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And Then There Were None

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“Oh, yes. I’ve no doubt in my own mind that we have been invited here by a madman-probably a dangerous homicidal lunatic.”
― Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None

And Then There Were None is a masterpiece written by the Queen of Crime Agatha Christie. I won’t probably spoil the book by telling that there are ten people (of whom 8 were invited) on an isolated island…and then there were none. I really like how Christie develops the plot because basically  you know what will happen because of the nursery rhyme. You know that there are ten persons on the island and they all die. Yet it doesn’t turn boring in any point because you are wondering about “how will it happen” and “when will it happen” and “who is the killer” (!!) and those questions kind of keep you up all night reading this novel.

“One of us in this very room is in fact the murderer.”
― Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None

I liked the development of characters also. First they seemed a bit random and -BAM- they all  have some dark secret in common.Why I like this book and Agatha Christie, and why I think she is very rightfully called the queen of crime is because she writes as if she was forming this big puzzle you no one has ever seen before. Piece by piece, corners first.

“It had come about ex­act­ly in the way things hap­pened in books.”
― Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None

I would rate this book 9½/10

How-To Read And Then There Were None

1. When I read this book first time, I read it by it’s original name ‘Ten Little Niggers’ and with the original nursery rhyme and name of the island! You will discover that there are plenty of re-titled and re-edited and re-whoknowswhat versions of this book. I kind of don’t get it at all  so not to be rude (and not to be racist)  but find the original one somewhere.
2. This book is just perfect for autumn! Read it!  If you liked this/ didn’t like this, you should try reading adventures of Miss Marple or of  Poirot.
3. I was quite young when I first read this novel and I liked it a lot (=read it without putting it down).  But I think you should be more mature as reader to truly get what is it that makes this book so good.
4. This book is quite short and fast read but the plot and element of mystery build up really nicely during the book.
5. You will love the ending! Seriously, there is no way you can guess who the murderer is. You should guess though, it makes it all a lot better. Christie is called Queen of Crime for a reason.

(Sorry for using N word) I do think the version with the rhyme that has ten little niggers is better. Does it really matter whether they are little niggers,  little Indian boys or little soldiers? …What do you think?

                                          Buy And Then There Were None on Amazon

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32 thoughts on “And Then There Were None”

  1. Great review of an amazing book! I could not agree with you more on the how well Christie develops the characters and the story in And Then There Were None. It is truly like an intricate jigsaw puzzle :)

    1. Thank you! :) Yes, she is just amazing author, one of the kind. I remember when I was younger I basically swallowed all her books at once :D Completely agree that it’s like an intricate jigsaw puzzle

  2. Great review of an amazing book! I could not agree with you more on the how well Christie develops the characters and the story in And Then There Were None. It is truly like an intricate jigsaw puzzle :)

    1. Thank you! :) Yes, she is just amazing author, one of the kind. I remember when I was younger I basically swallowed all her books at once :D Completely agree that it’s like an intricate jigsaw puzzle

  3. I’ve seen so many good reviews of A.Christie’s books on wordpress!
    With that review of yours,you have really whet my appetite for this book.It never occurred to me that the title could mean that there was indeed no one remaining! The Folio Society has a two sets of Agatha Christie’s book (the Poirot set and Miss Marple set) and I really want to buy them one day – maybe I should ask them for my birthday.

    1. I think it’s very good book and Christie is kind of witty in the way she writes books. Hope I didn’t reveal the book too much then :O I love the book sets myself so definitely ask those :) When is your birthday?

      1. Oh,no,you didn’t! ;)
        Although I wasn’t aware of the meaning of the title,I would have learnt about it sooner or later when buying the book; on the blurb,it is stated that all 10 individuals die!
        My birthday is on January 6.I was planning on asking the Folio edition of War&Peace,but I might change my mind with Agatha Christie! And I really hate asking things for my birthday; were I not limited on funds,I would never have used my birthday as an excuse to have things! :)

        1. Ah, that’s good! :) Haha yeah it’s pretty ‘obvious’ already from the title but sometimes you never know, that’s why the saying don’t judge the book by it’s covers I suppose.
          Birthday is perfect excuse! Yeah I am in same situation, so birthdays are like great opportunities for getting books you really want. I never liked War & Peace though so I would warmly recommend A.C :)

  4. I’ve seen so many good reviews of A.Christie’s books on wordpress!
    With that review of yours,you have really whet my appetite for this book.It never occurred to me that the title could mean that there was indeed no one remaining! The Folio Society has a two sets of Agatha Christie’s book (the Poirot set and Miss Marple set) and I really want to buy them one day – maybe I should ask them for my birthday.

