@OocSNKZ Yours sounds familiar as I myself was formerly an artist until taken the passion of a cartoonist. I usually didn't need a second hand for drawing and would make comics with ease (though it takes time). Now there is no problem to have another person draw your comics for you. Neither is you alone drew and wrote your comics.
I'm still amazed that "Murder on the Orient Express" is one of the most iconic murder mysteries ever yet I was still completely surprised by the ending.
@@sloth8866 She wrote the novel which the movie was based on. There have been quite a few movie adaptations of "Murder on the Orient Express' so I don't know which specific one you're referring to.
I’d already had the ending spoiled for me before I read it but I still really enjoyed reading it which I think is a testament to the book that even with some of the mystery taken away it’s still amazing
i also love how christie incorporated psychology into her mysteries. whereas detectives like sherlock holmes solely relied on clues to solve his cases, both hercule poirot and miss marple used their social skills and their extensive knowledge of the human psyche (paired with the evidence they have, of course) to come to the conclusion.
Yes, it was the psychology. Many times, she had her famous detective sit down with a suspect and talk with "Papa Poirot". The suspect did not realize Poirot was watching every word and gesture of them. I remember when he sprung his double trap in "Cards on the Table" (the stockings being stolen), and it made Poirot recognize, "She is a thief, not a murderer. If she was to murder, it would be in a panic. It would be very quick. But Mr. Shaitan's death was very cold, calculating, and precise. Not like her." Something to that effect. I also liked Agatha pointing out this difference in crime solving in "Murder on the Links", in which she has Poirot deliberately taking a shot at someone like Sherlock. It was something like, "Look at them! Crawling around like dogs to find some obscure clue!" That is how I think Agatha Christie changed how some mystery novels should be written.
This! I remember when i was reading "Ordeal by Innocence" and "Appointment with Death" that i was impressed finding such inticate psychological workings and social connections. And they are served to us in such a way, i am not not native english speaker but it never feels like i am missing out.
But to be fair, a court doesn't recognise feelings as evidence. A court needs physical evidence to get a conviction, which is why Christie's murderers confessed to wrap things up. Then they killed themselves so as not to worry about that pesky conviction.
@@slake9727 that's true. there were a few clues sprinkled in Christie's books, they were just never the main focus. and yeah, most of the time the killers ended up confessing, to make things easier.
She popularized the idea of needing to understand the psychology to understand the case. I would argue this was a direct shot at Conan Doyle. Short story was really his best format. Four times he tried to expand to novel length. Three of those times, Sherlock was forced to say, "I know you did it, but I don't know why." For one reason or another, they were willing to talk, and that explanation was as long as the mystery. This left the endings anticlimactic and the flow of the story disjointed. Now that I think about it, The Hollow was another jab at Holmes. At one point, someone asks Poirot, "Would you be satisfied with an explanation, or would you have to press charges?" He replied he needed to see justice done. How many times does Holmes let a sympathetic culprit go? More often than not. In that light, Holmes may very well have accepted that offer.
Simplicity being a key part of how she kept reader's hooked is brilliant to me. I've always thought the "less is more" approach to be one of the best for many fields, not just limited to writing.
So true, I have ADHD so the "stream of consciousness" style of writing loses me in Being able to show not tell an intricate murder mystery, but with simplicity, I don't think I've come across any other author that does it as well as Agatha Christie
My husband and I just finished “And Then There We’re None” I’ve re-read it 5 times but it was his first. It’s probably the first time we’ve agreed something was a work of genius
@@Lumosnightreally ??? I loved it. The part the judge is describing how he wondered if everything that he made would be enough to make vera hang herself is perhaps my favorite paragraph on a book
@@villardileonardo2411 it was the worst cop out. No one would hang themself just for the sake of it. Vera fought hard to survive and keep her secret, so she’d probably think of a way to escape. And the whole Judge Justice storyline is cringe.
Part of what makes Christie's books so enduring is that even if the mystery is spoiled for you (or you've read the book before) the stories are still extremely engaging! Sometimes one might even find clues they may have missed the first time; or if the reader is like me, might fall so deeply into the narrative that one forgets the whodunit part of the whodunit!!
'And Then There Were None' is one of her greatest works in my opinion. I remember when I first read it and being on the edge of my seat the whole time. 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' was really good too.
Nobody talks about how amazing these 2 are, especially Murder of Roger Ackroyd...thats my favourite book of hers and always suggest it to first-time Agatha Christie to make them a fan of hers...
@@cheese_potato My first ever detective story. 35+ years later, and maybe 200 hundred detective stories later (including almost all her books) it is still my favourite.
@@cheese_potato Murder of Roger Ackroyd is arguably the most brilliant detective story ever written. The ending has one of the best plot-twists of all fiction, and I really recommend this novel for anyone who’s a fan of Agatha Christie’s work. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for people who haven’t read any of her novels, because It’s longer and less engaging than most of her other works, and people could get bored and drop it before realizing it is a masterpiece
Agatha Christie may well have used ethnic or racial stereotypes in her works, but she also challenged the prevailing British xenophobia of her time by casting foreigners as the main character (notably Poirot--people may not appreciate this now but he started out as a Belgian refugee during WWI and often experienced prejudice from the Brits he encountered more casually in various stories) or by casting suspicion on a foreign character only to reveal that they were set up or otherwise taken advantage of by the real culprit. That's actually something that I've come to appreciate more and more in her work.
if i tell you i know a guy named Muhammad you wont think of a chinese person, and thats a stereotype based on general reality. just an example.@@BloodthirstyAcademic
Especially in her later works, I've found that she would also use a character's racism or xenophobia as a quiet way to make her own judgment on them, or suggest that they were less than wonderful people. Agatha Christie travelled a lot, and enjoyed talking with the locals wherever she was. Her autobiography was even titled "Come Tell Me How You Live". She was more curious about people who were different, rather than dismissive. I think her own views were rather progressive for the time.
Two dimensional people? She gave the best descriptions of psychopaths ever. The charming young man, the kid that murders because it wants something, the CEOs, the nice tomboy girl. The false confession also there. Some books are a study in psychology.
