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A review by ivy123
Nemesis by Agatha Christie
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I found this book hard to rate as there are some parts that really did not appeal to me and some which I thoroughly enjoyed.
To get what I did not like out of the way first the pacing of this book was very slow which was not too bad but I found myself wanting things to hurry along a bit faster. Stories are also repeated several times which just took up unnecessary time. Lastly, I found some of the themes of victim shaming, disbelief of assault victims, and general attitudes held about young women by some of the main characters to be particularly disturbing. I am not sure if they reflect Agatha Christie's own beliefs or a reflection of how society views these topics as a whole but they made me uncomfortable. I think what made me extra uncomfortable is they remind me that a lot of the views expressed by these characters are still prevalent today. There is one part where a character is talking about how some boys get away with their crimes as courts feel that they do not want to ruin the boy's future which I feel is still seen in our society today.
What I liked however about this novel was the general plot it was very mysterious and as each piece of the puzzle was revealed it made things more interesting. Miss Marple's interactions with her companions on the trip and the way she gathers information by playing on her age and how people view those of her age were also very fun to read.
All in all, although she is my favorite author this is not one of my favorite works she has produced.
To get what I did not like out of the way first the pacing of this book was very slow which was not too bad but I found myself wanting things to hurry along a bit faster. Stories are also repeated several times which just took up unnecessary time. Lastly, I found some of the themes of victim shaming, disbelief of assault victims, and general attitudes held about young women by some of the main characters to be particularly disturbing. I am not sure if they reflect Agatha Christie's own beliefs or a reflection of how society views these topics as a whole but they made me uncomfortable. I think what made me extra uncomfortable is they remind me that a lot of the views expressed by these characters are still prevalent today. There is one part where a character is talking about how some boys get away with their crimes as courts feel that they do not want to ruin the boy's future which I feel is still seen in our society today.
What I liked however about this novel was the general plot it was very mysterious and as each piece of the puzzle was revealed it made things more interesting. Miss Marple's interactions with her companions on the trip and the way she gathers information by playing on her age and how people view those of her age were also very fun to read.
All in all, although she is my favorite author this is not one of my favorite works she has produced.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
only mentioned briefly but the language surrounding victims and victim-blaming can be difficult to read