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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
dark
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:
Yes
I have very little reference when it comes to fiction (although that has been changing in recent months), and even less when it comes to compilations of short stories, so it's hard for me to properly gauge things like this. That being said, I had very low expectations for this; I was pleased that they were dashed not even halfway into the second story. I've always been skeptical when it comes to this kind of writing style (i.e. collections of short stories), but in a roundabout way, I've come to realize that I actually might prefer it. It makes reading a much lighter and noncommittal experience, which encourages me to actually read them to completion, something that I have always struggled with when it comes to fiction. Despite my expectations, the writing was so well-done that I found myself actually engaged with the characters and the stories presented in the very short span of just a few pages of exposition. The level of detail in both character development and atmosphere was so powerfully efficient that I was surprised that it could be done in so short a space.
There were a handful of stories I found to be a little dull, and still more where I felt that a lot of the narrative depended on overused (and naturally historically reactionary) tropes (although the parenthetical could easily be seen in light of literature as period piece), but for the most part, they were compelling and exciting, despite their brevity. The only complaint is that after the first four fifths of the book, the theme became somewhat tedious and by the last story, a lot of the pacing that had carried me through most of the book began to falter. If By the Pricking og My Thumbs is anything like this, I might have to put it on the back-burner so that I can approach it with a little distance from the theme.
Still, hard to complain about a book so well-written that it could be read cover to cover in the span of a single day!
There were a handful of stories I found to be a little dull, and still more where I felt that a lot of the narrative depended on overused (and naturally historically reactionary) tropes (although the parenthetical could easily be seen in light of literature as period piece), but for the most part, they were compelling and exciting, despite their brevity. The only complaint is that after the first four fifths of the book, the theme became somewhat tedious and by the last story, a lot of the pacing that had carried me through most of the book began to falter. If By the Pricking og My Thumbs is anything like this, I might have to put it on the back-burner so that I can approach it with a little distance from the theme.
Still, hard to complain about a book so well-written that it could be read cover to cover in the span of a single day!
mysterious
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall a very disappointing collection of Christie short stories, many of which are based in the paranormal. Witness for the Prosecution and The Mystery of the Blue Jar are classics. The rest are mostly insipid or worse. The Last Seance and the Hound of Death are just laughably bad.
Libro de historias cortas de Agatha Christie. Aunque el título hable de Poirot solo protagoniza un par de historias, el resto son fundamentalmente historias con un giro sobrenatural o fantástico. No tengo mucho que decir, no están mal los relatos pero tampoco sorprenden. Es mi segundo libro de Agatha Christie y sigue sin convencerme.
This book is composed by a series of short-stories that revolve around paranormal cases. Not being a usual theme on this author writings, it surprised as it resembled a fresh air breeze. Every short-story is interesting and sometimes it gives you the creeps.
mysterious
medium-paced
Good lord! What a lot of rubbish!
This book only proves that not everything written by a great writer is worth publishing. A collection of twelve 'supernatural' stories, which completely fail to cause any shudder of horror, instead making you laugh out loud at their silliness. Like the one where a stepmother (of eastern heritage) turns her son into a cat by using ancient magic. Or the one about nun destroying nazis by using the power of a crystal. This book is a joke! If it's indeed intended as an irony to show the utter stupidity of most supernatural stories, well that doesn't make it a good book. Lacks all the cleverness, mystery and thrill of Christie's detective stories. I say, avoid!
This book only proves that not everything written by a great writer is worth publishing. A collection of twelve 'supernatural' stories, which completely fail to cause any shudder of horror, instead making you laugh out loud at their silliness. Like the one where a stepmother (of eastern heritage) turns her son into a cat by using ancient magic. Or the one about nun destroying nazis by using the power of a crystal. This book is a joke! If it's indeed intended as an irony to show the utter stupidity of most supernatural stories, well that doesn't make it a good book. Lacks all the cleverness, mystery and thrill of Christie's detective stories. I say, avoid!