And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
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Book Summary Information
Author: Agatha ChristieEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-05-03
ISBN: 0312330871
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Reviews of And Then There Were None
Book Review: Profoundly disapointing!
Summary: 2 Stars
Admittedly, I am not a big fan of the mystery genre, but I do read them from time to time. This book was my first foray into Christie, and will almost certainly be my last.
This book was highly recommended by a friend who, up until now, has been right on the mark in terms of suggested reading. I mentioned to him that I preferred mysteries where there are enough clues throughout that the reader can try to figure out who the murderer is on his or her own. My friend warned me that Christie is decidedly not like that; in fact, I think his wording was "she cheats: she'll introduce a crucial clue in the last few pages that the characters should have known all along." However, he said that if I can get past that -- and I can -- the total was greater than the sum of the parts in that all other aspects of her books made up for this subjective stumbling point. With that, he told me her best book was "And Then There Were None," so I checked it out. Like I said, this is the first bad call I've seen him make.
At no point did this book actually pique my interest, let alone hold it. Characters began dying, and I couldn't care less about them one way or another. The fact that the title tells you the book's pattern didn't help. Less than half way through, I was consciously aware that I was reading on just to finish it and get it over with. That is NOT a good sign.
My major complaint, though, is her prose. Very rushed, dry, sparse in description, and completely unengaging. Stylistically, she makes a number of remedial faux pas, which at first were mildly irritating but became more grating as the book trudged on. The most egregious example is exclamation mark overkill: the first chapter alone averaged two or three a page. Just from that I would have guessed that this was one of her first books, as her style struck me as amateurish and unpolished, but to my surprise she wrote this well into her career.
Obviously, and for reasons currently beyond me, Christie has a large fan base. I don't doubt they'd say that I'm either missing something or am an unenlightened philistine who "doesn't get it." However, a prime sign of a *good* book is if a relative outsider like me can come in on it cold and go with it. That obviously failed here, and I cannot recommend this book, except to Agatha fanboys or someone looking for a sick drinking game -- take a shot every time she uses an exclamation mark. Be warned if you try that, though: you'll have cirrhosis of the liver 10 pages into it.
In all candor, the more I thought about this book, the more it annoyed me - I wouldn't have written such a harsh review otherwise.
Summary of And Then There Were None
First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each hsa been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion
Considered the best mystery novel ever written by many readers, And Then There Were None is the story of 10 strangers, each lured to Indian Island by a mysterious host. Once his guests have arrived, the host accuses each person of murder. Unable to leave the island, the guests begin to share their darkest secrets--until they begin to die.
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