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Hercule Poirot #44
Curtain
Arthritic and immobilized, Poirot calls on his old friend Captain Hastings to join him at Styles to be the eyes and ears that will feed observations to Poirot's still razor sharp mind. Though aware of the criminal's identity, Poirot will not reveal it to the frustrated Hastings, and dubs the nameless personage 'X'. Already responsible for several murders, X, Poirot warns, is ready to strike again, and the partners must work swiftly to prevent imminent murder.
Poirot’s final case, a mystery which brings him and Hastings back to Styles where they first solved a crime together. The story was both anticipated and dreaded by Agatha Christie fans worldwide, many of whom still refuse to read it, as it is known to contain Poirot’s death.
Agatha Christie wrote it during World War II, as a gift for her daughter should she not survive the bombings, and it was kept in a safe for over thirty years. It was agreed among the family that Curtain would be published finally in 1975 by Collins, her long-standing publishers, and that Sleeping Murder (the Marple story written during the war for her husband, Max) would follow.
The reception of Poirot’s death was international, even earning him an obituary in The New York Times; he is still the only fictional character to have received such an honour. The first actor to take on the role of portraying Poirot in his final hours was David Suchet, as the final episode of the series Agatha Christie’s Poirot for which he’d been playing the role for twenty-five years. The episode was adapted in 2013.
Poirot’s final case, a mystery which brings him and Hastings back to Styles where they first solved a crime together. The story was both anticipated and dreaded by Agatha Christie fans worldwide, many of whom still refuse to read it, as it is known to contain Poirot’s death.
Agatha Christie wrote it during World War II, as a gift for her daughter should she not survive the bombings, and it was kept in a safe for over thirty years. It was agreed among the family that Curtain would be published finally in 1975 by Collins, her long-standing publishers, and that Sleeping Murder (the Marple story written during the war for her husband, Max) would follow.
The reception of Poirot’s death was international, even earning him an obituary in The New York Times; he is still the only fictional character to have received such an honour. The first actor to take on the role of portraying Poirot in his final hours was David Suchet, as the final episode of the series Agatha Christie’s Poirot for which he’d been playing the role for twenty-five years. The episode was adapted in 2013.
215 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 7, 1975
About the author
Agatha Christie
4,057 books58.5k followersAgatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in Romance. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author, having been translated into at least 103 languages. She is the creator of two of the most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880–1929), called Monty, ten years older than Agatha.
Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches. During the First World War, she worked at a hospital as a nurse; later working at a hospital pharmacy, a job that influenced her work, as many of the murders in her books are carried out with poison. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines.
In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house, Styles, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.
In 1930, Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan (Sir Max from 1968) after joining him in an archaeological dig. Their marriage was especially happy in the early years and remained so until Christie's death in 1976.
Christie frequently used familiar settings for her stories. Christie's travels with Mallowan contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East. Other novels (such as And Then There Were None) were set in and around Torquay, where she was born. Christie's 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express was written in the Hotel Pera Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, the southern terminus of the railway. The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. The Greenway Estate in Devon, acquired by the couple as a summer residence in 1938, is now in the care of the National Trust.
Christie often stayed at Abney Hall in Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and the novel After the Funeral. Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots.
To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club.
Wikipedia entry
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in Romance. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author, having been translated into at least 103 languages. She is the creator of two of the most enduring figures in crime literature-Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple-and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre.
Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880–1929), called Monty, ten years older than Agatha.
Before marrying and starting a family in London, she had served in a Devon hospital during the First World War, tending to troops coming back from the trenches. During the First World War, she worked at a hospital as a nurse; later working at a hospital pharmacy, a job that influenced her work, as many of the murders in her books are carried out with poison. During the Second World War, she worked as a pharmacy assistant at University College Hospital, London, acquiring a good knowledge of poisons which feature in many of her novels.
Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920. During her first marriage, Agatha published six novels, a collection of short stories, and a number of short stories in magazines.
In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house, Styles, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for eleven days.
In 1930, Christie married archaeologist Max Mallowan (Sir Max from 1968) after joining him in an archaeological dig. Their marriage was especially happy in the early years and remained so until Christie's death in 1976.
Christie frequently used familiar settings for her stories. Christie's travels with Mallowan contributed background to several of her novels set in the Middle East. Other novels (such as And Then There Were None) were set in and around Torquay, where she was born. Christie's 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express was written in the Hotel Pera Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, the southern terminus of the railway. The hotel maintains Christie's room as a memorial to the author. The Greenway Estate in Devon, acquired by the couple as a summer residence in 1938, is now in the care of the National Trust.
Christie often stayed at Abney Hall in Cheshire, which was owned by her brother-in-law, James Watts. She based at least two of her stories on the hall: the short story The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and the novel After the Funeral. Abney Hall became Agatha's greatest inspiration for country-house life, with all the servants and grandeur which have been woven into her plots.