That’s what 2D is. They just worked within their descriptions but that’s not how normal people act. There were no complex backstories, deep motivations or characters acting outside of their perceived characters. The charming guy was charming, the nervous maid was nervous. It made for a simple story which I think is perfectly fine, but you have to call it what is was.
@@Britt3334It seems like people nowadays often mistaken a compelling well written 2D character as a deep and complex character. For me Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad is like the compelling 2D character that is interesting to watch. His character is less complex and not very deep since we don't know his motivation, back story or how he became like that. But in Better Call Saul, he easily becomes one of the best well written deep and complex character that even scene that makes him act out of character, feels natural altogether.
Exactly. You might as well call all actual biographies’2-dimensional’. She kept a diary & noted down interesting characteristics, actions & dialogue. That’s being REALISTIC.
Let's see... ABC Murders, Crooked House, A Pocket Full of Rye, and Crooked House again, respectively? Edit: Secret Adversary is a closer guess for the third one. Edit 2: Right nursery rhyme, wrong line for the title.
She gave back story when it was necessary for the story, nothing more, nothing less. Her characters were as dimensional as they needed to be. That's truly superb writing. She's still a great read, almost 100 years later.
Christie obsessive here: It’s a long running misunderstanding that Christie would change her murderers throughout writing her novels which added to their difficulty in solving. While I’m sure she did that, and there a few instances where she definitely did, usually the entire book, including the murderer was plotted out in notebooks before she started writing, you can see all the examples in John Curran’s Agatha Christie’s secret notebooks. Also, Christie already had her idea to write a mystery with the twist her debut novel ends with, it was more a playful conversation between the sisters that got her to writing and not at all a sibling rivalry, per her autobiography. And quite a few of her novels feature complex characters: Five Little Pigs, The Hollow, Towards Zero, Endless Night and Death on the Nile
The Crales in five little pigs are so damn good. Same with Linnet, Jackie, and Simon in death on the Nile. I also think that Wargrave, Lombard, and Vera in and then there were none are great too, especially Lombard.
Her characters were always complex. They were just two-dimensional. They had fixed motives and a fixed character. They didn't change over the course of the novel or react to situations differently from how they expected or break down in any way. You see this best when you contrast Agatha Christie with someone like P. D. James. Agatha simply wanted to entertain her readers, not to make them squirm with the realism of what an actual crime might feel like. She was open and unapologetic about this
One thing really good about Christie as against people like John Dickson Carr was that her identity of the criminal was always morally satisfying. There was always a good psychological explanation. It wasn't just mystification for the sake of mystification
You might add Death Comes As The End to your list as well, a surprisingly satisfying mystery set in ancient Egypt! Crooked House as well. Wonderful characters. Three Act Tragedy. So many good memories
I LOVE Christie's crime! I prefer her crimes where you can actually have a chance of finding out the "who did it", then sherlock where its almost impossible to find out yourself who it was
Omg so true. It was difficult for me to get through Doyle, but with Christie I absolutely devoured her books. Though I do like Sherlock in other media, so it must be Doyle's writing style I couldn't vibe with 😅
@@zipzapkpop In order media you likely have the benefit of visual information. You can see the same things as the character rather than relying on a description.
@@Ikajo nope, visual info isn't the problem as i prefer reading books most of the time. as i said, i wasn't a fan of Doyle's writing style, no matter how interesting the characters are. but then again i was like fourteen when i last tried reading his work, so it might be different now :)
I think the diffence is Doyle was writing adventures, he was interested in strange and bizarre events and people (science gone wrong, spirituality, sects, and fantasy...), while Christie craft delicate mysteries, who are less about the detective and more about the mecanic of the story
The murder of Roger Ackroyd will forever hold a special place in my heart. It is the kind of book that makes me wosh it is possible to momentarily forget a story, just so I can experience the act of reading and discovering it once again.
My personal favorites is 'Five Little Pigs' because it was the ONLY mystery book I ever read where the murderer turned out to be the only character I thought was DEFINETLY innocent.
Mirror crack'd from side to side is one of the first I read of hers and is so superbly crafted! I also loved murder on the carribean and ofc and then there were none!
And Then There Were None is my favorite of her books and it is nothing short of genius. She has taught me to suspect everyone including the narrator. She is exceptional!
Agatha Christi novels were my favourite during college days, these were available in translated version in Malayalam, thanks to my friend Venu chettan who had the entire collection. Congratulations to Ananthu for bringing these memories back, best wishes
I remember when I first started 'And then there were none'. We were moving into a new house and I was just so caught up! I missed school for that. One of her only books I have read but I sure will read the others whenever I get hold of them (They are hardly available in our school library so in demand)
*the hollow* is a book of hers that is conventionally different from her usual murder mystery style and it contains very strong characterization i would definitely recommend that to anyone interested
Agatha Christie is one of my all time favorite author when it comes to the mystery genre. i've read 4.50 from Paddington, Cats Among The Pigeons, The Mysterious Mr.Quinn, Murder on The Orient Express, Death on the Nile and needless to say i loved all of them she really keeps her readers captivated throughout the stories.
My favorite author ever. Her works focusing on money, heritage, family relations, greed so many important issues in society and the way she directs the story till the end is so captivating. Her novels are timeless and eternal. Love all her works but my top favorite ones: The murder of Roger acroyed, ABC Murders, a murder is announced, the big four, and death on the Nile
While reading 'Endless Night' few weeks ago, Agatha Christie's story writing had immersed me into the setting with intense suspense and the unsettling approach. Her stories are second to none in the catagory
Agatha Christie is the perfect example of how stereotypes and pre suppositions should be the basis for any drama. It gives the audience an easy basis from which anything could happen. Still most important lesson about drama that I’ve learned to this day
And then there were none and The murder of Roger Ackroyds are my favorites. They were truly amazing. The first one is the definition of suspense and terrifying with just words. The ten little soldiers rhyme really define the story. I can remember the chill I got after complete the book once and re-reading the rhyme again. Wow. The murder of Roger Ackroyds is very unique. Considering that this book was first published in 1926, the way she narrate the story was so ahead of her time. I would recommend anyone who want to try some of the Christie's book to start with either of these.
