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jessica's Reviews > And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None
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i want to start off by saying if i had been alive in 1939 and read this when it was first published, i would have given this 5 stars. without a doubt. theres a reason this story is one of the best-selling books of all time - the concept paved the way for the 'whodunnit' mysteries of today. i would have been riveted by this story.
that being said, because the influence of this book is so far-reaching, it didnt feel like it was new. ive read this format in many other novels and seen it in many films. this isnt the books fault - its just an unfortunate consequence of exposure.
i also am not a fan of ACs writing style. it feels so sterile to me. yes, the characters and facts are presented in a very straight-forward way and its very easy to follow along, but the lack of descriptive narration just isnt my style. i also feel like all of the characters are carbon copies of each other - i was constantly confusing them because there is no personalisation to their characterisation.
i do like the concept and can appreciate the phenomenal influence this story has had on modern writing, but the execution prevented me from loving this entirely.
� 3 stars
that being said, because the influence of this book is so far-reaching, it didnt feel like it was new. ive read this format in many other novels and seen it in many films. this isnt the books fault - its just an unfortunate consequence of exposure.
i also am not a fan of ACs writing style. it feels so sterile to me. yes, the characters and facts are presented in a very straight-forward way and its very easy to follow along, but the lack of descriptive narration just isnt my style. i also feel like all of the characters are carbon copies of each other - i was constantly confusing them because there is no personalisation to their characterisation.
i do like the concept and can appreciate the phenomenal influence this story has had on modern writing, but the execution prevented me from loving this entirely.
� 3 stars
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Reading Progress
April 20, 2020
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April 20, 2020
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May 28, 2020
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Manon
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rated it 4 stars
Jun 05, 2020 01:40PM
I don't know if you're aware but if you're interested, the BBC adapted this book to a three-part mini series and - I don't know if I should say this but oh my god - I found it to be equally as good or even better than the book. I mean, with Charles Dance as Judge Wargrave, what's not to love?
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ive heard nothing but good things about the BBC adaption. it has such a great cast, so i will definitely try to watch it soon! :)
I completely agree with you about the sterile story telling, and I had no clear picture in my head of all the different men really, they seemed to blend in to one another.
Well put! This is exactly how I felt about it.
Exactly same sentiments!
I felt the exact same way when I read this book last year!! As with any other Agatha Christe novel or novella, I find it quite hard to distinguish each character in my mind; because they rarely have a distinct personality! And why were there only three female characters? That made the whole thing a lot harder to comprehend in my imagination.However, like yourself, I think the concept is fantastic. I just wish there was a little something more 🤷♀�
I was looking for a 3 star review, and you happened to describe all my sentiments regarding this novel.
Could not agree more
I completely agree. So many people have told me to read this but I just couldn't find a connection to the book. I didn't enjoy it at all.
Exactly what i felt .. you said it
I took a screenshot of this review to send to my book club friends because it perfectly describes my sentiments regarding this book!
Couldn’t have said it better myself
Same! I raced to the denouement because of this.
Agree, but still glad to have read such an influential book. I couldn't get into the book either so I listened to the audiobook which was entertaining but not as suspenseful as it would have been on the 1940s.
I too think that the characters blended into each other. I had to constantly look back to see who was who to try to keep track of the men and even the women altough there were only two of them.
Your review totally describes what I am feeling while reading this!
Your review reminded me why I couldn't finish this book a decade ago. The style was so dry and characters were cartoonish. That might be why I preferred Ellery Queen's books back then.
I fully agree with this review, you summed it up very well
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who kept forgetting the names. As the story went on it was easier to remember the names, but still. And yeah the only personalization whatsoever it's their crime but I didn't feel attached to any of them in any way
If you had read this when it was first published, you’d find it had a different title of a very racist nature.
I agree. Some characters are way too similar *cough* *cough* blore and lombard *cough* *cough*
Totally agree. I don"t need to write my own review. Yours is spot on.
I had the same issue with the characters. Couldn't tell one from another for at least the first half of the book. lol
I felt bad giving it 3 stars since it’s such a classic, but this is exactly how I feel
I had issues with the characters for the first two chapters but then I decided to write their names and short descriptions on a piece of paper, like why they are on the island or what is their occupation. This really helped and from Chapter 3 onwards I had a clear idea of who is who and could imagine them easily.
i kept having to flip back to the beginning to remind myself of who was who and what crimes they committed, lol. also thought to write it down but it did get easier once they dwindled down!
Great review I agree asffffff
