moore's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ten Little Soldier Boys went out to Dine, one choked his little self and then there were nine.
Nine Little Soldier Boys stayed up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight Little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven Little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six Little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five Little Soldier Boys going through a door; One stubbed his toe and then there were four.
Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three Little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One Little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
The initial title of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ was perhaps the only fault of this story. The characters could have had a little further development too to engage a greater reader connection but for the premise of the story I would argue it wasn't overly necessary. It was a murder mystery so well crafted to the verses of the old nursery rhyme ‘ten little soldier boys’ that each of the ten people invited to Soldier Island off the coast of Devon died as the soldiers did in the verses of the rhyme. Those ten were the only people on the island, meaning the murderer must be among the cast of victims. Each had committed a murder in their past that was unpublishable by the written law hence the enactment of the deaths was a passing of justice, where in paranoia people are turned against one another in a bestial manner in effort to not be killed like all those around them. It was such an excellent tale of human instinct and morality so cleverly tuned by the rhyme and concluding almost poetically, fate playing its cards. The lack of a detective also enhanced the intensity of the mystery, for the reader became the detective because the murders were ongoing, and to oneself the next victim was always assured but unknown. The red herrings are even plainly spelled out but just slip under ones nose. I cannot doubt the genius of Christie’s mystery and the role it placed I as the reader in perhaps made it the most engaging, well thought out and intense murder mystery stories I have ever read, I absolutely loved it.
Nine Little Soldier Boys stayed up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight.
Eight Little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon; One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.
Seven Little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.
Six Little Soldier Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.
Five Little Soldier Boys going through a door; One stubbed his toe and then there were four.
Four Little Soldier Boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.
Three Little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two.
Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was One.
One Little Soldier Boy left all alone; He went and hanged himself and then there were none.
The initial title of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ was perhaps the only fault of this story. The characters could have had a little further development too to engage a greater reader connection but for the premise of the story I would argue it wasn't overly necessary. It was a murder mystery so well crafted to the verses of the old nursery rhyme ‘ten little soldier boys’ that each of the ten people invited to Soldier Island off the coast of Devon died as the soldiers did in the verses of the rhyme. Those ten were the only people on the island, meaning the murderer must be among the cast of victims. Each had committed a murder in their past that was unpublishable by the written law hence the enactment of the deaths was a passing of justice, where in paranoia people are turned against one another in a bestial manner in effort to not be killed like all those around them. It was such an excellent tale of human instinct and morality so cleverly tuned by the rhyme and concluding almost poetically, fate playing its cards. The lack of a detective also enhanced the intensity of the mystery, for the reader became the detective because the murders were ongoing, and to oneself the next victim was always assured but unknown. The red herrings are even plainly spelled out but just slip under ones nose. I cannot doubt the genius of Christie’s mystery and the role it placed I as the reader in perhaps made it the most engaging, well thought out and intense murder mystery stories I have ever read, I absolutely loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Suicide
Moderate: Violence, Medical content, Child death, and Gun violence
jcreads85's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my first Agatha Christie novel. I didn’t hate it, but neither was it a 4 or 5 star either. It was intriguing but her tales don’t age well in some ways. I do think I’ll give her work another chance; however, I'm not part of the camp who will say she’s top notch. At least, not yet. I can say, though, that I see how her books and writing style transfer well to the screen.
I’m grateful for the list of the cast of characters at the beginning. I just wish I hadn’t needed to reference it so much. I also loved the mini parts, basically a shift in perspective, within each chapter. However, this really started out slow and I almost put it aside. I was just so determined to get it read this month as it was so short.
I’m grateful for the list of the cast of characters at the beginning. I just wish I hadn’t needed to reference it so much. I also loved the mini parts, basically a shift in perspective, within each chapter. However, this really started out slow and I almost put it aside. I was just so determined to get it read this month as it was so short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Suicide, and Alcohol
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Gun violence, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: War, Drug use, Terminal illness, and Religious bigotry
psdarlin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Murder
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Child death
knitsandnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Violence, Death, Murder, and Suicide
kwichris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
For as much as I enjoy older literature, I can't believe it took me this long to read Agatha Christie! She truly is in a class above the rest in making murder mysteries that truly keep you guessing. It's easy to see how later films, shows, and books have used this novel in particular as a framework (i.e. the movie Clue opens and has very similar scenes in the beginning for instance). While I did find the story captivating and thrilling to read through, there were a few things I took issue with. I've always disliked when authors insert obscure or rarely used words despite the rest of their writing being wholly different in tone and style (i.e. Christie uses "verisimilitude" for instance as something a character says, which even an educated person would probably have used other verbiage in this time/setting). I also dislike when an author continuously uses ONE adjective repeatedly for EVERYTHING. Christie does this with the word "queer" (the older version of the word mind you), and she makes every character say or think practically everything is "queer." There are dozens of other words that she could've used to broaden the diction of her characters and world, but, alas, it's the one she stuck with until the very end. Overall, I did quite enjoy the story and the surprise at the end, demonstrating her aptitude for mystery writing that is hard to match, and I do recommend it to anyone considering it. Now, to check out some other Christie novels and see what other mysteries she has in store!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Grief, Blood, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, and Sexism