Take a photo of a barcode or cover
klcsl 's review for:
The Unexpected Guest
by Charles Osborne, Agatha Christie
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is not Christie's best work. Not even close. I know a lot of people love this, but it just didn't do it for me. There were many eye-roll-inducing moments, like when the unexpected guest decided to help the wife cover up a murder. His reason for involving himself was laughably absurd. (This isn't a spoiler) He says she's "too pretty for jail"... And they're complete strangers. I know what happens later, but if I were the wife, I'd be highly suspicious of anyone who tried to help me based on that.
I'm not going to give spoilers, but the plot twist at the end, while surprising, was just not convincing at all. It works until you think about it even a little bit. And the unnecessary romantic feelings between two characters... The whole ending just made me cringe.
The book is also "of its time." I don't want to share the biggest offense because that's one of the biggest plot twists. Let's just say it involves a damaging belief about people with mental illness. But one harmless example is when a male character is talking to a female character and he says, "For a woman, you're good at keeping secrets." I understand that gender equality was not a thing back then, but why does that line even need to exist? The story would've flowed just the same if that line had been omitted entirely. And it's a female writer!
I'm not going to give spoilers, but the plot twist at the end, while surprising, was just not convincing at all. It works until you think about it even a little bit. And the unnecessary romantic feelings between two characters... The whole ending just made me cringe.
The book is also "of its time." I don't want to share the biggest offense because that's one of the biggest plot twists. Let's just say it involves a damaging belief about people with mental illness. But one harmless example is when a male character is talking to a female character and he says, "For a woman, you're good at keeping secrets." I understand that gender equality was not a thing back then, but why does that line even need to exist? The story would've flowed just the same if that line had been omitted entirely. And it's a female writer!