My favorites for her are Murder on the Orient express and the death of Roger Ackroyd Mostly because of the unique end I find her writings very entertaining and l always keep a novel of hers in my reading challenge 😉
_"Perhaps this is the purpose of detective investigations, real and fictional, is to transform sensation, horror and grief into a puzzle, and then to solve the puzzle, to make it go away."_ -*Kate Summerscale*
"The murder of Roger Akroyd", "And then there were none", "The mystery of the blue train" , "Five Litte Pigs" and "Death on Nile" . The greatest pieces of crime thrillers the world has ever got !
"Murder on the Orient Express" is my all-time favorite book, and I'm currently re-reading "Death on the Nile." Christie's characters might be simplified, but she makes them vivid and memorable and that elevates her work.
I think there’s a particular reason her characters are seen as two-dimensional. In the words of Miss Marple: “everybody is very much alike, really. But fortunately, perhaps, they don’t realize it.” Some of Agatha Christie’s books have more characterization than others, but through all of them is this psychological perspective, a dissection and breakdown of human motivation. In a sense, we are not as three-dimensional as we think.
A brilliant mystery writing author who also went missing herself and created a whole mystery around her own disappearance which remains unsolved to this day 🤯
These type of videos are very helpful and guiding for young aspiring writers like me. Please upload a similar video about the writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and how he made the stories of Sherlock Holmes so captivating. Thank you so much for making such lovely videos.
She is my favorite. And Hercule Poirot is my favourite character as well! Trust me when I say this, but I found a gem of a book when I picked up "Death on the Nile" instead of a YA fiction. There's one thing which stops me from reading great books, and it is that it's very difficult to understand the english sometimes. No doubt the author is great, but the langugae they use is, mostly very tough to grasp. Agatha Christie's books, however, I grasped it almost immediately. The essence of the story, I was able to understand it very well. What I got from her book is a mysterious feeling of awe, happiness and wonder. Hercule Poirot, so many times I have imagined meeting him and helping him. Poirot's wit is just so good and amusing, you want someone like him as your teacher! What I like about him is that he's got confidence, charm and mostly, immense sass. I mean, I am not into savage dialogues, but his are completely natural. The way he uses french and English is amazing. Christie's dialogues always deliver. I've picked on alot of psychological understanding myself, and through Poirot, I started observing people more. What I've learnt is that people are important, what they feel, whether it's the victim or murderer, is important for a good detective. And yes, Agatha Christie is the Queen of crimes! *Cough* writing.
I never understood why people judge Agatha for the stereotypes she used. Back then using them was not just completely normal but also influenced the reader into thinking a certain way about these characters. Please stop judging things long past with the values of our time, because if you do that what stops someone judging you in the future for something that seems completely normal today.
Like killing pigs and dogs for food seems normal to humans today, but in the future will be looked back at with horror and disgust. But apart from that, I think the reason why people judge her for that is because there were people in her time that didn't emulate those stereotypes in everyday life. Not everybody was like that, even in those times.
@@romanski5811That being said, part of the reason some aspects of her characters and settings are clearly indicated/implied is due to those stereotypes, I should say. It is very trope-y if you will.
@@romanski5811 Agree with your general point. But what's up with announcing that pigs and dogs will not be eaten in the future? As compared to cows and chickens that will be eaten....? How do you know? On what are you basing your belief? Doesn't make much sense I must say.
@@rheinhartsilvento2576 dogs and pigs are pars pro toto. And I'm assuming that society is going to progress in the long run, but that's not guaranteed, you're right.
It is important to point the stereotypes out though, or they will be reproduced unreflected. We can't judge Agatha for writing them, but we can discuss the books content under a modern perspective.
I recently got into Agatha Christie’s novels and I fell in love with them! Looking for recommendations! So far, I’ve read - And Then There Were None - Murder on the Orient Express - Appointment with Death Halfway through Murder on the Nile.
I mean, what great initial picks. Some of her best. Apart from what others have suggested you can read 1) Lord Edgware dies 2) Murder on the links 3) Halloween party 4) The mysterious affairs at styles 5) After the funeral
Isn't appointment with death just amazing? Perhaps the solution is a little sketchy.... But the book is a masterpiece. The character of the mother, I shall never forget.
I love her books. My favorite writer. Almost always the character I find more interesting is the killer so I sense it but I have no idea how bc at first that person seems impossible. So for me the real intrigue is how the pieces of the puzzle fit together
This might be the sign to start reading Agatha Christie. I only know Murder on the Orient Express from the movie (which from what I know is adapted a bit differently)
Hollywood movies are usually adapted a bit differently. But unfortunately for you, it has the same ending. So the utter shock the readers get while reading it for the 1st time won't happen with you.
There is a lot of action in her stories. She can hook you In the first few pages. Like pulp fiction, things happen pretty quickly. Her plots can be sort of ridiculous, but the dialogue always shines. I love M.C. Beaton for the same reason. She is also a master of interesting dialogue.
I see the comments full of praising And Then There Were None, Orient Express and Roger Ackroyd (unsurprising, since they're her top three) - being a hard core Christie enthusiast, I'm surprised Hercule Poirot's Christmas (my personal favourite, and the most shocking ending of all imo) is not talked about as much
Wonderful short about her work! Would have been nice to have gotten some references from her other characters, or books, but I have to say the video was great!
I am amazed at how, "And then there were none" is a top favourite. It is mine too, but I just didn't expect such consensus around this one. I was thinking that the more popular books would be Murder on the Orient express or Mousetrap. Also, I cannot think of a character that has intrigued me more than Hercule Poirot.
I mean, how does anyone top that ending. I am a mystery enthusiast. I find, movies, tv shows of mystery genre and watch as much as possible from all over the world. I have yet to come across something like that. The mist(movie) has one of the greatest plot twist and the only thing i can think of that comes close. After reading And then there were none, i was so shook and min boggled and excited and just kept looking at the end for 2 mins. I just couldn't believe what i have read. No other book has evoked such profound emotions. It easier to evoke emotions in tv/movie by visual and sound but a book, my God!
