This week we are discussing And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, Ch. 1-5.
Trigger Warning!!! This book contains situations and subjects related to: racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, murder, death, and suicide.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post is full of spoilers for And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Discussion:
Jacilyn: Hello friends and welcome to our first discussion of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. This book is probably one of Christie’s most famous works, with Murder on the Orient Express likely being the one most people have heard of at least in passing. We’ve done a mystery before, but this will be my first foray into a classic mystery story.. I’ve never even read any Sherlock Holmes!
Something we both seem to notice first is the writing style of the author, especially when it comes to dialogue. I’m simultaneously reading a book that is written in a very descriptive way, not to mention set in a much more modern time than this book, so the way characters interact with each other and themselves are written much differently. We also have a lot of different perspectives we’re reading from in this book, and each of them are completely different kinds of people in themselves. I enjoyed the way she introduced the characters heading to Soldier Island mostly independently of one another so we got to see them in that light, and then once they all get together on the island we start to see other people’s perspectives of them as well, and it’s got me dying to know who is hiding things and who actually brought them all to this island.
Michaela: So far I really enjoy the writing style, it's very ‘to the point’. She presents you with all the things she wants you to know and she doesn’t add a lot of details meant to distract you. I think that shows just how good this mystery is going to be since she feels no need to give us more. I liked how we met everyone separately and got a little insight into their character before they were around everyone else. I particularly liked the introductions to Anthony Marston and Dr. Armstrong, just by driving to the island and interacting with each other on the road we got a wonderful snapshot of who they both are. It was simple and so effective.
Ten people are invited to a famous and mysterious place called Soldier Island, by a mysterious couple named Owens. And no one in this party had ever met these Owens. Already hooked, not going to lie. But then arriving at the island none of the employees for this island have met these owners either! By the time we met Fred Narcott, the boatman, I was already convinced the Owens weren’t real or they were going to be super weird. I also liked the interactions between all the characters once they got off the train. They all began to distrust each other right away which I thought was interesting. Being a little reserved when meeting so many new people is normal I’d say but they were all almost instantly suspicious and weary of each other.
Jacilyn: Blore made me suspicious right away, having all the names of the other people on the island, but now knowing how he was lured out there, it makes sense as to why he had them. When I first read that he had the list of names, I thought perhaps that he was the one bringing them all there, but that doesn’t appear to have been the case. That leaves me wondering though, maybe the person behind all of this is one of the people indicted on that record? To cover their tracks? I am also convinced that the Owens aren’t real, just a guise used by whoever is luring them to the island. There’s no way they’d use their real name to do that, I don’t think.
I’m wondering if everybody in the group will end up being truly at fault for the death they’re accused of, or if some of them will really be caused by misfortune like the child in Vera’s care. Anthony Marston definitely didn’t seem like he had any remorse for the death of those children, which he was very clearly at fault for, and he made that very clear to the group, so it was interesting that he was the first to die. I don’t believe it was a suicide, but I can’t explain exactly what happened, either. All I know, is that he died in a similar way as the first soldier in the nursery rhyme posted in all of their rooms….
Michaela: I think we have a lot of people who want to think that a death was not their fault because it's easier to accept it wasn’t than to accept it was. And if you’re like Marston and Lombard, you accept your involvement in it but not the fault of it. I think we’ll learn more details about all these deaths as we go forward and I expect at least some of them will accept that it was at least partially their fault that some of these people died.
The Rogers’ receiving these letters on how to prepare the house, the rooms, and what to feed everyone, is super creepy. Currently, I do not suspect the Rogers’ but who knows really. I really want to know how all of them are connected, why are these particular people targeted for this “trial”, I guess we could call it that. All their “crimes” are quite different from each other as far as how these people died. And how does this “unknown” person, U.N.O., even know about all these people’s separate lives anyways? It's all very interesting and weird right now and I’m into it.
Marston’s death was really sudden so it definitely shocked me. I was expecting the deaths to follow the soldier nursery rhyme but I did not expect a death to happen on the first night. I really doubt it was a suicide, again it’s easier for these people to accept that its a suicide rather than accept the idea that someone is committing murder.
I’m excited to keep reading and see how ridiculous this mystery gets! I wonder if it will keep following the nursery rhyme or if it’ll go off book at some point. I’m predicting some chaos! Until next time friends!
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