Tuesday, October 27, 2009

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie


Genre: Mystery
Published: 1939, 173 pgs.
Review: 4.5/5
This was our book club's choice for October. In the past we've chosen books like Frankenstein and Rebecca for their spookiness value. And Then There Were None is pretty creepy too. The story unfolds as 10 very different individuals are brought together on an island. It's a little like the movie Clue but without the comedy aspect. We did something really fun for this meeting. We told everyone to read up through the epilogue but not to read the very last section, a letter to Scotland Yard. By doing this we could read the whole story but not find out "who dun it". Then at book club we read the last ten pages that tell what really happened. The idea was really fun but in actuality almost everyone, for some reason or other, had found out who the murderer was. Even though it didn't work out perfectly, I think it was a great idea.
The book club discussion was definitely not as uplifting as our meetings usually are. We talked about crazy people and murder and how a person can get to the point of committing pre-meditated murder.
If you like mysteries I really recommend Agatha Christie--unpredictable, sometimes humorous, and always clean.
Rating 1.2.1 Includes violence but not graphic.

6 comments:

Gerbera Daisy Diaries said...

We read this 4-5 yrs ago for our October book group as well. After our discussion, we turned down the lights and told spookie stories about ourselves. Our hostess proceeded to scare us all to death when she revealed, that while on her mission, they had been stalked, and the stalker tried to break into their apartment. Yikes!! We were all locking doors and check windows.
I love Agatha Christie.

Britt said...

I LOVE this one!

Have you read her Tommy and Tuppence mysteries? I think they're my favorites.

Susan said...

This is the only Agatha Christie book I've ever read, and I loved it. I really should read more. Any recs?

Britt said...

If I remember right, The Secret Adversary is the first Tommy and Tuppence, Susan. You should try that one! :D

Kim said...

I have read The Secret Adversary and it is pretty good. There's more adventure in that one compared to the fairly tame mysteries of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, or her other stand alone mysteries. I think I preferred the Hercule Poirot mysteries to Miss Marple's at first but now I really like them both. I believe that Murder on the Orient Express is considered one of her best.

Susan said...

Thanks, Britt and Kim - I'm definitely going to check out some of her work. What kind of reader hasn't read Agatha Christie?? *Hanging my head in shame*