To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club.
Wikipedia entry
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,518 reviews
October 17, 2021
Curtain (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #42), Written about 1940, published 1975, Agatha Christie
Abstract: The crime-fighting careers of Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have come full circle they are back once again in the rambling country house in which they solved their first murder together.
Both Poirot and Great Styles have seen better days but, despite being crippled with arthritis, there is nothing wrong with the great detective and his “little gray cells.” However, when Poirot brands one of the seemingly harmless guests a five-time murderer, some people have their doubts. But Poirot alone knows he must prevent a sixth murder before the curtain falls. . . .
Characters: Hercule Poirot, John Franklin, Barbara Franklin, Judith Hastings, Stephen Norton.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین پرونده پوآرو»؛ «پرده»؛ «پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود»؛ «مرگ به سبک پوارو»؛ «غروب استایلز»؛ نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1998میلادی و سال 2000میلادی
عنوان: پرده، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: رویا سعیدی، نشر: تهران، کتابهای کارآگاه وابسته به انتشارات هرمس، سال1379، در265ص، شابک9789647100465؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: ثریا قیصری، نشر تهران، راستی نو، سال1377، در256ص.، شابک9645611156؛
عنوان: پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم بیژن خرسند، نشر تهران، انتشارات کتاب، سال1360، در216ص، شابک ندارد
عنوان: مرگ به سبک پوارو، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: سید رضا حسینی، نشر تهران، لکلک، سال1372، در256ص، شابک ندارد
عنوان: غروب استایلز، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ ترجمه: بهرام افراسیابی، نشر تهران، راد، سال1372، در278ص، مصور، شابک ندارد
چکیده داستان: «پوارو» در نامه ای، از دوست و همراه همیشگی خویش «هستینگز»، درخواست میکند، که در عمارت «استایلز»، به او بپیوندد، عمارتیکه، اکنون به عنوان یک هتل، از آن استفاده میشود، «پوارو» که بیمار، و رنجور است، روی صندلی چرخدار مینشیند، و با قتلهایی مواجه است، که طی آن، قاتلین، همیشه به گناه خودشان اعتراف میکنند، و شخصی که مسبب اصلی قتلهاست، به شیوه ای مرموز، و شیطانی، نقش یک عامل را در جنایتها، ایفا میکند، ولی او هرگزی به دام نیفتاده است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 24/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Abstract: The crime-fighting careers of Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have come full circle they are back once again in the rambling country house in which they solved their first murder together.
Both Poirot and Great Styles have seen better days but, despite being crippled with arthritis, there is nothing wrong with the great detective and his “little gray cells.” However, when Poirot brands one of the seemingly harmless guests a five-time murderer, some people have their doubts. But Poirot alone knows he must prevent a sixth murder before the curtain falls. . . .
Characters: Hercule Poirot, John Franklin, Barbara Franklin, Judith Hastings, Stephen Norton.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین پرونده پوآرو»؛ «پرده»؛ «پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود»؛ «مرگ به سبک پوارو»؛ «غروب استایلز»؛ نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1998میلادی و سال 2000میلادی
عنوان: پرده، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: رویا سعیدی، نشر: تهران، کتابهای کارآگاه وابسته به انتشارات هرمس، سال1379، در265ص، شابک9789647100465؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده 20م
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: ثریا قیصری، نشر تهران، راستی نو، سال1377، در256ص.، شابک9645611156؛
عنوان: پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم بیژن خرسند، نشر تهران، انتشارات کتاب، سال1360، در216ص، شابک ندارد
عنوان: مرگ به سبک پوارو، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ مترجم: سید رضا حسینی، نشر تهران، لکلک، سال1372، در256ص، شابک ندارد
عنوان: غروب استایلز، نویسنده: آگاتا کریستی؛ ترجمه: بهرام افراسیابی، نشر تهران، راد، سال1372، در278ص، مصور، شابک ندارد
چکیده داستان: «پوارو» در نامه ای، از دوست و همراه همیشگی خویش «هستینگز»، درخواست میکند، که در عمارت «استایلز»، به او بپیوندد، عمارتیکه، اکنون به عنوان یک هتل، از آن استفاده میشود، «پوارو» که بیمار، و رنجور است، روی صندلی چرخدار مینشیند، و با قتلهایی مواجه است، که طی آن، قاتلین، همیشه به گناه خودشان اعتراف میکنند، و شخصی که مسبب اصلی قتلهاست، به شیوه ای مرموز، و شیطانی، نقش یک عامل را در جنایتها، ایفا میکند، ولی او هرگزی به دام نیفتاده است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 28/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 24/07/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
July 8, 2021
W sumie to się zaskoczyłam i bawiłam bardzo dobrze. Czego chcieć więcej od Christie? Polecam, ale to ostatnio tom Poirota, więc co nieco sobie możecie tu zaspojlerować
March 5, 2022
Curtain (Hercule Poirot #39), Agatha Christie
Curtain, Written about 1940, published 1975, Agatha Christie (1891 – 1976).
