"And Then There Were None" - Agatha Christie
Updated: Nov 5, 2018
"And Then There Were None" - A masterpiece by Agatha Christie. This story is to die for!
The famous and renowned author, Agatha Christie, recognises this book as the masterpiece of her career, but what makes it so? In yet another novel, Christie is able to induce the readers into a state of agitation and uncertainty, sitting on the edge of their seats, practically begging for a resolution for what seems to be an impossible crime. The plot has been described by critics as "animated algebra". The way different elements and characters interact whilst being eliminated one by one by a mysterious force seems like an elaborate math equation. One has to pay close attention to each variable.
The plot is simple: ten complete strangers are invited to a small island off the english coast by a mysterious host, known simply as U.N Owen, that none of them know much about. Each character has been driven there under different pretenses: Vera Claythorne is going because Mrs. U.N. Owen has offered her a secretarial job. Philip Lombard was offered a hundred guineas to go, Dr.Armstrong is on his way because he was asked to care for an elderly woman with lots of money. Mr. Blore has been asked to spy on the other guests, given his profession as a former detective. Judge Wargrave was invited by an old acquaintance he couldn't recall much about, amongst many other intriguing mysterious pretenses.
One of the guests finds an old parchment hanging on one of the rooms which, unbeknownst to them, will set the dark and mysterious atmosphere that lingers until the very last breath of the story. The parchment tells the poem of ten little soldiers, and the actions that lead each one to their death. Honoring the novel’s title, each soldier is said to be killed... until there were none. At dinner, a gramophone recording is mysteriously played and a low voice reveals that each of the characters in the novel was involved in some kind of murder. We soon realize that no one is as innocent as they seem.
One by one, like flies, the guests begin to drop dead, plagued by memories of their past crimes. The tale of the soldiers is being fulfilled and the culprit must be one of them. The question that remains and that you will have to read to find out, is who?
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