alishalester's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
3.5
readivine's review against another edition
5.0
Witches, seances, a museum of curios, a series of unrelated murders, and a pale horse.
A dying woman confesses her "sins" to Father Gorman, a local priest, together with a list of important names. However, Father Gorman was soon struck dead before he was even able to take action. This people in the list seemed unrelated at first glance, but in retrospect, they were all a list of dead people. And it all tied to The Pale Horse. A local pub which is now the abode of three suspected witches. But these witches are adored and respected by the townspeople. After all, their supernatural prowess is simply impossible.
The Pale Horse is a sinister and fascinating murder mystery by Dame Agatha herself. The lingering theme focuses on how malleable evil is and is ever-present in the mundane.
Christie juxtaposes this effectively in her prose, and it's so thoughtfully crafted and placed at different points of the story with ease. You can see how Christie plays in the tropes of the occult, how we associate it with evil, and how in reality, evil manifests in the most unseemly places.
The plot twist is astonishing just when I thought I almost figured it out. But it's not just Christie's plotting that takes the center stage here, for such a huge cast, all the characters were well fleshed out and endearing to read about.
Fun Fact: Christie's murderer in The Pale Horse is inspired by someone she works closely with during WWII. It's actually creepy when you know their background.
A dying woman confesses her "sins" to Father Gorman, a local priest, together with a list of important names. However, Father Gorman was soon struck dead before he was even able to take action. This people in the list seemed unrelated at first glance, but in retrospect, they were all a list of dead people. And it all tied to The Pale Horse. A local pub which is now the abode of three suspected witches. But these witches are adored and respected by the townspeople. After all, their supernatural prowess is simply impossible.
The Pale Horse is a sinister and fascinating murder mystery by Dame Agatha herself. The lingering theme focuses on how malleable evil is and is ever-present in the mundane.
Christie juxtaposes this effectively in her prose, and it's so thoughtfully crafted and placed at different points of the story with ease. You can see how Christie plays in the tropes of the occult, how we associate it with evil, and how in reality, evil manifests in the most unseemly places.
The plot twist is astonishing just when I thought I almost figured it out. But it's not just Christie's plotting that takes the center stage here, for such a huge cast, all the characters were well fleshed out and endearing to read about.
"You see, it’s not hot-blooded murder, from hate or jealousy; it’s not even murder from cupidity, the human frailty of murder for gain but taking the risk yourself. It’s murder as a business—murder that takes no account of who or what the victim may be."
Fun Fact: Christie's murderer in The Pale Horse is inspired by someone she works closely with during WWII. It's actually creepy when you know their background.
nihilistmermaid's review against another edition
3.0
“Your criminal is someone who wants to be important, but who never will be important, because he’ll always be less than a man.”
itseffie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
patwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Moja prvá Agatha Christie! Yay!
A dávam jej asi tak 2.5*
Začiatok bol veľmi chaotický a úprimne som ani nevedela povedať, kto by to mal riešiť. Totižto, až keď som to začala čítať, tak som zistila, že to nie je príbeh Poirota alebo Slečny Marplovej, ktorých poznám zo seriálov, ale úplne niečo iné.
Bolo tam veľmi veľa postáv na takúto kratučkú knihu. Niekedy som si dokonca nebola istá ako za sebou idú udalosti. Ku koncu sa to trochu zlepšilo, ale zase to zloducha som dokázala uhádnuť, takže koniec knihy bol pre mňa anticlimatic.
Pozitívum beriem, že sa mi páčil štýl písania, takže ak v budúcnosti dostanem do rúk nejakú zo známejších kníh, tak si ju určite prečítam.
A dávam jej asi tak 2.5*
Začiatok bol veľmi chaotický a úprimne som ani nevedela povedať, kto by to mal riešiť. Totižto, až keď som to začala čítať, tak som zistila, že to nie je príbeh Poirota alebo Slečny Marplovej, ktorých poznám zo seriálov, ale úplne niečo iné.
Bolo tam veľmi veľa postáv na takúto kratučkú knihu. Niekedy som si dokonca nebola istá ako za sebou idú udalosti. Ku koncu sa to trochu zlepšilo, ale zase to zloducha som dokázala uhádnuť, takže koniec knihy bol pre mňa anticlimatic.
Pozitívum beriem, že sa mi páčil štýl písania, takže ak v budúcnosti dostanem do rúk nejakú zo známejších kníh, tak si ju určite prečítam.
brighthappyness's review against another edition
3.0
Once Christie got off her soapbox the mystery actually got sorta interesting especially in the second half
mongzure's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
pawswithprose's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0