Characters: Hercule Poirot, John Franklin, Barbara Franklin, Judith Hastings, Stephen Norton.
Abstract: The crime-fighting careers of Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have come full circle they are back once again in the rambling country house in which they solved their first murder together. Both Poirot and Great Styles have seen better days but, despite being crippled with arthritis, there is nothing wrong with the great detective and his “little gray cells.”
However, when Poirot brands one of the seemingly harmless guests a five-time murderer, some people have their doubts. But Poirot alone knows he must prevent a sixth murder before the curtain falls. . . .
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین پرونده پوآرو»؛ «پرده»؛ «پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود»؛ «مرگ به سبک پوارو»؛ «غروب استایلز»؛ «راز مرگ: آخرین ماجرای پوارو»؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال1998میلادی و تاریخ خوانش این نسخه سال2000میلادی
این کتاب با عنوان فارسی: «آخرین پرونده ی پوارو» با برگردان: بانو «ثریا قیصری»، و با عنوان: «پوارو از صحنه خارج میشود» با برگردان آقای «بیژن خرسند»، و نیز، با عنوان: «پرده»، با برگردان بانو «رویا سعیدی»؛ و با عنوان: «غروب استایلز»؛ با ترجمه: آقای «بهرام افراسیانی»؛ در تهران، نشر راد، سال1372، در278ص؛ و در سال1392، در تهران، مهرفام، در325ص، با شابک9789649915357؛ نیز، به زیور چاپ آراسته شده است
عنوان: پرده، مترجم: رویا سعیدی، نشر: تهران، کتابهای کارآگاه وابسته به انتشارات هرمس، سال1379، در265ص، شابک9789647100465؛ چاپ سوم سال1387؛ چاپ ششم سال1396؛ شابک9789647100465؛ چاپ هفتم سال1399؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده20م
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، مترجم: ثریا قیصری، نشر تهران، راستی نو، سال1377، در256ص، شابک9645611156؛
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، مترجم: مهدی والفی، تبریز، ساحل، سال1373، در271ص، شابک: ندارد؛
عنوان: پوآرو از صحنه خ��رج میشود، مترجم: بیژن خرسند، نشر تهران، انتشارات کتاب، سال1360، در216 ص، ، شابک: ندارد
عنوان: مرگ به سبک پوارو، مترجم: سید رضا حسینی، نشر تهران، لکلک، سال1372، در256ص.، ، شابک: ندارد
عنوان: غروب استایلز، ترجمه: بهرام افراسیابی، نشر تهران، راد، سال1372، در278ص، مصور، شابک ندارد
عنوان: پرده: آخرین پرونده پوارو؛ مترجم: فرشته شایان؛ تهران، ماهی، سال1399؛ در238ص؛ شابک9789642093670؛
عنوان: راز مرگ: آخرین ماجرای پوارو؛ مترجم منیژه رضائی زاده؛ تهران، پاسارگاد؛ سال1377؛ در294ص؛ شابک ایکس-964607863؛
چکیده داستان: «پوارو» در نامه ای از دوست و همراه همیشگی خویش «هستینگز» درخواست میکند، که در عمارت «استایلز» به او بپیوندد، عمارتی که حالا به عنوان یک هتل، از آن استفاده میشود، «پوارو» که بیمار و رنجور است، روی صندلی چرخدار مینشیند، و با قتلهایی مواجه است که طی آن، قاتلین همیشه به گناه خودشان اعتراف میکنند، و شخصی که مسبب اصلی قتلها بوده، به شیوه ای مرموز و شیطانی، نقش یک عامل را در جنایتها ایفا میکند، ولی او هرگز به دام نیفتاده است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 13/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Curtain, Written about 1940, published 1975, Agatha Christie (1891 – 1976).
Characters: Hercule Poirot, John Franklin, Barbara Franklin, Judith Hastings, Stephen Norton.
Abstract: The crime-fighting careers of Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have come full circle they are back once again in the rambling country house in which they solved their first murder together. Both Poirot and Great Styles have seen better days but, despite being crippled with arthritis, there is nothing wrong with the great detective and his “little gray cells.”
However, when Poirot brands one of the seemingly harmless guests a five-time murderer, some people have their doubts. But Poirot alone knows he must prevent a sixth murder before the curtain falls. . . .
