Tag: Train

Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express | Review

January 2, 2019
Authors A-E (By Surname)Fiction

Title: Murder on the Orient Express

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 352

Rating: 4/5

 

 

I’m not really sure how it took me so long to get to this. After all, Agatha Christie is one of my favourite (and most read) authors, and this is one of her most famous books. And it’s not as though there’s some specific reason behind me not getting to it. It’s just that I generally get my Agatha Christie books from charity shops, and it took me a while to find a copy of this one. I thought that after the movie came out they’d be all over the place, but nope!

As for the story itself, it’s not my favourite of hers but I do think it’s pretty representative of her work and her writing style. If you’re new to her, I can see why it would be a good introduction, and that might be why it’s so popular in the first place. People tend to look back fondly on their first Christie, and that also tends to be the one that they recommend to other people.

In this one, Hercule Poirot investigates a murder that occurs on the Orient Express while he and his fellow passengers are all stuck in the snow. In that respect, it’s a little bit like And Then There Were None in that we know that someone on board the train committed the crime and they’re all isolated there together. I figured out the solution before the big reveal, but I’m not sure whether that’s just because I’ve read so many Christie books that I know how her mind works or even because it’s such a part of pop culture now that I’ve seen a spoiler.

All in all, I can see why this book receives the praise that it does, but I also don’t think it’s the first Christie book that I’d suggest if people asked for a recommendation. My favourite is Death on the Nile, but I’d suggest And Then There Were None for your first.

 

 

Click here to buy Murder on the Orient Express.

Agatha Christie – Nemesis | Review

May 8, 2018
Authors A-E (By Surname)Fiction

Title: Nemesis

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 368

Rating: 3.5*/5

 

Agatha Christie - Nemesis

Agatha Christie – Nemesis

 

I should preface this review by saying that my mum went to great lengths to tell me how bad this book is, and so perhaps I was a little biased going into it. But actually, it wasn’t too bad, although it was also far from her best. I also think that it helps that I read A Caribbean Mystery not too long ago and this one basically follows on from it.

What I didn’t like here was that Christie forced a bunch of her own beliefs into the narrative and the dialogue, and I’m not too sure I agreed with her. For example, she basically said that young women at the time (the 1970s ish) kept accusing men of rape after their mothers found out that they’d had sex. Come to think of it, she spent a lot of time also complaining about how times had changed and she came across as a bitter old woman. It was kind of sad.

Still, I did enjoy the actual mystery, despite the fact that I also predicted both who the killer was and where the body was buried. I also found that, at the beginning at least, the plot was happening to Miss Marple rather than because of her. She’s basically just getting letters from a dead dude and following his instructions.

 

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

 

I read the entire second half of this in one sitting on the train back from my mum’s house, and that probably helped me to get a little more enjoyment from it. I managed to get all the characters straight in my head, which can sometimes be a problem, and I also had a pretty good idea in my head of what the environment looked like.

All in all then, this is far from Christie’s best but I’ve always loved Miss Marple and so it was fun to investigate a case with her here, towards the end of her career. Ultimately, it’s worth reading this because it’s worth reading all of Christie’s work. But I wouldn’t go out of your way for it, and you should read A Caribbean Mystery first.

 

Agatha Christie Quote

Agatha Christie Quote

 

Click here to buy Nemesis.