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Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, published by Washington
Square Press, is regarded by most critics to be her masterpiece. After
publishing almost eighty books, this was the one she was truly most
proud of. Why? Mainly, because critics have quoted it to have sold more
copies than Shakespeare and the Bible. However, Christie has so much
more to be proud of in this novel. With an outstanding mystery/murder
plot, combined with a dark, cryptic setting involving many deranged
guests; one can see she has accomplished a lot in this novel.
Ten guests are invited to a mysterious island called "Indian
Island". Each guest was sent invitations that were signed by people
they had met before. Once the visitors arrived at the island and were
aquatinted with each other, they found out that their host, U.N. Owen,
(Unknown) had not arrived yet. At dinner, a strange voice was heard,
accusing each of them of a murder, and which they were all guilty of.
This is the rising action of the story. One by one each guest is killed
off by the anonymous murderer according to a famous nursery rhyme. As
more people are killed off, one by one, the group narrows the suspect
list down. Hence defining the classic "Who Done It?" mystery novel.
The Characters in And Then There Were None are the ones who make the
book come to life. Because this novel follows the "Who Done It" theme,
there are the few obvious characters. 1) The inspector, always trying
to get an accusation across as to who the murderer is(of course never
correct). 2) The doctor, Devon Island's answer to the question nobody
ever asked. 3) The old married couple (Mr. + Mrs. Rogers), always
passionate to others, until a guest discovers an eerie secret. 4) The
murderer (Justice Wargrave), finally the one guest that is portrait as
the most obvious, until he dies (then comes back to life). This person
always remains discrete until the last moment where he reveals that he
is a rampaging, psychopathic, cold blooded killer. 5) The innocent
victims, of course, what story is complete without the sad tales of
innocent live being slaughtered. One or two of these characters are
always the ones who you first expect, and are always at the scene of
the crime...how convenient.
And Then There Were None is indeed one of the best books I have
read. Simply because I hate reading long, tedious books that I have no
interest in. This book is so addicting that if you have all day without
interruptions, it will be very difficult to put down. The part of the
book that was most fascinating is the twist in the end with the
murderer. The reader would think for sure who the killer is, and then a
sudden curve ball changes everything around. I would prescribe this
book to anyone who is tired of reading boring books that they are
forced to read. This novel will change your attitude towards reading!
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