I read this book with audiobook and I remember liking it and disliking it at the same time. It's interesting when you look at the characters and the situation they are in. But it is one of her darker books. And some of the characters are a bit too much and other bits of the book hitting too close to home. Like Mrs. Boyden is just so cruel and petty, she gets pleasure out of tormenting and destroying her children. So that they will be damage and never whole even when she's gone. That she will still be able to torture them from the grave in a way. So I agree she's one of the worst villains of the Poirot series.
I don't think Christie is disdainful of organized religion in her novels. She has several sympathetic vicar characters for example. And she was certainly not a non-believer, she was clearly Christian. I think lamenting the split of Christianity into several sects is quite an old Christian trope, and does not imply wanting to get rid of churches or anything like that. There is a play version of this which I recommend as well. Poirot does not appear, Sarah King solves the murder, and the solution is not the same. As for feminism the play is a bit equivocal. You could call Sarah a feminist of sorts, but at the same time she is rather mocking of the feminism of the MP.
I agree; I think Christie does point out the hypocrisy of some of her characters who act as if they are christians but really are cruel & evil at heart. Good luck.
not sure what this says about me but i didn't think Mrs Boyden was that bad. It didn't show you her being evil enough to justify how much it told you she was evil, if you know what i mean? Maybe I just missed some stuff.
Well she did forbid her children to see the outside world, didn’t let them go to school, forced her daughter Jinny to rest when she really didn’t want to and pushed her to develop some strong psychological problems, same thing with Lennox she pushed him to be completely numb and to not feel much anymore, she kept all the money so they couldn’t leave her and was really really really controlling, forcing the Boynton children to take care of her and stay with her at all times
It's more subtle, her brand of emotional and mental abuse. She raised her daughter and step children to be dependent on her, cutting them off from financial freedom and making them feel as though they cannot live without her.
At first I thought the same! I have changed my mind now that I am rereading the novel. Visualizing characters and really understanding the motive, ‘you see that Mrs Boynton’s got to be killed’.
I love this Project Poirot so much, I'm low-key obsessed haha 😍
Yay, I'm glad you're enjoying them! :)
I really enjoyed your analysis here ! Very insightful about how Christie’s work develops
Thank you for this great review, I’ve read this book and loved it!
Another great synopsis! Feel better!
Thanks! I'm back on my feet now :)
I read this book with audiobook and I remember liking it and disliking it at the same time. It's interesting when you look at the characters and the situation they are in. But it is one of her darker books. And some of the characters are a bit too much and other bits of the book hitting too close to home. Like Mrs. Boyden is just so cruel and petty, she gets pleasure out of tormenting and destroying her children. So that they will be damage and never whole even when she's gone. That she will still be able to torture them from the grave in a way. So I agree she's one of the worst villains of the Poirot series.
I don't think Christie is disdainful of organized religion in her novels. She has several sympathetic vicar characters for example. And she was certainly not a non-believer, she was clearly Christian. I think lamenting the split of Christianity into several sects is quite an old Christian trope, and does not imply wanting to get rid of churches or anything like that.
There is a play version of this which I recommend as well. Poirot does not appear, Sarah King solves the murder, and the solution is not the same. As for feminism the play is a bit equivocal. You could call Sarah a feminist of sorts, but at the same time she is rather mocking of the feminism of the MP.
I agree; I think Christie does point out the hypocrisy of some of her characters who act as if they are christians but really are cruel & evil at heart. Good luck.
İ read this book and its my favorite book!😀
Where can i find audio for this publishing company " harper collins" ?????
not sure what this says about me but i didn't think Mrs Boyden was that bad. It didn't show you her being evil enough to justify how much it told you she was evil, if you know what i mean? Maybe I just missed some stuff.
Well she did forbid her children to see the outside world, didn’t let them go to school, forced her daughter Jinny to rest when she really didn’t want to and pushed her to develop some strong psychological problems, same thing with Lennox she pushed him to be completely numb and to not feel much anymore, she kept all the money so they couldn’t leave her and was really really really controlling, forcing the Boynton children to take care of her and stay with her at all times
It's more subtle, her brand of emotional and mental abuse. She raised her daughter and step children to be dependent on her, cutting them off from financial freedom and making them feel as though they cannot live without her.
At first I thought the same! I have changed my mind now that I am rereading the novel. Visualizing characters and really understanding the motive, ‘you see that Mrs Boynton’s got to be killed’.