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A review by anikaandaj
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Surprised myself when I realized that, despite my love for whodunnit movies like Knives Out and See How They Run, I'd never read any Agatha Christie novels to where they owe their inspiration. And her reputation precedes her, with a bookstore employee stopping me to gush over how much they love this novel, and Christie's other works, even some 85 years after publication.
After a slow thirty pages of character introductions and names I thought I'd never remember, everything after becomes literally impossible to put down. Reading a bit before bed easily turned to being up past 3 am. The characters and their archetypes become quickly identifiable, though it helps that the numbers dwindle rapidly. The mystery keeps you guessing, and while it'd be difficult to solve based on narrative clues (it is, after all, meant to be an unsolvable crime), the reveal is satisfying and makes immediate sense. There's some period typical racism and attitudes towards women (though much has been edited out, including the original title). These record scratch moments are fairly brief, but worth noting as people have different limits.
That being said, Christie's storytelling lives up to the hype and I look forward to reading more of her work.
After a slow thirty pages of character introductions and names I thought I'd never remember, everything after becomes literally impossible to put down. Reading a bit before bed easily turned to being up past 3 am. The characters and their archetypes become quickly identifiable, though it helps that the numbers dwindle rapidly. The mystery keeps you guessing, and while it'd be difficult to solve based on narrative clues (it is, after all, meant to be an unsolvable crime), the reveal is satisfying and makes immediate sense. There's some period typical racism and attitudes towards women (though much has been edited out, including the original title). These record scratch moments are fairly brief, but worth noting as people have different limits.
That being said, Christie's storytelling lives up to the hype and I look forward to reading more of her work.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, Sexism, and Murder