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین پرونده پوآرو»؛ «پرده»؛ «پوآرو از صحنه خارج میشود»؛ «مرگ به سبک پوارو»؛ «غروب استایلز»؛ «راز مرگ: آخرین ماجرای پوارو»؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال1998میلادی و تاریخ خوانش این نسخه سال2000میلادی
این کتاب با عنوان فارسی: «آخرین پرونده ی پوارو» با برگردان: بانو «ثریا قیصری»، و با عنوان: «پوارو از صحنه خارج میشود» با برگردان آقای «بیژن خرسند»، و نیز، با عنوان: «پرده»، با برگردان بانو «رویا سعیدی»؛ و با عنوان: «غروب استایلز»؛ با ترجمه: آقای «بهرام افراسیانی»؛ در تهران، نشر راد، سال1372، در278ص؛ و در سال1392، در تهران، مهرفام، در325ص، با شابک9789649915357؛ نیز، به زیور چاپ آراسته شده است
عنوان: پرده، مترجم: رویا سعیدی، نشر: تهران، کتابهای کارآگاه وابسته به انتشارات هرمس، سال1379، در265ص، شابک9789647100465؛ چاپ سوم سال1387؛ چاپ ششم سال1396؛ شابک9789647100465؛ چاپ هفتم سال1399؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده20م
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، مترجم: ثریا قیصری، نشر تهران، راستی نو، سال1377، در256ص، شابک9645611156؛
عنوان: آخرین پرونده پوآرو، مترجم: مهدی والفی، تبریز، ساحل، سال1373، در271ص، شابک: ندارد؛
عنوان: پوآرو از صحنه خ��رج میشود، مترجم: بیژن خرسند، نشر تهران، انتشارات کتاب، سال1360، در216 ص، ، شابک: ندارد
عنوان: مرگ به سبک پوارو، مترجم: سید رضا حسینی، نشر تهران، لکلک، سال1372، در256ص.، ، شابک: ندارد
عنوان: غروب استایلز، ترجمه: بهرام افراسیابی، نشر تهران، راد، سال1372، در278ص، مصور، شابک ندارد
عنوان: پرده: آخرین پرونده پوارو؛ مترجم: فرشته شایان؛ تهران، ماهی، سال1399؛ در238ص؛ شابک9789642093670؛
عنوان: راز مرگ: آخرین ماجرای پوارو؛ مترجم منیژه رضائی زاده؛ تهران، پاسارگاد؛ سال1377؛ در294ص؛ شابک ایکس-964607863؛
چکیده داستان: «پوارو» در نامه ای از دوست و همراه همیشگی خویش «هستینگز» درخواست میکند، که در عمارت «استایلز» به او بپیوندد، عمارتی که حالا به عنوان یک هتل، از آن استفاده میشود، «پوارو» که بیمار و رنجور است، روی صندلی چرخدار مینشیند، و با قتلهایی مواجه است که طی آن، قاتلین همیشه به گناه خودشان اعتراف میکنند، و شخصی که مسبب اصلی قتلها بوده، به شیوه ای مرموز و شیطانی، نقش یک عامل را در جنایتها ایفا میکند، ولی او هرگز به دام نیفتاده است و ...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 01/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 13/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
May 22, 2022
It's with a heavy heart that I read this last novel in the Poirot series. I've been in companionship with him and solving mysteries alongside (not successfully all the time) for nearly two and a half years, so saying goodbye wasn't easy. And it was made all the more painful by the author's decision to end the series by ending the life journey of her favourite hero. In any case, it was a very sad parting. However, I'm happy that Agatha Christie has closed the curtain in style by giving us yet another great murder-mystery.
The setting is once again at the Styles where it all began many years ago, where we first met Poirot and Captain Arthur Hastings. Now, years later, both are back in Styles, Poirot in the last stages of life and Captain Hastings past his prime, to catch a criminal who is vicariously responsible for many past crimes and who may strike again and again if not stopped. Poirot being weighed down by ill health, it is Captain Hastings who must be his eyes and ears. As usual of course, Hastings muddles the matters :), but thanks to Poirot's unaffected brain, everything is satisfactorily resolved.
Agatha Christie creates a clever and original plot here to mark the end of Poirot's celebrated career. It is, to me, one of the best murder-mysteries of the series. Poirot is pitted against a dangerous and psychopathic criminal who commits crimes through others, being only vicariously liable for his horrific conduct, and as such, untouched by law. This is my first in a murder-mystery novel that I came across a criminal who indirectly instigates a crime, without whose manipulation the crime probably may never have been committed. Agatha Christie has given a lot of thought and consideration to this final story which I truly appreciate. After missing Hastings in the later novels, I was happy to have one last Poirot-Hastings combination, although we know how that combination works. :)
It was an interesting story. Even with the sad demise of Poirot, I enjoyed it. The very first novel in the series, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, is still my favourite, and Styles has a special affection for me because of that. Coming back there to end it all had a sentimental appeal. On the whole, Agatha Christie has done justice to her loyal Poirot fans, winding up the series with a grand finale such as this.
