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namnam84 's review for:
Hickory Dickory Dock
by Agatha Christie
There's nothing like an Agatha Christie to keep you busy on a rainy evening. That, and a hot mug of coffee of course. This is the ultimate reader cliche but I am guilty of succumbing to it today to finish this book. All the allegations against Christie's narrative style are true - most prominently her deceptive story-telling technique. But reading this one a second time was fun.
I read this book when I was a rather immature and un-worldly 15-year old. Back then, I did not get any of the caricature-like character nuances of the "foreign" students in this book. Today, these are stereotypical and mildly racist. But Christie is playing upon popular notions of nationalities and races, and that causes some humour in the proceedings. And then there is the incorrigible M. Poirot - with his little grey cells and peculiar habits - who brings in some entertainment. Though strangely, he is absent from a large part of the book and investigations.
One feels satisfied once secrets are revealed at the end - and also when at least someone gets a happy ending, after all the walloping on the head and the poisoning. In short, this book is a breezy read, not to be taken too seriously, but to be enjoyed thoroughly.
I read this book when I was a rather immature and un-worldly 15-year old. Back then, I did not get any of the caricature-like character nuances of the "foreign" students in this book. Today, these are stereotypical and mildly racist. But Christie is playing upon popular notions of nationalities and races, and that causes some humour in the proceedings. And then there is the incorrigible M. Poirot - with his little grey cells and peculiar habits - who brings in some entertainment. Though strangely, he is absent from a large part of the book and investigations.
One feels satisfied once secrets are revealed at the end - and also when at least someone gets a happy ending, after all the walloping on the head and the poisoning. In short, this book is a breezy read, not to be taken too seriously, but to be enjoyed thoroughly.