zellapaige's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
This starts slow, majorly slow, I nearly dnf'd. It took a good third or more of this book before I started enjoying anything about it. But the last half and especially the ending of the book blew me away in all the best ways.
jarichan's review against another edition
3.0
Vielleicht nicht das beste Werk von Christie, da es sich eher ein wenig hinzieht und auch nicht ganz so gut gealtert ist, aber trotzdem kurzweilig und perfekte Unterhaltung für nebenbei. Poirot taucht erst gegen Ende hin auf; wer auf mehr hofft, sollte diesen Titel ausfallen lassen. Aber wie immer hat das Rätseln viel Spass gemacht und Christie lockt uns auch wieder gekonnt in die Irre.
nonabgo's review against another edition
3.0
An all-girls school for the rich, the disappearance of royal jewels and the murder of a teacher... all ingredients for another fun, alert Poirot story. Where, sadly, Poirot only appears after the second half and his antics are mild compared to other stories in the series - he's rather discrete and his famous mustache and mannerisms don't particularly pop up.
The book starts in the imaginary Middle-Eastern country of Ramat, where the liberal, Western-educated prince is facing an upcoming revolution. We know Agatha Christie had a fascination for the Middle-East, so it's not surprising that she included a glimpse of it, albeit fictionalized. It's a place where a lot of British people visit, for some reason, and becomes a connection between some of the characters involved in the mystery.
But, while Ramat is not necessarily described, just named and somewhat vaguely placed, Meadowbank, the girls' school, becomes the setting for the story, one in which Agatha Christie invests a bit more. It's a short book, so don't expect thorough world building, but I appreciated the context she created to place her tale. She also put decent effort into characterization (even if not so much into Poirot, who was merely episodical presence, despite discovering who the killer was); the students and staff are well-embodied, recognizable and play significant parts in the course of the events.
I had a mere inkling regarding the killer, but it went quickly over my head and I redirected my attention towards other suspects. By the end, I was sure it was someone who was perfectly innocent. Agatha definitely knew how to confuse the readers. Unfortunately, there's little to no investigation, Poirot doesn't disclose his deduction process in this one, he just points the finger in the end; I'm not a big fan of this approach.
The book starts in the imaginary Middle-Eastern country of Ramat, where the liberal, Western-educated prince is facing an upcoming revolution. We know Agatha Christie had a fascination for the Middle-East, so it's not surprising that she included a glimpse of it, albeit fictionalized. It's a place where a lot of British people visit, for some reason, and becomes a connection between some of the characters involved in the mystery.
But, while Ramat is not necessarily described, just named and somewhat vaguely placed, Meadowbank, the girls' school, becomes the setting for the story, one in which Agatha Christie invests a bit more. It's a short book, so don't expect thorough world building, but I appreciated the context she created to place her tale. She also put decent effort into characterization (even if not so much into Poirot, who was merely episodical presence, despite discovering who the killer was); the students and staff are well-embodied, recognizable and play significant parts in the course of the events.
I had a mere inkling regarding the killer, but it went quickly over my head and I redirected my attention towards other suspects. By the end, I was sure it was someone who was perfectly innocent. Agatha definitely knew how to confuse the readers. Unfortunately, there's little to no investigation, Poirot doesn't disclose his deduction process in this one, he just points the finger in the end; I'm not a big fan of this approach.
mostlyromancereading's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read, as usual, but all usual Agatha Christie warnings apply with regards to period-typical racism.
chlaraphyll's review against another edition
4.0
it is agatha chrisie’s and it must be good. however, i don’t quite enjoy reading this book that is published by collins (the english readers version) because i did not get the feeling of “reading agatha christie’s”. probably i would try to read the original version. still, there are other things that i love from collins’ english readers version, namely the cultural notes that is included inside the book. for someone who does not came from europe, or specifically from the UK, i don’t have much reference to understand the cultural background. the cultural notes helps me to understand the context more, though!
trm's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sofiamey's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0