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3.24 AVERAGE
3.24 AVERAGE
This was my first non-mystery by Agatha Christie, and I love it.
In the version I read first were also The Fourth Man and The Red Signal, they weren't in this one.
My favorite is The Color of the Wings... how could she write that? It's a perfect example of the magic of writing, how she can create a whole world by just saying "I can't describe it" :-D It forces the reader herself to imagine, and know what one should imagine is more than anything one can imagine... And Pan...
I can't read the Last Seance again. It breaks my heart :´(
In the version I read first were also The Fourth Man and The Red Signal, they weren't in this one.
My favorite is The Color of the Wings... how could she write that? It's a perfect example of the magic of writing, how she can create a whole world by just saying "I can't describe it" :-D It forces the reader herself to imagine, and know what one should imagine is more than anything one can imagine... And Pan...
I can't read the Last Seance again. It breaks my heart :´(
Three stars just because Witness for the prosecution is really great. The rest...not so much. Supernatural isn’t Christie cup of tea.
A really unexpected deviation from Christie's usual fare. In this collection, all the stories explore the unexplained or the paranormal, and I must say it works surprisingly well. Occultism and seances and the like were extremely popular in her time of course, but she managed to create interesting and original stories out of it, which I was very impressed with. I wish she dabbled more in the genre!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
kumcer yang NDAGING DAN PUAS BGT BACANYA! disuguhkan gabungan supernatural sm pembunuhan, ni buku keren bgt. wkwkww nggak slh aku tertarik sm judulnya waktu pilih pilih mau baca judul yg mana. menurutku banyak plotnya dan banyak karakter yg ngga terduga di masing - masing cerita. cerita yang paling kubenci judul Yang Terakhir, karna tokoh Raoul itu terlalu LOL😭😭😭. BENCIII BGT. tpi keseluruhan ini pengalaman membaca baru buatku, karna first time namatin bukunya Agatha. ternyata memang sekeren ini!!!😫🩶
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“The things we call supernatural are not necessarily supernatural at all. An electric flashlight would be supernatural to a savage. The supernatural is only the natural of which the laws are not yet understood.”
This is not a typical Agatha Christie book that is based on reasoning and logic to which we are accustomed. In contrast, these short stories lean more towards the supernatural. It’s a genre that I enjoy a lot in movies as well as in books. Whilst some of the stories end on a vague note, almost making me believe in the supernatural, others have a more logical and sensible conclusion. Every story has its own charm though.
It was interesting to see how matters of the mind can be perceived differently by different people. This book is also a reminder that humans with greed and cruelty in their hearts can be much scarier than the supernatural. One story that highlights this is ‘Wireless’ in which a man tricks his aunt into believing her dead husband speaks to her through the radio, urging her to join him in death. I thought this was such a cruel thing to do in order to inherit her wealth. Unfortunately for him, he ends up with nothing due to an unforeseen side effect this elaborate hoax has on his aunt’s testament. If only he had the patience and decency to wait for her natural death, which apparently was not too distant. What goes around comes back around indeed.
Another remarkably clever story is ‘The Witness for the Prosecution’. Even if there is no big plot twist, it was still an interesting story because it highlights the psychology of humans. The main character was right to hide her devotion to her husband and to try to make him seem guilty out of spite instead. Stories that come to light through indirect means have more credibility than those told directly by the source. Our main character plays right into this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Xenophobia, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child death, War
This collection had some of my favourite Christie short stories as well as some I already can't hardly remember. If I can recall, there is a lot of overlap between this collection and The Last Seance as both collections focus on her more preternatural tales. Overall definitely worth it, if you're willing to wade through a couple snoozers.
Favourites in this collection: "Wireless", "The Lamp", "The Witness for the Prosecution", "The Mystery of the Blue Jar".
Favourites in this collection: "Wireless", "The Lamp", "The Witness for the Prosecution", "The Mystery of the Blue Jar".
This is a collection of what I think of as Christie's "creepy" stories: the ones about premonitions, supernatural powers, and things like that. When I first read these as a teenager they creeped me out incredibly, but now I'm not so into them.