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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Alternative Title "I'm fed up with young people and I hate the 60s!"
As an Agatha Christie novel, there is a baseline level of quality that is already implied. Christie's writing style is cozy, charming, accessible, and intelligent. There are lush descriptions of the surroundings and mythological nods peppered throughout which create a deliciously spooky and autumnal atmosphere. I believe this is my first Poirot novel and I was charmed by his personality and liked his banter with Ariadne. I love the insignificant little flourishes - like Poirot's pride towards his luscious mustache, Ariadne's pithy sense of humor, or when another character asks for an envelope back so she can give the stamp to her son for his collection. The little mannerisms and mundanities breathe life into an otherwise standard detective story. Unfortunately, the bulk of the book fell flat for me. There are interesting things for sure, but it's all sandwiched between two stale pieces of samey dialog and underdeveloped background characters. I didn't dislike it, per se, but I think some diversity in opinion amongst the potential suspects was sorely needed. Everyone in town laments about how things have gotten so much worse in society in the last ten or so years and couples a version of this expression with half baked ideas about psychiatry and sex fiends. Perhaps this is just a product of the late 60s zeitgeist so I'm not faulting it too heavily for that, but there are definitely more compelling Christie books to read instead.
It's fine. It just didn't blow my socks off. If this is "the bottom of the barrel" for Christie, it's a least a very good barrel.
As an Agatha Christie novel, there is a baseline level of quality that is already implied. Christie's writing style is cozy, charming, accessible, and intelligent. There are lush descriptions of the surroundings and mythological nods peppered throughout which create a deliciously spooky and autumnal atmosphere. I believe this is my first Poirot novel and I was charmed by his personality and liked his banter with Ariadne. I love the insignificant little flourishes - like Poirot's pride towards his luscious mustache, Ariadne's pithy sense of humor, or when another character asks for an envelope back so she can give the stamp to her son for his collection. The little mannerisms and mundanities breathe life into an otherwise standard detective story. Unfortunately, the bulk of the book fell flat for me. There are interesting things for sure, but it's all sandwiched between two stale pieces of samey dialog and underdeveloped background characters. I didn't dislike it, per se, but I think some diversity in opinion amongst the potential suspects was sorely needed. Everyone in town laments about how things have gotten so much worse in society in the last ten or so years and couples a version of this expression with half baked ideas about psychiatry and sex fiends. Perhaps this is just a product of the late 60s zeitgeist so I'm not faulting it too heavily for that, but there are definitely more compelling Christie books to read instead.
It's fine. It just didn't blow my socks off. If this is "the bottom of the barrel" for Christie, it's a least a very good barrel.
Idk the mystery was not mystery’ing… I was bored for almost all of it and the plottwist was not actually very interesting either..
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I have to say, this wasn't my favorite Agatha Christie I've read. Probably my least favorite (out of 3). I really struggled to connect with the characters and I was able to guess who did it relatively early compared to the other books. I also lost steam about halfway-ish through because there was a lot of background ramblings that didn't really immediately connect to the murder case, so that bored me a bit. I definitely intend to read more of her mysteries though! I love the Poirot series as a whole, he has this wit and slight sass that I just love!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
mysterious
slow-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
I believe I made a mistake having this one be my entry to Agatha’s writing… it was a bit of a slog and the characters were not overly memorable. I was hoping for more spooky Halloween descriptions and settings. Additionally, I kinda found the detective to be a bit annoying. I haven’t given up on Agatha, but it will be a bit until I visit with her again. This really should be 2.5, but alas can’t do half stars.