The setting is once again at the Styles where it all began many years ago, where we first met Poirot and Captain Arthur Hastings. Now, years later, both are back in Styles, Poirot in the last stages of life and Captain Hastings past his prime, to catch a criminal who is vicariously responsible for many past crimes and who may strike again and again if not stopped. Poirot being weighed down by ill health, it is Captain Hastings who must be his eyes and ears. As usual of course, Hastings muddles the matters :), but thanks to Poirot's unaffected brain, everything is satisfactorily resolved.
Agatha Christie creates a clever and original plot here to mark the end of Poirot's celebrated career. It is, to me, one of the best murder-mysteries of the series. Poirot is pitted against a dangerous and psychopathic criminal who commits crimes through others, being only vicariously liable for his horrific conduct, and as such, untouched by law. This is my first in a murder-mystery novel that I came across a criminal who indirectly instigates a crime, without whose manipulation the crime probably may never have been committed. Agatha Christie has given a lot of thought and consideration to this final story which I truly appreciate. After missing Hastings in the later novels, I was happy to have one last Poirot-Hastings combination, although we know how that combination works. :)
It was an interesting story. Even with the sad demise of Poirot, I enjoyed it. The very first novel in the series, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, is still my favourite, and Styles has a special affection for me because of that. Coming back there to end it all had a sentimental appeal. On the whole, Agatha Christie has done justice to her loyal Poirot fans, winding up the series with a grand finale such as this.
May 23, 2017
Rating: The Full Five
When this novel came out in 1975, my older sister was a bookshop owner and gave me and our mother a copy to savor. None of the three of us were particular Christie nuts. My sister felt that Dame Ags played gawd with the clues a bit too much...my mother found Poirot insufferably smug. I read the book without discrimination or comprehension, and moved on to other things I liked better. I believe that was the year I read Stand on Zanzibar, but am not positive.
Now that I'm the age my mother was when she read the book, I see something more interesting to old-man me than ever would have occurred to teenaged me. This ending for Poirot's career was written during the Blitz, a time when anyone at all could die without warning, because Dame Agatha thought her fans deserved an ending to their character's life that would give completeness and finality to an important part of a series-book reader's life. How very thoughtful that is. How aware Dame Agatha was of her creation's place in the emotional lives of her fans.
And to her most ardent partisans, those who bristle at the probable cause of the evident diminution of her writing prowess due to dementia, I can only say: Read this book, and then read the last book she wrote, Elephants Can Remember, which I've reviewed unfavorably elsewhere. The difference is stark and deeply saddening.
The 2013 television adaptation is stellar and gets, on its own merits, a five-star review. David Suchet so completely became Poirot that I can only hope someone somewhere possesses both the power and the will to derail the 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express perpetrated by Kenneth Branagh for no good or even comprehensible reason before its scheduled release on 10 November 2017. Why not choose 11/11/17 at 11:11am? Armistice Day might, in the eyes of Kalliope, excuse or at least obscure Branagh's hubris in making this unneeded and unwelcome film.
Not that I have a strong opinion, you understand. I merely comment upon the passing scene, comme d'habitude.
When this novel came out in 1975, my older sister was a bookshop owner and gave me and our mother a copy to savor. None of the three of us were particular Christie nuts. My sister felt that Dame Ags played gawd with the clues a bit too much...my mother found Poirot insufferably smug. I read the book without discrimination or comprehension, and moved on to other things I liked better. I believe that was the year I read Stand on Zanzibar, but am not positive.
Now that I'm the age my mother was when she read the book, I see something more interesting to old-man me than ever would have occurred to teenaged me. This ending for Poirot's career was written during the Blitz, a time when anyone at all could die without warning, because Dame Agatha thought her fans deserved an ending to their character's life that would give completeness and finality to an important part of a series-book reader's life. How very thoughtful that is. How aware Dame Agatha was of her creation's place in the emotional lives of her fans.
And to her most ardent partisans, those who bristle at the probable cause of the evident diminution of her writing prowess due to dementia, I can only say: Read this book, and then read the last book she wrote, Elephants Can Remember, which I've reviewed unfavorably elsewhere. The difference is stark and deeply saddening.
The 2013 television adaptation is stellar and gets, on its own merits, a five-star review. David Suchet so completely became Poirot that I can only hope someone somewhere possesses both the power and the will to derail the 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express perpetrated by Kenneth Branagh for no good or even comprehensible reason before its scheduled release on 10 November 2017. Why not choose 11/11/17 at 11:11am? Armistice Day might, in the eyes of Kalliope, excuse or at least obscure Branagh's hubris in making this unneeded and unwelcome film.
Not that I have a strong opinion, you understand. I merely comment upon the passing scene, comme d'habitude.
February 18, 2021
Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case! (So since major things happen in this book, don't 1) read this is as your first book first, and 2) try to reading spoilerish reviews like this one. But read a few others from the series, then read this one, for sure.
“Nothing is so sad, in my opinion, as the devastation wrought by age”—Hastings, on Poirot
I’m done, whew, having read all of 38 Christie Poirot novels (and a couple short story collections) in order of publication, over the past 2-3 years. I’ll listen again to And Then There Were None and will not read Christie again for awhile, I am sure.
Christie, fearing for her life during WWII, wrote the last Poirot and Marple books in the early forties, and sealed them in a vault until just a couple years before her death, intending them to be the last novels, the last word, for her respective detective heroes. She much preferred Marple to Poirot, who in the sixties she had truly grown tired of, calling him "an egocentric creep". However, unlike Conan Doyle, Christie resisted the temptation to kill her detective off while he was still popular. She saw herself as an entertainer whose job was to produce what the public liked, and the public liked Poirot.
Christie made a mistake in 1920 in introducing her Belgian detective as already retired, and then writing him as a main character for fifty more years!! So are we to surmise he retired at 40? 21?! Poirot returns to Styles in this one, where the first Poirot novel is set, written in 1920 when Christie was 30. Curtain was published in 1975, less than a year before she died, at 85, in 1976!! 55 years of writing Poirot!! Poor (and very rich, especially for an author) woman! Good for her and us, though, on the whole, as she emerged as the best selling author of all time.
And no matter how old he is, we need our main man with the marvelous moustaches to be in full possession of his “little gray cells” right up until the end. Is this realistic? Well, either way he seems undiminished in speech and cognition without fail. The erosion of memory is a theme in this and many of the last books for the eighty-something Christie, but not for Poirot! He solves the crime, as always, though it is complicated and interesting how it happens and how it is revealed; I can’t exactly say how without spoilers.
This book also features the return from the early Poirot-books Captain Hastings, a buffoon who again tells the story, clueless every step of the way.
Keyholes figure in, amusingly.
Since Curtain is the title, Christie frames her last book in terms of her major love, theater, and performance, and disguises. We even discover Poirot has been disguising himself for years, in a way. And Othello’s Iago figures in, so Shakespeare is her darling right to the end for inspiration.
This may not be one of the very best of Christie's books, but it is clever, with better writing than we have seen for many years from Christie (because she wrote it in the forties!). She also doesn’t bother to pull it from the vault to revise it for continuity, grr. For instance, the supposedly older Poirot here has more problems with colloquial English than he has had in decades, consistent with a forties Poirot, not a seventies Poirot. But overall, it was good to bring back Hastings, and to end as we began, in Styles. And the killer—a serial killer—and how he kills, is original and interesting. It is a very good book in the Christie canon and because of the nature of the killer and because of the series of Big Surprises in the plot, I am going to bump it from 4.5 to 5 stars.
A SPOILER ALERT about something very sweet that had never before happened, hidden in this link to the historically stuffy The New York Times, 6 August 1975, following the publication of Curtain:
http://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/06/arc...
My five star Poirots:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Peril at End House
Murder on the Orient Express
Curtain
My four star Poirots:
Lord Edgeware Dies
Three Act Tragedy
The A.B.C. Murders
Murder in Mesopotamia
Cards on the Table
Death on the Nile
Sad Cypress
Evil Under the Sun
Five Little Pig
The Hollow
After the Funeral
“Nothing is so sad, in my opinion, as the devastation wrought by age”—Hastings, on Poirot
I’m done, whew, having read all of 38 Christie Poirot novels (and a couple short story collections) in order of publication, over the past 2-3 years. I’ll listen again to And Then There Were None and will not read Christie again for awhile, I am sure.
Christie, fearing for her life during WWII, wrote the last Poirot and Marple books in the early forties, and sealed them in a vault until just a couple years before her death, intending them to be the last novels, the last word, for her respective detective heroes. She much preferred Marple to Poirot, who in the sixties she had truly grown tired of, calling him "an egocentric creep". However, unlike Conan Doyle, Christie resisted the temptation to kill her detective off while he was still popular. She saw herself as an entertainer whose job was to produce what the public liked, and the public liked Poirot.
Christie made a mistake in 1920 in introducing her Belgian detective as already retired, and then writing him as a main character for fifty more years!! So are we to surmise he retired at 40? 21?! Poirot returns to Styles in this one, where the first Poirot novel is set, written in 1920 when Christie was 30. Curtain was published in 1975, less than a year before she died, at 85, in 1976!! 55 years of writing Poirot!! Poor (and very rich, especially for an author) woman! Good for her and us, though, on the whole, as she emerged as the best selling author of all time.
And no matter how old he is, we need our main man with the marvelous moustaches to be in full possession of his “little gray cells” right up until the end. Is this realistic? Well, either way he seems undiminished in speech and cognition without fail. The erosion of memory is a theme in this and many of the last books for the eighty-something Christie, but not for Poirot! He solves the crime, as always, though it is complicated and interesting how it happens and how it is revealed; I can’t exactly say how without spoilers.
This book also features the return from the early Poirot-books Captain Hastings, a buffoon who again tells the story, clueless every step of the way.
Keyholes figure in, amusingly.
Since Curtain is the title, Christie frames her last book in terms of her major love, theater, and performance, and disguises. We even discover Poirot has been disguising himself for years, in a way. And Othello’s Iago figures in, so Shakespeare is her darling right to the end for inspiration.
This may not be one of the very best of Christie's books, but it is clever, with better writing than we have seen for many years from Christie (because she wrote it in the forties!). She also doesn’t bother to pull it from the vault to revise it for continuity, grr. For instance, the supposedly older Poirot here has more problems with colloquial English than he has had in decades, consistent with a forties Poirot, not a seventies Poirot. But overall, it was good to bring back Hastings, and to end as we began, in Styles. And the killer—a serial killer—and how he kills, is original and interesting. It is a very good book in the Christie canon and because of the nature of the killer and because of the series of Big Surprises in the plot, I am going to bump it from 4.5 to 5 stars.
A SPOILER ALERT about something very sweet that had never before happened, hidden in this link to the historically stuffy The New York Times, 6 August 1975, following the publication of Curtain:
http://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/06/arc...
My five star Poirots:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Peril at End House
Murder on the Orient Express
Curtain
My four star Poirots:
Lord Edgeware Dies
Three Act Tragedy
The A.B.C. Murders
Murder in Mesopotamia
Cards on the Table
Death on the Nile
Sad Cypress
Evil Under the Sun
Five Little Pig
The Hollow
After the Funeral
February 21, 2023
Top notch mystery by Christie, Curtain, is rather sad because Poirot is sick and near death but returns to Styles where his work in England began. Styles is a once lovely, English estate in which Poirot and his friend Hastings convalesced after the war and became great friends. The murder of the elderly lady of the house was soon solved by the Belgian sleuth.
Now, another murder is imminent and Poirot knows the murderer, but not who is to be murdered. Hastings is such a clueless, dunderhead I don't know how he survived in daily life. Poor Poirot has to spoon-feed him every clue, and Hastings knows nothing about people or what motivates them. It must be very frustrating for Poirot to have such a goodhearted, but idiotic friend.
Now, another murder is imminent and Poirot knows the murderer, but not who is to be murdered. Hastings is such a clueless, dunderhead I don't know how he survived in daily life. Poor Poirot has to spoon-feed him every clue, and Hastings knows nothing about people or what motivates them. It must be very frustrating for Poirot to have such a goodhearted, but idiotic friend.
December 9, 2010
You Chose Your Own Adventure!
You are the killer: you kill yourself. You deserve it. Or do you? Are you the hero or the villain? But what does it matter; in the end, death comes to us all. Your adventure is over.
If you decide to reject your notorious life and start anew, choose
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
You are the killer: you kill yourself. You deserve it. Or do you? Are you the hero or the villain? But what does it matter; in the end, death comes to us all. Your adventure is over.
If you decide to reject your notorious life and start anew, choose
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
January 8, 2022
Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge
BOOK 14 :- JAN 2020
4 STARS
BOOK 14 :- JAN 2020
4 STARS
September 1, 2015
Agatha Christie's swan song for her most famous character, Hercule Poirot, fittingly returns him and and his friend Arthur Hastings to the setting of her very first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Aside from the fact that it's Poirot's final case, a rather unusual twist and the recurring Othello theme make this one of Christie's more memorable works, if rather melancholy.
It was interesting to find out that Christie originally wrote this novel during World War II, possibly fearing that she might not survive the war and wanting to give Poirot an appropriate send-off. Then she put Curtain in a bank vault for over 30 years, finally publishing it in 1975. It was her last published book before she died.
Au revoir, Agatha and Hercule.
It was interesting to find out that Christie originally wrote this novel during World War II, possibly fearing that she might not survive the war and wanting to give Poirot an appropriate send-off. Then she put Curtain in a bank vault for over 30 years, finally publishing it in 1975. It was her last published book before she died.
Au revoir, Agatha and Hercule.
September 18, 2016
"For a murderer, my friend, is more conceited than any creature on this earth. A murderer is always more clever than anyone else- no one will ever suspect him or her- the police will be utterly baffled"
The above quote is a perfect way to describe this mystery.