My clear favourite Agatha Christies are the following-: 1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 2. The Murder on the Orient Express 3. The Death on the Nile 4. And then there were None 5. The Murder at the Vickarage
Ted -Ed can read my mind.... A few hours ago I finished the murder of Roger Ackroyd...and I was blown away..(without spoilers) how did she think of 'that' twist!! And Ted -Ed posted a video!! Thanks Guys! Narration and animation great as always 🥰🥰
I LOVE her books! And Then There Were None is my favorite book of all time! Kinda weird that I haven't gotten around to finish Murder on the Orient Express and I didn't enjoy Roger Ackroyd as much as I thought I would have. 😅
I read one of her books and love it! Later people convinced me that all her books followed the same structure and that they get sort of repetitive. So here I am with only one of Agatha's book on my reader curriculum 😅
Even after so many years, her works still are among the best in the genre. Today, you mostly just have to look for the least suspicious suspect, usually someone who appears once or twice in the story. Christie did that too, but she'd also use them as red herrings to distract from the true culprit being actually the most obvious one. Or sometimes had the least and most supsicious work together. She already mastered the art of subversion in a relatively young genre.
It is a bit of a mystery how most of Christie's books on Goodreads are below the hallowed 4.00 rating average. At least there her books are underrated and not overrated. The handful of Sophie Hannah books, written with the blessing of the Agatha Christie estate, prove that Christie was a genius and most writers, including Hannah are not as good as the former. Just try to read the Monogram Murders a new Poirot mystery to see how easy Christie made writing look.
I have three favourite her works, maybe different with the others, but "the croocked house" is her masterpiece, it the best, and mindblowing and twist ending, the next is "the Secret of chimneys", its sherlock holmes style, but more complicated stories, then the third is "pocket full of rye", because i bet no one can guess who is the murder correctly. I also enjoy "roger ackroyd" but its not my favourite, because i know who the murder since beginning, it not make twist for me, then i enjoy "and they were none" but it far from my expectation, because its just like watching "detective conan" series.
I love christie, n you right, her story is simple yet interesting, because sometimes related to your life. As simple as the motive n the suspect. It's always about money n love, the husbands or the wives, or the closest person. The only different is setting location, nile, iraq, england, carribean or rhodes.
I LOVE agatha christie. She is definitely the queen of crime! New readers: EVERYBODY is a suspect! Children, adults, the first-person narrator, the person investigating the crime, people who appear to hate each other. NO ONE IS ABOVE SUSPICION!
First time in my life I felt betrayed by a book when I read one of hers. I won't give the title since it could be a spoiler, but I was shocked, as if she broke some unspoken rule :) Fantastic one!
it's amazing how every series or animes or games that Involves mystery shows at least one setting or plot from Agatha Christie's novels. mainly from orient express or from then there were none
Most Christie mysteries are centered around misdirection: Stage-magic tricks are based on focusing your attention so much on an intentional red-herring, it never occurs to you to look elsewhere to explain the trick, and the secret turns out to be something common you took for granted (eg., was that "volunteer" really from the audience?). Compare this with Christie standby, "We know the murder happened at 8 o'clock, because that's when we heard the gunshot!" 😛
for me, reading christie's book with her sleuths are far "safer" for my brain, because i can cross out those characters as the killer... my tension is rising when the stories are not involving the sleuths, i.e. "crooked house" or "and then there were none", then everybody can become the killer...
I think we need to thank Madge for making her sister so mad she became a bestselling author
Sister rivalry ftw
I mean, many of her characters a motivated simply by *spite*
Talk about an embarrassing karma when she hears it.
(Builds A time machine) there now I’m gonna go thank Madge! 😂
@OocSNKZ Yours sounds familiar as I myself was formerly an artist until taken the passion of a cartoonist. I usually didn't need a second hand for drawing and would make comics with ease (though it takes time). Now there is no problem to have another person draw your comics for you. Neither is you alone drew and wrote your comics.
I'm still amazed that "Murder on the Orient Express" is one of the most iconic murder mysteries ever yet I was still completely surprised by the ending.
Damn so she was the one who wrote that movie
@@sloth8866 She wrote the novel which the movie was based on. There have been quite a few movie adaptations of "Murder on the Orient Express' so I don't know which specific one you're referring to.
@@danielcooper3332 I'm talking about the novel, dw.
I’d already had the ending spoiled for me before I read it but I still really enjoyed reading it which I think is a testament to the book that even with some of the mystery taken away it’s still amazing
It’s the journey not the destination for me. Her writing is brilliant, page turners, but I never figure out “who done it”.
i also love how christie incorporated psychology into her mysteries. whereas detectives like sherlock holmes solely relied on clues to solve his cases, both hercule poirot and miss marple used their social skills and their extensive knowledge of the human psyche (paired with the evidence they have, of course) to come to the conclusion.
Yes, it was the psychology. Many times, she had her famous detective sit down with a suspect and talk with "Papa Poirot". The suspect did not realize Poirot was watching every word and gesture of them.
I remember when he sprung his double trap in "Cards on the Table" (the stockings being stolen), and it made Poirot recognize, "She is a thief, not a murderer. If she was to murder, it would be in a panic. It would be very quick. But Mr. Shaitan's death was very cold, calculating, and precise. Not like her." Something to that effect.
I also liked Agatha pointing out this difference in crime solving in "Murder on the Links", in which she has Poirot deliberately taking a shot at someone like Sherlock. It was something like, "Look at them! Crawling around like dogs to find some obscure clue!"
That is how I think Agatha Christie changed how some mystery novels should be written.
This! I remember when i was reading "Ordeal by Innocence" and "Appointment with Death" that i was impressed finding such inticate psychological workings and social connections. And they are served to us in such a way, i am not not native english speaker but it never feels like i am missing out.
But to be fair, a court doesn't recognise feelings as evidence. A court needs physical evidence to get a conviction, which is why Christie's murderers confessed to wrap things up. Then they killed themselves so as not to worry about that pesky conviction.
@@slake9727 that's true. there were a few clues sprinkled in Christie's books, they were just never the main focus. and yeah, most of the time the killers ended up confessing, to make things easier.
She popularized the idea of needing to understand the psychology to understand the case. I would argue this was a direct shot at Conan Doyle.
Short story was really his best format. Four times he tried to expand to novel length. Three of those times, Sherlock was forced to say, "I know you did it, but I don't know why." For one reason or another, they were willing to talk, and that explanation was as long as the mystery. This left the endings anticlimactic and the flow of the story disjointed.
