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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
Cat Among the Pigeons is a story of murder and hidden treasure at an internationally acclaimed boarding school for girls. It's a gripping novel that reads more like a spy thriller than most Poirot books. The detective in question doesn't even show up until almost , making this far from your classic Christie mystery. It's still a fun read, though. I've read it twice now and thoroughly enjoyed myself on both occasions.
Before you pick up a copy, you should be aware that, like many Christie novels, this book reflects prejudices and word-views from the time period and place in which it was written. There's some casual glorification of "the English way" and some casual dismissal of other countries and their cultures, especially France and the Middle East. It's not a major part of the book by any means, but it shows up regularly in off-hand comments since the setting is an international boarding school. I was pleasantly surprised that the book didn't fully embrace these lines of thinking as you can see in this exchange when a Detective presents two of the school's teacher with the idea that one of their students may have been sneaking out to meet a boy:
If lines like Miss Johnson's will bother you, don't read the book as they're not always shot down so excellently. But if you can look past them and you enjoy a good mystery thriller, then give this one a look!
Spoiler
three fourths of the way through the bookBefore you pick up a copy, you should be aware that, like many Christie novels, this book reflects prejudices and word-views from the time period and place in which it was written. There's some casual glorification of "the English way" and some casual dismissal of other countries and their cultures, especially France and the Middle East. It's not a major part of the book by any means, but it shows up regularly in off-hand comments since the setting is an international boarding school. I was pleasantly surprised that the book didn't fully embrace these lines of thinking as you can see in this exchange when a Detective presents two of the school's teacher with the idea that one of their students may have been sneaking out to meet a boy:
Miss Johnson gasped. "Well, yes, the idea did come into my head for just a moment. One of our Italian girls, perhaps. Foreigners are so much more precocious than English girls."
"Don't be so insular," said Miss Bulstrode. "We've had plenty of English girls trying to make unsuitable assignations." (page 74)
If lines like Miss Johnson's will bother you, don't read the book as they're not always shot down so excellently. But if you can look past them and you enjoy a good mystery thriller, then give this one a look!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
adventurous
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:
No
lighthearted
slow-paced
mysterious
tense
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
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was pretty disappointed with this one, Hercule himself didn't show up until act three and the intrigue of the plot wasn't as compelling as other novels. Ah well, they can't all be winners.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a great mystery! I loved all the mistresses and students at the girls' school; they made such compelling characters! Especially Ms. Bulstrode and Julia Upjohn. My only complaint is that Poirot was barely in this; he first appears about 75 percent through the book. He was on top of his game once he did appear, but I would have given the book five stars if he was in it more. It just didn't quite feel like a Poirot book, but it was a great Christie mystery!
Me gustó bastante. Pero es un garrón que Poirot recién haya aparecido en la página 180
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated