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A review by l1t_n3rd
The Poisoned Chocolates Case by Anthony Berkeley
5.0
i did not expect that i'd like this book as much as i did. i didn't think i'd like berkeley's writing style altogether, but i was horribly wrong about that. it was a great deal of fun to read and this was due to many reasons.
i think it'd be appropriate to start talking about the writing style, since i've never encountered something quite like it before. there's nothing all too special about it; his descriptions aren't that remarkable but they're vivid enough to allow the reader to imagine his characters and sceneries in their mind's eye. the only thing that makes it so remarkable, and it sort of suits his personality, is that it's full of sarcastic, witty little comments about everything. it's absolutely hilarious.
his characters are an interesting cast of people. i'm fairly sure that some of them are based off of real-life people, especially members of the detection club, but i can never be certain. although they're not exactly human or realistic, their personalities and the way that they acted towards one another made this book so incredibly enjoyable. they're all slightly dramatized, just a little bit exaggerated. their methods of reasoning are so very different, and the way that they present the conclusions they reached using their methods, even though they're different, is quite the same. they're all a tiny bit dramatic, which is why i found them to be so amusing to read about.
the case itself wasn't all that difficult for me. i was able to reach the same conclusions that each member had reached before they announced their culprit of choice. i think that the most interesting thing about it, and the most interesting thing about this book as a whole actually, is that it explores the concept that mysteries, generally, would have millions of solutions if there wasn't a conclusion at the end. anyone can choose anyone to be the culprit, as long as they had evidence, which is why all the members of the crime circle had entirely different conclusions. this is why, which is something that one of the characters, a mystery writer, said, mystery authors sort of direct the reader into thinking in a certain direction and they come up with the correct conclusions then. without that, there would be millions of possibilities, and the story might end up as, which is another thing that this mystery author said, the detective suspecting and arresting seventy-two people and killing himself because he was the true culprit.
overall, i loved this book. it was a really intriguing case and the cast of characters made it all the more amusing to read about. the sarcastic little remarks made it a rather funny experience reading as well. i'll definitely check out more of berkeley's works, and i would recommend this book, since i think that anyone could really enjoy it.
i think it'd be appropriate to start talking about the writing style, since i've never encountered something quite like it before. there's nothing all too special about it; his descriptions aren't that remarkable but they're vivid enough to allow the reader to imagine his characters and sceneries in their mind's eye. the only thing that makes it so remarkable, and it sort of suits his personality, is that it's full of sarcastic, witty little comments about everything. it's absolutely hilarious.
his characters are an interesting cast of people. i'm fairly sure that some of them are based off of real-life people, especially members of the detection club, but i can never be certain. although they're not exactly human or realistic, their personalities and the way that they acted towards one another made this book so incredibly enjoyable. they're all slightly dramatized, just a little bit exaggerated. their methods of reasoning are so very different, and the way that they present the conclusions they reached using their methods, even though they're different, is quite the same. they're all a tiny bit dramatic, which is why i found them to be so amusing to read about.
the case itself wasn't all that difficult for me. i was able to reach the same conclusions that each member had reached before they announced their culprit of choice. i think that the most interesting thing about it, and the most interesting thing about this book as a whole actually, is that it explores the concept that mysteries, generally, would have millions of solutions if there wasn't a conclusion at the end. anyone can choose anyone to be the culprit, as long as they had evidence, which is why all the members of the crime circle had entirely different conclusions. this is why, which is something that one of the characters, a mystery writer, said, mystery authors sort of direct the reader into thinking in a certain direction and they come up with the correct conclusions then. without that, there would be millions of possibilities, and the story might end up as, which is another thing that this mystery author said, the detective suspecting and arresting seventy-two people and killing himself because he was the true culprit.
overall, i loved this book. it was a really intriguing case and the cast of characters made it all the more amusing to read about. the sarcastic little remarks made it a rather funny experience reading as well. i'll definitely check out more of berkeley's works, and i would recommend this book, since i think that anyone could really enjoy it.