Now that I think about it, The Hollow was another jab at Holmes. At one point, someone asks Poirot, "Would you be satisfied with an explanation, or would you have to press charges?" He replied he needed to see justice done. How many times does Holmes let a sympathetic culprit go? More often than not. In that light, Holmes may very well have accepted that offer.
Simplicity being a key part of how she kept reader's hooked is brilliant to me. I've always thought the "less is more" approach to be one of the best for many fields, not just limited to writing.
When I finish a large book or have a reading block or laziness I go for Agatha 👍
Cringe af’
@@smallspace7me too!!!
So true, I have ADHD so the "stream of consciousness" style of writing loses me in Being able to show not tell an intricate murder mystery, but with simplicity, I don't think I've come across any other author that does it as well as Agatha Christie
My husband and I just finished “And Then There We’re None”
I’ve re-read it 5 times but it was his first. It’s probably the first time we’ve agreed something was a work of genius
Yes it is such a fun read. One really get immersed in the story and forget about the killer.
In my opinion it's her magnum opus. Closer to a thriller than a whodunit, but the suspense and mystery were so thick you could cut it with a knife
The ending was a disappointment imo
@@Lumosnightreally ??? I loved it. The part the judge is describing how he wondered if everything that he made would be enough to make vera hang herself is perhaps my favorite paragraph on a book
@@villardileonardo2411 it was the worst cop out.
No one would hang themself just for the sake of it. Vera fought hard to survive and keep her secret, so she’d probably think of a way to escape. And the whole Judge Justice storyline is cringe.
Part of what makes Christie's books so enduring is that even if the mystery is spoiled for you (or you've read the book before) the stories are still extremely engaging! Sometimes one might even find clues they may have missed the first time; or if the reader is like me, might fall so deeply into the narrative that one forgets the whodunit part of the whodunit!!
Among the 60 or so mysteries that I read of Christie, I solved or guessed correctly not more than 5 times.
I always rad them twice, the second time looking for clues that I missed!
'And Then There Were None' is one of her greatest works in my opinion. I remember when I first read it and being on the edge of my seat the whole time. 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' was really good too.
Nobody talks about how amazing these 2 are, especially Murder of Roger Ackroyd...thats my favourite book of hers and always suggest it to first-time Agatha Christie to make them a fan of hers...
@@cheese_potatoyes! I'm surprised nobody talks about it as much as the others. It's so genius
@@cheese_potato My first ever detective story. 35+ years later, and maybe 200 hundred detective stories later (including almost all her books) it is still my favourite.
@@cheese_potato Murder of Roger Ackroyd is arguably the most brilliant detective story ever written. The ending has one of the best plot-twists of all fiction, and I really recommend this novel for anyone who’s a fan of Agatha Christie’s work. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for people who haven’t read any of her novels, because It’s longer and less engaging than most of her other works, and people could get bored and drop it before realizing it is a masterpiece
Wow, those are my two favourites as well!
Agatha Christie may well have used ethnic or racial stereotypes in her works, but she also challenged the prevailing British xenophobia of her time by casting foreigners as the main character (notably Poirot--people may not appreciate this now but he started out as a Belgian refugee during WWI and often experienced prejudice from the Brits he encountered more casually in various stories) or by casting suspicion on a foreign character only to reveal that they were set up or otherwise taken advantage of by the real culprit. That's actually something that I've come to appreciate more and more in her work.
Stereotypes exist for a reason.
@@cassie8844Yeah, because people are uncultured
if i tell you i know a guy named Muhammad you wont think of a chinese person, and thats a stereotype based on general reality. just an example.@@BloodthirstyAcademic
Especially in her later works, I've found that she would also use a character's racism or xenophobia as a quiet way to make her own judgment on them, or suggest that they were less than wonderful people. Agatha Christie travelled a lot, and enjoyed talking with the locals wherever she was. Her autobiography was even titled "Come Tell Me How You Live". She was more curious about people who were different, rather than dismissive. I think her own views were rather progressive for the time.
Poirot not only suffered prejudice but frequently used that prejudice on his favor
Two dimensional people? She gave the best descriptions of psychopaths ever. The charming young man, the kid that murders because it wants something, the CEOs, the nice tomboy girl. The false confession also there. Some books are a study in psychology.
That’s what 2D is. They just worked within their descriptions but that’s not how normal people act. There were no complex backstories, deep motivations or characters acting outside of their perceived characters. The charming guy was charming, the nervous maid was nervous. It made for a simple story which I think is perfectly fine, but you have to call it what is was.
@@Britt3334It seems like people nowadays often mistaken a compelling well written 2D character as a deep and complex character. For me Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad is like the compelling 2D character that is interesting to watch. His character is less complex and not very deep since we don't know his motivation, back story or how he became like that. But in Better Call Saul, he easily becomes one of the best well written deep and complex character that even scene that makes him act out of character, feels natural altogether.
Exactly. You might as well call all actual biographies’2-dimensional’. She kept a diary & noted down interesting characteristics, actions & dialogue. That’s being REALISTIC.
Let's see... ABC Murders, Crooked House, A Pocket Full of Rye, and Crooked House again, respectively?
Edit: Secret Adversary is a closer guess for the third one.
Edit 2: Right nursery rhyme, wrong line for the title.
She gave back story when it was necessary for the story, nothing more, nothing less. Her characters were as dimensional as they needed to be.
That's truly superb writing. She's still a great read, almost 100 years later.
Christie obsessive here:
It’s a long running misunderstanding that Christie would change her murderers throughout writing her novels which added to their difficulty in solving. While I’m sure she did that, and there a few instances where she definitely did, usually the entire book, including the murderer was plotted out in notebooks before she started writing, you can see all the examples in John Curran’s Agatha Christie’s secret notebooks. Also, Christie already had her idea to write a mystery with the twist her debut novel ends with, it was more a playful conversation between the sisters that got her to writing and not at all a sibling rivalry, per her autobiography.
And quite a few of her novels feature complex characters:
Five Little Pigs, The Hollow, Towards Zero, Endless Night and Death on the Nile
The Crales in five little pigs are so damn good. Same with Linnet, Jackie, and Simon in death on the Nile. I also think that Wargrave, Lombard, and Vera in and then there were none are great too, especially Lombard.