    1. I think it’s very good book and Christie is kind of witty in the way she writes books. Hope I didn’t reveal the book too much then :O I love the book sets myself so definitely ask those :) When is your birthday?

      1. Oh,no,you didn’t! ;)
        Although I wasn’t aware of the meaning of the title,I would have learnt about it sooner or later when buying the book; on the blurb,it is stated that all 10 individuals die!
        My birthday is on January 6.I was planning on asking the Folio edition of War&Peace,but I might change my mind with Agatha Christie! And I really hate asking things for my birthday; were I not limited on funds,I would never have used my birthday as an excuse to have things! :)

        1. Ah, that’s good! :) Haha yeah it’s pretty ‘obvious’ already from the title but sometimes you never know, that’s why the saying don’t judge the book by it’s covers I suppose.
          Birthday is perfect excuse! Yeah I am in same situation, so birthdays are like great opportunities for getting books you really want. I never liked War & Peace though so I would warmly recommend A.C :)

  7. I just read this book on Saturday, and it completely tangled my mind into knots. You got it exactly right when you said that even though you know how it will end, you are still kept guessing. All the characters’ backstories really made it stand out – along with the storm on the island, the histories give the atmosphere an extra dash of eerie.

    I find the whole title situation with this book a bit amusing. It really took them a long time to develop its current name, which, in my opinion, is by far the best of the names it has had.

    1. That’s nice,I think it is the perfect book to read now in the autumn. I agree about what you said about characters, Christie build them very well. I am not happy with the name, but you have a point. It took ages to develop the current name and maybe there wouldn’t be any better one. Poem still annoys me though.
      Thank you for your comment! :)

  8. I just read this book on Saturday, and it completely tangled my mind into knots. You got it exactly right when you said that even though you know how it will end, you are still kept guessing. All the characters’ backstories really made it stand out – along with the storm on the island, the histories give the atmosphere an extra dash of eerie.

    I find the whole title situation with this book a bit amusing. It really took them a long time to develop its current name, which, in my opinion, is by far the best of the names it has had.

    1. That’s nice,I think it is the perfect book to read now in the autumn. I agree about what you said about characters, Christie build them very well. I am not happy with the name, but you have a point. It took ages to develop the current name and maybe there wouldn’t be any better one. Poem still annoys me though.
      Thank you for your comment! :)

  9. I read most of Christie’s novels a long time ago. Some I’ve probably read twice. However, there are only three books where I can remember “who dunnit” – Death on the Nile, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I must have read And Then There Were None as “Niggers” and “Indians” and, no, I’m not much bothered by political incorrectness in fiction.

    1. Hmm, it’s good that you know three. I think I could name now only this one and ABC Murders.Were those three you mentioned your favorite ones? I think nursery rhyme was rarely translated into Finnish so that’s why I am always surprised by multiple English versions. Thank you for your comment!

  10. I read most of Christie’s novels a long time ago. Some I’ve probably read twice. However, there are only three books where I can remember “who dunnit” – Death on the Nile, The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I must have read And Then There Were None as “Niggers” and “Indians” and, no, I’m not much bothered by political incorrectness in fiction.

    1. Hmm, it’s good that you know three. I think I could name now only this one and ABC Murders.Were those three you mentioned your favorite ones? I think nursery rhyme was rarely translated into Finnish so that’s why I am always surprised by multiple English versions. Thank you for your comment!

  11. I am a huge fan of true crime and of Agitha Christie, and I own a vintage set of her books. I know I’d love this book, and have not had the pleasure of reading it, thanks for the review.

  13. I read this in Finnish and it had it’s originlal title and I do think it’s better like that (I mean surely AC didn’t mean to be rasist either). It just is how it is. There should be some artistic freedom. Great puzzle like novel!

  14. I read this in Finnish and it had it’s originlal title and I do think it’s better like that (I mean surely AC didn’t mean to be rasist either). It just is how it is. There should be some artistic freedom. Great puzzle like novel!

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