lalu's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ten people are invited to "Soldier Island" under different pretences. It turns out that each one caused the death of someone in a way that was untouchable by law.
Spoiler
One after another they all die.Here are some of the guesses/suspicions I had while reading. None of them were correct.
Spoiler
When Mr Rogers was seen outside and very shortly afterwards was seen in the attic, I thought he might have a twin or doppelganger.The way Ms Brent wrote in her diary and also went outside on her own... Very suspicious!
When the last five sat in the drawing room and we could read each ones thoughts I thought the last one was Blore and therfore suspected him.
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Child death, Gun violence, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, Misogyny, and War
Minor: Religious bigotry, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
ansatejones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Suicide, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident
Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Chronic illness, and Death
greenrequiem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Medical trauma
Minor: Religious bigotry, War, Car accident, Racism, Racial slurs, Alcohol, Genocide, and Pregnancy
karen_lo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Kept me guessing the whole time, I was never right.
Truly the queen of mystery. The book is fast-paced and it goes straight to the point. I loved the clues and how it is narrated 🤩
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Hate crime, Violence, Suicide, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, and Child death
megelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
As a mystery, this is very solid, with a strong atmosphere and sense of place, an intriguing cast of characters, and great building of tension and suspense. I had various theories throughout, none of which were quite right, and felt satisfied, if not entirely shocked, with the ending. This book does some really interesting things, and I can definitely see why it has remained so popular and has influenced so much other work.
In talking about this book, I don't think you can ignore its racist history. Although I read a version with these traces removed, and I wouldn't have known had I not been prompted by other reviews to do some research, I do still feel uncomfortable with regard to the wider context of the book, and it's difficult to entirely separate the newer, revised editions from the original. I really would urge anybody who isn't aware to educate themselves accordingly, as plot-wise this is a great book, and I'm glad that I've now read it, but that doesn't mean we should discount its history.
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Misogyny, Child death, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism
lavenderlilacs1912's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've heard it said that And Then There Were None is one of Christie's best stories and I'd have to agree. It's also one of her darkest, as
Spoiler
none of the main characters make it out alive in the end and the murderer is never caughtThe events of the book read like a typical murder mystery, but I also think that ATTWN can also read like a precursor to the modern day slasher films. A cast of morally ambiguous characters getting picked off one by one is definitely a trope in modern horror, with a dash of mystery and psychological thriller thrown into the mix (in this case, though, the characters in ATTWN behave in more intelligent and resourceful ways than the characters in your run of the mill slasher). Yet, that comparison is complicated by the fact that
Spoiler
the "final girl" of ATTWN, Vera Claythorne is 1. Never shown confronting the killer and 2. Is the most damnably guilty and remorseless of them all, her death serving as the final act in the novel before the two epiloguesWhich brings me to the ending. That ending is probably the best ending to a book like this, it explains everything yet also offers up more opportunities for discussion, namely about the characters and the themes present throughout the book, namely murder, guilt, and innocence. In conclusion And Then There Were None is a classic for a reason and it's one I can return to and enjoy over and over again
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Addiction
The book was re published with noted changes from the original. In the original edition the poem and the title both contained the N-Word, while the 1st revision changed the wording from N-Word to "Indian". I read the most recent edition, which excises any racial themes from the poem altogether and changed the title. For an analysis of the racial themes of the book you can watch a YouTube video called "Crime and Colonialism: Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None."elisabethreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Alcoholism
Minor: Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Cursing
jojo_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide, Ableism, Death, Murder, Racism, Gun violence, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Terminal illness, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Medical content, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
scaredykatbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Death, Sexism, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Gaslighting, Suicide, Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Classism, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Abortion, and Suicide
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The reader sees multiple points of view and thus has shifting sympathies for the characters (if it can be called sympathy as the characters are so despicable). Seemingly impossible things start happening, driving some of the characters to think they’re seeing ghosts or perhaps losing their minds. For such a short book, it’s very complex.
I’m about to start The Science of Murder: the Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine, and I wanted a refresher on Christie’s writing style. I’m glad I chose this one.
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Car accident, Classism, and Child death