Her characters were always complex. They were just two-dimensional. They had fixed motives and a fixed character. They didn't change over the course of the novel or react to situations differently from how they expected or break down in any way. You see this best when you contrast Agatha Christie with someone like P. D. James. Agatha simply wanted to entertain her readers, not to make them squirm with the realism of what an actual crime might feel like. She was open and unapologetic about this
One thing really good about Christie as against people like John Dickson Carr was that her identity of the criminal was always morally satisfying. There was always a good psychological explanation. It wasn't just mystification for the sake of mystification
You might add Death Comes As The End to your list as well, a surprisingly satisfying mystery set in ancient Egypt! Crooked House as well. Wonderful characters. Three Act Tragedy. So many good memories
@@jamespower5165 agree with all your picks! I think Death Comes as the End is grossly underrated.
I LOVE Christie's crime! I prefer her crimes where you can actually have a chance of finding out the "who did it", then sherlock where its almost impossible to find out yourself who it was
Omg so true. It was difficult for me to get through Doyle, but with Christie I absolutely devoured her books. Though I do like Sherlock in other media, so it must be Doyle's writing style I couldn't vibe with 😅
@@zipzapkpop In order media you likely have the benefit of visual information. You can see the same things as the character rather than relying on a description.
@@Ikajo nope, visual info isn't the problem as i prefer reading books most of the time. as i said, i wasn't a fan of Doyle's writing style, no matter how interesting the characters are. but then again i was like fourteen when i last tried reading his work, so it might be different now :)
@@zipzapkpop Probably because Arthur writes them through John.
I think the diffence is Doyle was writing adventures, he was interested in strange and bizarre events and people (science gone wrong, spirituality, sects, and fantasy...), while Christie craft delicate mysteries, who are less about the detective and more about the mecanic of the story
The murder of Roger Ackroyd will forever hold a special place in my heart. It is the kind of book that makes me wosh it is possible to momentarily forget a story, just so I can experience the act of reading and discovering it once again.
Same for me! Incredible book.
Yes! My mother introduced me to Agatha Christie with this book and of course I was immediately hooked!
Ditto. One of my all time favorites.
just finished it and my heart is still beating so fast
"After the funeral" is the one I always remember - the single most important and defining clue is so simple and yet is hidden in plain sight.
I solved that one 😊
My personal favorites is 'Five Little Pigs' because it was the ONLY mystery book I ever read where the murderer turned out to be the only character I thought was DEFINETLY innocent.
And the part with the letters! So good
I Just read it and yes I can affirm the murderer revealed was definitely unpredictable
It's out of my mind how Ted ed always comes up with different yet, beautiful animation styles😃
They hire various animators and their styles differ. Check the credits at the end to find out more.
they outsource their animation
My all time favourite author, The murder of roger ackroyd, and The mirror cracked from side to side are pure classics.
Mirror crack'd from side to side is one of the first I read of hers and is so superbly crafted! I also loved murder on the carribean and ofc and then there were none!
Nothing comes close to murder on the Orient express .
I almost threw my book when i found out who the killer was in roger ackroyd. Lol
And then there was none was pretty dope too. Like wtf
Peril at End House and Halloween Party. I also liked Five Little Pigs
And Then There Were None is my favorite of her books and it is nothing short of genius. She has taught me to suspect everyone including the narrator. She is exceptional!
Agatha Christi novels were my favourite during college days, these were available in translated version in Malayalam, thanks to my friend Venu chettan who had the entire collection. Congratulations to Ananthu for bringing these memories back, best wishes
2:26 oh, how much I'm in awe of your animations, the creativity just blows my mind every time!❤
I remember when I first started 'And then there were none'. We were moving into a new house and I was just so caught up! I missed school for that. One of her only books I have read but I sure will read the others whenever I get hold of them (They are hardly available in our school library so in demand)
The initial quote was from my fav. book by Christie. Its been a few years, I'll read it again now.
*the hollow* is a book of hers that is conventionally different from her usual murder mystery style and it contains very strong characterization
i would definitely recommend that to anyone interested
Agatha Christie is one of my all time favorite author when it comes to the mystery genre. i've read 4.50 from Paddington, Cats Among The Pigeons, The Mysterious Mr.Quinn, Murder on The Orient Express, Death on the Nile and needless to say i loved all of them she really keeps her readers captivated throughout the stories.
Cat among the Pigeons is really underrated.
My favorite author ever. Her works focusing on money, heritage, family relations, greed so many important issues in society and the way she directs the story till the end is so captivating. Her novels are timeless and eternal. Love all her works but my top favorite ones:
The murder of Roger acroyed,
ABC Murders, a murder is announced, the big four, and death on the Nile
While reading 'Endless Night' few weeks ago, Agatha Christie's story writing had immersed me into the setting with intense suspense and the unsettling approach. Her stories are second to none in the catagory
Agatha Christie is the perfect example of how stereotypes and pre suppositions should be the basis for any drama. It gives the audience an easy basis from which anything could happen. Still most important lesson about drama that I’ve learned to this day
And then there were none and The murder of Roger Ackroyds are my favorites. They were truly amazing. The first one is the definition of suspense and terrifying with just words. The ten little soldiers rhyme really define the story. I can remember the chill I got after complete the book once and re-reading the rhyme again. Wow.
The murder of Roger Ackroyds is very unique. Considering that this book was first published in 1926, the way she narrate the story was so ahead of her time. I would recommend anyone who want to try some of the Christie's book to start with either of these.
Proud to say I read EVERY SINGLE ONE of her books
I love her works!! I get so easily hooked while also having a definite idea of the potential criminal. She's so brilliant it's almost unnerving.
My favorites for her are
Murder on the Orient express and the death of Roger Ackroyd
Mostly because of the unique end I find her writings very entertaining and l always keep a novel of hers in my reading challenge 😉
Also Peril at End House and Halloween Party(the explanation for the dropped water trough and gasp!)
the death of Roger Ackroyd is mindblowing
peril at end house is underrated@@jamespower5165
_"Perhaps this is the purpose of detective investigations, real and fictional, is to transform sensation, horror and grief into a puzzle, and then to solve the puzzle, to make it go away."_
-*Kate Summerscale*
Just remember that every sentence and descriptions in her stories are indispensable.
