HoopyCaro42
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 | | Subject: And Then There Were None Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:20 pm | |
| Title:And Then There Were None
Originally Ten Little Niggers (GB) and Ten Little Indians (US) Author:Agatha Christie
This British author is considered to be the greatest detective fiction writer of all times. Her work ranks third, after the work of Shakespeare and the Bible, as the most widely published books. Her detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple have become symbols of modern literature and Agatha Christie herself is one of the most famous English authors who have ever lived. Some of her most prized novels include Murder On The Orient Express, Appointment With Death and, of course, And Then There Were None, that was first released in 1939 under the title Ten Little Niggers. Summary:Ten people with apparently nothing in common are invited to an island near the coast of Devon. None of them knows exactly who their hosts are, as most of them have been hired for some sort of work there or invited by a letter from a Mr. or Mrs. Owen, whom they only seem to recall very vaguely. On their first night on the island, the relation between all the guests is revealed and the trip takes an unexpected turn. The ten guests, alone on the island, start dying one by one, and they die in the same way as the ten Niggers (or Indians) of the rhyme that is up on every bedroom wall. Being unable to communicate with the rest of the world because of a storm, they have to cooperate despite their suspicion about each others if they want to survive.
The following spoiler contains the Rhyme of the Ten Little Indians. I believe it is not really a spoiler, but if you’re planning to read the book, maybe you prefer discovering it by yourself.
| Spoiler: | | | Ten little Indian boys went out to dine
One choked his little self and then there were nine
Nine Little Indian boys sat up very late
One overslept himself and then there were eight
Eight little Indian boys travelling in Devon
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven
Seven little Indian boys chopping up sticks
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six
Six little Indian boys playing with a hive
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five
Five little Indian boys going in for law
One got in Chancery and then there were four
Four little Indian boys going out to sea
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three
Three little Indian boys walking in the zoo
A big bear hugged one and then there were two
Two little Indian boys sitting in the sun
One got frizzled up and then there was one
One little Indian boy left all alone
He went and hanged himself and then there were none. |
Comments:In the summary, I was very careful not to write any spoiler and not to make the summary too long, and this lack of detail unfortunately makes the story seem rather unrealistic. But let me assure you it is not the case. First, it may seem weird that people just randomly go on an Island when they don’t even really know the person who invited them. Well, when you read the book and read the personal story of each character and the circumstances in which they were invited, it totally makes sense. Also, getting ten people, alone on an island, killed one by one in a realistic way is a huge challenge, but Agatha Christie did it perfectly. When you watch a horror movie, you always think “Well, they’re stupid. Real people would do that and that…” Well, in And Then There Were None, they actually do it. They act like most people would act, considering the extreme pressure that this kind of situation brings. What happens to them is always a matter of circumstances and is always very well thought.
One of the most awesome things with this book is that I highly doubt it is possible for anyone to guess the ending before they read it. All you can do is try to guess, and then have all your guesses denied, and just let yourself be totally amazed by Agatha Christie’s intelligence and mastership when you finish the book.
If you’re already planning to read the book, don’t read the following spoiler. It is not a very big spoiler, but it’s better not to read it if you already know you’re going to read the book. If you’re thinking about maybe reading it but you need more convincing, read it and it will probably convince you that the mystery in this story is really awesome.
| Spoiler: | | | There is no one on the island other than the ten guests, really no one. And while you read, you think that you’re going to know who killed the others when there’s only one person left. But you don’t. The ten guests die. Yes, you end up knowing what happened, but in a much more awesome way than that. |
Rating: (5)
_________________ | Ernest Rutherford wrote: | | All science is either Physics or stamp collecting. |
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✔ Too busy ruling the world. Take that Immo. |
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