Author: Agatha Christie
Year of Publication: 1939
Genre: Mystery
Setting: Indian Island at no particular time
Themes: Guilt ("You all heard. She was accused, together with her husband, of having deliberately murdered her former employer—an old lady…. I think the accusation was true…. She broke down completely and fainted. The shock of having her wickedness brought home to her was too much for her"), Justice ("[I]t explains Soldier Island. There are crimes that cannot be brought home to their perpetrators. Instance the Rogerses.’ Another instance, old Wargrave, who committed his murder strictly within the law…. So in the ordinary way you can’t bring his little crime home to him.")
About Agatha Christie:
Book Summary:
And Then There Were None possesses many great qualities, however its intricate plot creates a storyline unparalleled by other works of mystery. While on Indian Island, members of an eclectic ten person party begin to mysteriously die off. At first it appears to be a series of terrifying coincidences, but clues reveal a far more sickening reality. Someone on the island dangles the group’s fate in the balance. After a search party returns from a fruitless search for the nefarious owner of the island, an erudite judge by the name of Wargrave discerns that, perhaps the killer dwells among them, because, “There was no one but their eight selves on the island” (Christie 124). As a dog frantically chases its tail in an unrewarded pursuit, so the island’s inhabitants desperately grasp for concrete evidence to convict someone of the murders. All the while, the brutal killings continue. Every time the group believes they solve the mystery, their suspect turns up dead. As panic and paranoia mount, the final two inhabitants turn on each other. The stand-off results in Vera Claythorne looming over a body with a gunshot wound meaning, “She was alone on the island...Alone with nine dead bodies…” (Christie 241). Unfortunately, the guilt from past and present murders torture her thoughts and drive her to the noose. The plot thickens with the final death, because this points to an obvious misunderstanding. Ten dead bodies on an island with a population of ten. The ten little soldiers that the poems above their beds describe, lay lifeless.
Year of Publication: 1939
Genre: Mystery
Setting: Indian Island at no particular time
Themes: Guilt ("You all heard. She was accused, together with her husband, of having deliberately murdered her former employer—an old lady…. I think the accusation was true…. She broke down completely and fainted. The shock of having her wickedness brought home to her was too much for her"), Justice ("[I]t explains Soldier Island. There are crimes that cannot be brought home to their perpetrators. Instance the Rogerses.’ Another instance, old Wargrave, who committed his murder strictly within the law…. So in the ordinary way you can’t bring his little crime home to him.")
About Agatha Christie:
- Lived 1890-1976
- Grew up homeschooled
- She got married in 1914, however, in 1926 her husband cheated on her. After his affair, Christie disappeared to a hotel where she registered under her husband's mistress's name. Two years later she divorced her husband and in four years married a different man.
- She had one daughter
- She wrote her first book in 1920
- One of her greatest influences was Arthur Doyle
- Wrote 93 books and 17 plays
- Received the title of dame in England in 1971
Book Summary:
And Then There Were None possesses many great qualities, however its intricate plot creates a storyline unparalleled by other works of mystery. While on Indian Island, members of an eclectic ten person party begin to mysteriously die off. At first it appears to be a series of terrifying coincidences, but clues reveal a far more sickening reality. Someone on the island dangles the group’s fate in the balance. After a search party returns from a fruitless search for the nefarious owner of the island, an erudite judge by the name of Wargrave discerns that, perhaps the killer dwells among them, because, “There was no one but their eight selves on the island” (Christie 124). As a dog frantically chases its tail in an unrewarded pursuit, so the island’s inhabitants desperately grasp for concrete evidence to convict someone of the murders. All the while, the brutal killings continue. Every time the group believes they solve the mystery, their suspect turns up dead. As panic and paranoia mount, the final two inhabitants turn on each other. The stand-off results in Vera Claythorne looming over a body with a gunshot wound meaning, “She was alone on the island...Alone with nine dead bodies…” (Christie 241). Unfortunately, the guilt from past and present murders torture her thoughts and drive her to the noose. The plot thickens with the final death, because this points to an obvious misunderstanding. Ten dead bodies on an island with a population of ten. The ten little soldiers that the poems above their beds describe, lay lifeless.
My Thoughts:
I STRONGLY recommend this book to basically anyone over the age of 13. It is well-written, engaging, and incredibly smart. The whole time I was reading it, I was wondering who the murderer was and who was going to die next. Christie does an excellent job of describing the murders tastefully and without unnecessary gore. I would definitely suggest reading this at some point in your life. I would say it was in my top five books read through my high school career. If you have already read this book and are looking for another written by Christie, I would recommend her novel titled After The Funeral.
I STRONGLY recommend this book to basically anyone over the age of 13. It is well-written, engaging, and incredibly smart. The whole time I was reading it, I was wondering who the murderer was and who was going to die next. Christie does an excellent job of describing the murders tastefully and without unnecessary gore. I would definitely suggest reading this at some point in your life. I would say it was in my top five books read through my high school career. If you have already read this book and are looking for another written by Christie, I would recommend her novel titled After The Funeral.