Agatha Christie is my favorite writer. Reading her books is simply a beautiful experience. Every details, clothes, weather, are so beautiful.
"The murder of Roger Akroyd", "And then there were none", "The mystery of the blue train" , "Five Litte Pigs" and "Death on Nile" . The greatest pieces of crime thrillers the world has ever got !
Brilliant! For the love of all of us writers, please continue this series.👍
"Murder on the Orient Express" is my all-time favorite book, and I'm currently re-reading "Death on the Nile." Christie's characters might be simplified, but she makes them vivid and memorable and that elevates her work.
Agatha Christie is my favourite author and Hercule Poirot, my favourite detective!!❤️
Sibling's rivalry is the most powerful motivation force ever 😅
Me encanta este canal, se agradece mucho los sudtitulos en español para los que no manejamos muy bien el inglés 💕
Compliments to the animation team doing this video. Thank you!❤
I have been thinking about reading Agatha Christie for a while now, but haven't had the time, vids like this encourage me
And the most important thing is that you would never ever suspect on the character,untill the story will end.
"Everything tastes foul today"...that's from Murder in Retrospect (aka Five Little Pigs). One of Christie's most underappreciated books!
I think there’s a particular reason her characters are seen as two-dimensional. In the words of Miss Marple: “everybody is very much alike, really. But fortunately, perhaps, they don’t realize it.” Some of Agatha Christie’s books have more characterization than others, but through all of them is this psychological perspective, a dissection and breakdown of human motivation. In a sense, we are not as three-dimensional as we think.
A brilliant mystery writing author who also went missing herself and created a whole mystery around her own disappearance which remains unsolved to this day 🤯
These type of videos are very helpful and guiding for young aspiring writers like me. Please upload a similar video about the writing style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and how he made the stories of Sherlock Holmes so captivating. Thank you so much for making such lovely videos.
She is my favorite. And Hercule Poirot is my favourite character as well!
Trust me when I say this, but I found a gem of a book when I picked up "Death on the Nile" instead of a YA fiction.
There's one thing which stops me from reading great books, and it is that it's very difficult to understand the english sometimes. No doubt the author is great, but the langugae they use is, mostly very tough to grasp.
Agatha Christie's books, however, I grasped it almost immediately. The essence of the story, I was able to understand it very well.
What I got from her book is a mysterious feeling of awe, happiness and wonder.
Hercule Poirot, so many times I have imagined meeting him and helping him. Poirot's wit is just so good and amusing, you want someone like him as your teacher!
What I like about him is that he's got confidence, charm and mostly, immense sass. I mean, I am not into savage dialogues, but his are completely natural.
The way he uses french and English is amazing. Christie's dialogues always deliver.
I've picked on alot of psychological understanding myself, and through Poirot, I started observing people more.
What I've learnt is that people are important, what they feel, whether it's the victim or murderer, is important for a good detective.
And yes, Agatha Christie is the Queen of crimes! *Cough* writing.
I never understood why people judge Agatha for the stereotypes she used. Back then using them was not just completely normal but also influenced the reader into thinking a certain way about these characters. Please stop judging things long past with the values of our time, because if you do that what stops someone judging you in the future for something that seems completely normal today.
Like killing pigs and dogs for food seems normal to humans today, but in the future will be looked back at with horror and disgust.
But apart from that, I think the reason why people judge her for that is because there were people in her time that didn't emulate those stereotypes in everyday life. Not everybody was like that, even in those times.
@@romanski5811That being said, part of the reason some aspects of her characters and settings are clearly indicated/implied is due to those stereotypes, I should say. It is very trope-y if you will.
@@romanski5811
Agree with your general point.
But what's up with announcing that pigs and dogs will not be eaten in the future?
As compared to cows and chickens that will be eaten....?
How do you know?
On what are you basing your belief?
Doesn't make much sense I must say.
@@rheinhartsilvento2576 dogs and pigs are pars pro toto.
And I'm assuming that society is going to progress in the long run, but that's not guaranteed, you're right.
It is important to point the stereotypes out though, or they will be reproduced unreflected. We can't judge Agatha for writing them, but we can discuss the books content under a modern perspective.
Thank you Mrs. Agatha fir giving us a detective in the form of Hercule Poirot👏🙏❤
Love the style & color of the animation
I've read dozens of her books. Simply incredible every single time, and I love Poirot!!
I love her stories so much!!!!
I recently got into Agatha Christie’s novels and I fell in love with them! Looking for recommendations!
So far, I’ve read
- And Then There Were None
- Murder on the Orient Express
- Appointment with Death
Halfway through Murder on the Nile.
Peril at the end house
ABC murders
We would recommend:
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
- Five Little Pigs
- Crooked House
- Murder in Mesopotamia
Happy Reading!
@@Ikwigsjoyful great recommendations... Tbh the last three are so under rated
I mean, what great initial picks. Some of her best.
Apart from what others have suggested you can read
1) Lord Edgware dies
2) Murder on the links
3) Halloween party
4) The mysterious affairs at styles
5) After the funeral
Isn't appointment with death just amazing? Perhaps the solution is a little sketchy.... But the book is a masterpiece. The character of the mother, I shall never forget.
As a Agatha Christie fan I loved this Video.
I love her books. My favorite writer. Almost always the character I find more interesting is the killer so I sense it but I have no idea how bc at first that person seems impossible. So for me the real intrigue is how the pieces of the puzzle fit together
This might be the sign to start reading Agatha Christie. I only know Murder on the Orient Express from the movie (which from what I know is adapted a bit differently)
Read 'And then there were none'. You will be blown away.
@@adityamozumdar383 yess that's on my TBR!! thanks for the recommendation
Hollywood movies are usually adapted a bit differently. But unfortunately for you, it has the same ending. So the utter shock the readers get while reading it for the 1st time won't happen with you.
I read more than 20 of her work, her novels hooked me with appelling curiosity
There is a lot of action in her stories. She can hook you In the first few pages. Like pulp fiction, things happen pretty quickly. Her plots can be sort of ridiculous, but the dialogue always shines. I love M.C. Beaton for the same reason. She is also a master of interesting dialogue.
Agatha Christie was a genius. I love her books so much.
