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And Then There Were None
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And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - 08/19 thru 09/01
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Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts.



First - the 'original' British title was 'Ten Little (N-word)' & thus when it was published in America became 'Ten Little Indians' (though equally as 'offensive,' yet different time & unfortunately there were no 'PC' Police) a film adaptation was released in (I think) '45 with Fitzgerald 💗 that funny looking old coot, Huston (Angelica Huston's famous grandfather Walter) & Hayward (not Rita) & subsequently MANY more film adaptations have followed & it was also a Very 'successful' play!
Second - Agatha Christie had quite the love hate relationship with characters, the press & success - she famously disappeared, became 'reclusive' at times, divorced (for that time in England & elsewhere (esp for the woman) it was 'scandalous' & 'shame' inducing) & had a great 💓 of Egypt!
So, I "Focus on the Author" Agatha Christie & hope (w/o [spoilers]) you 'Enjoy' the read of this undeniable 'Classic' work by one 'Classy' Dame, author, mother, wife & beloved human being!

I liked that this took a departure from Christie's usual detective/amateur sleuth approach. But it did have her hallmark recap of the murder(s) in "the manuscript", telling us in detail what happened.
Recently there was a BBC 3-part mini-series of this. I started to watch but did not go very far. It's on Acorn here in the States if anyone subscribes and also available on DVD. I know my library has it. It has a great cast! https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06v...
I also enjoyed this article on why this book is a masterpiece, written at the time of the broadcast of the new mini-series. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...

The racism and antisemitism did bother me, although I passed that over because of the times in which she wrote, where she wrote and the class she belonged to in British society. Not making it right, just an explanation. Remembering that Britain originally sided with Hitler helps explain a little about the culture of that time. I think the bias against "others" was a lasting remnant of the Colonial era, unfortunately.

I'm reading the book White Trash by Nancy Isenberg ... and it has an interesting idea of how the British felt of native peoples.
As to Britain "siding" with Hitler.. not really. It depends which British you are talking about. Churchill knew who Hitler was from the beginning. But no one wanted to go to war again.

I'll have to check out that book, Kirsten. You're right that "Britain" didn't side with Hitler, but in the years building up to WWII, many in high society were enamored with Hitler.
Sorta off topic as to the book, but for me it does explain the references in Christie's books. I read the first Lord Peter Whimsey by Dorothy Sayers a few years ago and was appalled at how antisemitism was a theme (not just a passing reference) in that book and decided not to read others!

You're depriving yoursef, then!!! They're the best. I look past a lot of it. The times were different. Many of the golden age sci-fi books are horribly misogynist and I still like them.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."
I'm so glad! This is one of my favorite books.
I hope everyone is enjoying this book and thank you to everyone participating in the discussion. I'm about halfway through. I hope to finish this weekend and then I'll return to give my thoughts.

For safety’s sake here is the spoiler alert.
(view spoiler)

Thank you for the link to the Telegraph article. I do not agree with many of her critics. If she was such a bad writer, then why are we still reading her 80 years later?
I'm done! I thought this was absolutely brilliant. The more I read Agatha Christie the more I remember why I loved reading her when I was younger.
I initially guess the killer was one of the guests, but I kept guessing wrong. By the end, I had absolutely no idea who was responsible for the murders.
I initially guess the killer was one of the guests, but I kept guessing wrong. By the end, I had absolutely no idea who was responsible for the murders.

I initially guess the killer was one of the gues..."
Sorta like the guests . . . guessing who the killer is and being wrong, but with much more dire consequences. :)
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Please note that our discussion can be about any and all aspects of the book: The theme, plot, story structure, characters, settings, etc. It is likely the discussion will contain spoilers from the start. If you have not finished the book, be careful not to read the posts of others until the end.
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First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.