My grandma writes crime fiction and I think of her every time I watch this video. Sometimes I wonder if she'll have a TedEd video of her own one day!
I see the comments full of praising And Then There Were None, Orient Express and Roger Ackroyd (unsurprising, since they're her top three) - being a hard core Christie enthusiast, I'm surprised Hercule Poirot's Christmas (my personal favourite, and the most shocking ending of all imo) is not talked about as much
Wonderful short about her work! Would have been nice to have gotten some references from her other characters, or books, but I have to say the video was great!
I am amazed at how, "And then there were none" is a top favourite. It is mine too, but I just didn't expect such consensus around this one. I was thinking that the more popular books would be Murder on the Orient express or Mousetrap. Also, I cannot think of a character that has intrigued me more than Hercule Poirot.
I mean, how does anyone top that ending. I am a mystery enthusiast. I find, movies, tv shows of mystery genre and watch as much as possible from all over the world. I have yet to come across something like that.
The mist(movie) has one of the greatest plot twist and the only thing i can think of that comes close.
After reading And then there were none, i was so shook and min boggled and excited and just kept looking at the end for 2 mins. I just couldn't believe what i have read. No other book has evoked such profound emotions. It easier to evoke emotions in tv/movie by visual and sound but a book, my God!
The animation looks great. Very informative.
Wow, this is excellent. I am going to absolutely read Christie further up on my read list...
My clear favourite Agatha Christies are the following-:
1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
2. The Murder on the Orient Express
3. The Death on the Nile
4. And then there were None
5. The Murder at the Vickarage
I love these. I was shocked with "Roger ackroyd"
absolutely love the art style here!
I feel proud of myself that I can pinpoint which books the examples are from
Please tell
an agatha christie vid from ted ed! thank you so much omg i really like this
This is so well animated!
She is my all time favorite authors! 😻
This just popped up after I created my publishing account on Amazon. Someone's following!
Ted -Ed can read my mind....
A few hours ago I finished the murder of Roger Ackroyd...and I was blown away..(without spoilers) how did she think of 'that' twist!!
And Ted -Ed posted a video!!
Thanks Guys! Narration and animation great as always 🥰🥰
Becoming a best-selling author just to prove your sister wrong is actually such a sibling move
My family loved the Poirot and Marple tv series! 📺 I watched them with my family. Good memories. ❤️
Murder on the Orient Express is one particularly special story.
Who else loves that soft chime they play in the beggining!
Wow, what general concepts found in every mystery story. Did they also have a beginning, middle and end? Compelling.
I LOVE her books! And Then There Were
None is my favorite book of all time! Kinda weird that I haven't gotten around to finish Murder on the Orient Express and I didn't enjoy Roger Ackroyd as much as I thought I would have. 😅
I read one of her books and love it! Later people convinced me that all her books followed the same structure and that they get sort of repetitive. So here I am with only one of Agatha's book on my reader curriculum 😅
No, god, no.😂
Read them all!
Damn, now I miss her books in my library. I hope I can return home soon and binge read it,
if I can stay alive, of course
Even after so many years, her works still are among the best in the genre. Today, you mostly just have to look for the least suspicious suspect, usually someone who appears once or twice in the story. Christie did that too, but she'd also use them as red herrings to distract from the true culprit being actually the most obvious one. Or sometimes had the least and most supsicious work together. She already mastered the art of subversion in a relatively young genre.
I think she is the best crime novelist i have ever read. I her books
It is a bit of a mystery how most of Christie's books on Goodreads are below the hallowed 4.00 rating average. At least there her books are underrated and not overrated. The handful of Sophie Hannah books, written with the blessing of the Agatha Christie estate, prove that Christie was a genius and most writers, including Hannah are not as good as the former.
Just try to read the Monogram Murders a new Poirot mystery to see how easy Christie made writing look.
I have three favourite her works, maybe different with the others, but "the croocked house" is her masterpiece, it the best, and mindblowing and twist ending, the next is "the Secret of chimneys", its sherlock holmes style, but more complicated stories, then the third is "pocket full of rye", because i bet no one can guess who is the murder correctly. I also enjoy "roger ackroyd" but its not my favourite, because i know who the murder since beginning, it not make twist for me, then i enjoy "and they were none" but it far from my expectation, because its just like watching "detective conan" series.
Thanks to Ted Ed, I'll look for her books and give them a read
Agatha Christie is the writer I want to become so badly
I love christie, n you right, her story is simple yet interesting, because sometimes related to your life. As simple as the motive n the suspect. It's always about money n love, the husbands or the wives, or the closest person. The only different is setting location, nile, iraq, england, carribean or rhodes.
I LOVE agatha christie. She is definitely the queen of crime!
New readers: EVERYBODY is a suspect! Children, adults, the first-person narrator, the person investigating the crime, people who appear to hate each other. NO ONE IS ABOVE SUSPICION!
Ah, what better feeling than pure spite to inspire someone to become outstanding?
First time in my life I felt betrayed by a book when I read one of hers. I won't give the title since it could be a spoiler, but I was shocked, as if she broke some unspoken rule :) Fantastic one!
I'm guessing it rhymes with the surrender of lodger sackroyd??
@@Rash23215 yeah :)
Go bestie. Doing top notch animation videos
it's amazing how every series or animes or games that Involves mystery shows at least one setting or plot from Agatha Christie's novels. mainly from orient express or from then there were none
Favorite mystery writer! Love this
Most Christie mysteries are centered around misdirection: Stage-magic tricks are based on focusing your attention so much on an intentional red-herring, it never occurs to you to look elsewhere to explain the trick, and the secret turns out to be something common you took for granted (eg., was that "volunteer" really from the audience?).
Compare this with Christie standby, "We know the murder happened at 8 o'clock, because that's when we heard the gunshot!" 😛
I read that Agatha was sick during a time and her sister challenged her to write a book to get her to do something.
I LOVE her books💜👍🤗 She is the best!
wow, it's really interesting
'Endless night' is my favourite ❤️❤️
for me, reading christie's book with her sleuths are far "safer" for my brain, because i can cross out those characters as the killer... my tension is rising when the stories are not involving the sleuths, i.e. "crooked house" or "and then there were none", then everybody can become the killer...