I have been wanting to read this for some time now and what better day than Christie's birthday.
I have now read numerous mysteries by Christie but there is no pattern (apart from a cozy setting)
Each and every mystery, murder suspects, the end is unique and it baffles me as generally when you read many books by one author some things do become predictable.
The only thing I have learnt after reading Agatha Christie books is that expect the unexpected and still you won't guess how shocking the unexpected can be!
This is the last in the series of Poirot mysteries and I would recommend to read the first of this series- The Mysterious Affair at Styles before this as both the mysteries take place at Styles and there is a spoiler to the first book in this story.
"And suddenly from nowhere, a vague feeling of uneasiness and disquiet assailed me. It was not safe- it was not right- to plan happiness here. There was something malignant about the air of Styles"
Poirot and Hastings come together in this last case together to catch X who is clever and sadistic as any murderer can be. There is a mix of lovely characters who make you trust them but doubt them at the same time.
"Everyone is a potential murderer- in everyone there arises from time to time the wish to kill- though not the will to kill"
The ending is soo ingenious but soo complicated, I just had to sit back and digest it all
There is no way I could have guessed this. Did you?
The above quote is a perfect way to describe this mystery.
I have been wanting to read this for some time now and what better day than Christie's birthday.
I have now read numerous mysteries by Christie but there is no pattern (apart from a cozy setting)
Each and every mystery, murder suspects, the end is unique and it baffles me as generally when you read many books by one author some things do become predictable.
The only thing I have learnt after reading Agatha Christie books is that expect the unexpected and still you won't guess how shocking the unexpected can be!
This is the last in the series of Poirot mysteries and I would recommend to read the first of this series- The Mysterious Affair at Styles before this as both the mysteries take place at Styles and there is a spoiler to the first book in this story.
"And suddenly from nowhere, a vague feeling of uneasiness and disquiet assailed me. It was not safe- it was not right- to plan happiness here. There was something malignant about the air of Styles"
Poirot and Hastings come together in this last case together to catch X who is clever and sadistic as any murderer can be. There is a mix of lovely characters who make you trust them but doubt them at the same time.
"Everyone is a potential murderer- in everyone there arises from time to time the wish to kill- though not the will to kill"
The ending is soo ingenious but soo complicated, I just had to sit back and digest it all
There is no way I could have guessed this. Did you?
July 14, 2018
پرده که آخرین پروندهی پوآرو بود از زبان مردی به نام هستینگز روایت میشه که دوست قدیمی پوآرو به حساب میاد. افرادی تو یک مهمانخانه جمع شدند و ادامهی ماجرا...
داستان با وجود تعدد شخصیتها، شخصیتپردازی خیلی خوبی داره و به مرور با همهشون آشنا میشیم و آخر کتاب همهشون رو میشناسیم.
روند داستان در طول کل کتاب جاذبهی خودش رو حفظ کرد و جایی نبود که احساس کنم خسته شدم یا حوصلهم سر رفته و تقریبا اگر بخوایم محدودیتهای زمانی خودم رو فاکتور بگیریم، یک نفس خوندمش.
به طور کلی بعد از مدتها یک کتاب معمایی جنایی کاملا جذاب خوندم که تا انتها هیچ چیزی قابل پیشبینی نبود و حتی حدسام با اینکه به واقعیت ماجرا مربوط بود یه جورایی پیش پا افتاده به نظر رسید!
----------------------
یادگاری از کتاب:
وقتی انسان در وضعیتی قرار میگیرد که قبلا هم آن را تجربه کرده است، همان احساسی در ایجاد میشود که در گذشته دستخوش آن بوده است؛ گویی آن وضعیت و آن احساس با رشتهای ناگسستنی به هم گره خوردهاند.
...
میخواهیم آنطور که دلمان میخواهد زندگی کنیم، ولی هیچوقت نمیخواهیم دیگران هم مثل ما زندگی کنند.
...
آدم تنها که باشد راحتتر است.
...
نمیدانید چقدر ناراحتکننده است که آدم همیشه از دیگران بخواهد کارهایش را انجام بدهند.
...
گلهای ظریف و زیبا باید در گلخانه قرار داده شوند و تحت مراقبت قرار گیرند؛ چون بادهای سرد و هوای نامساعد از بینشان میبرد. اما علفهای هرز در همه جا میرویند و هر هوایی را تحمل میکنند و این دلیل نمیشود که ارزش آنها صرفا به خاطر این خصوصیت بیشتر باشد.
...
تاریکترین شب چون به فردا برسد گذشته است و جایش را روشنایی گرفته.
...
مردم کمتر قدر حقیقت را میدانند. در صورتی که اگر آدم حقیقت را بگوید، در وقت واقعا صرفهجویی میکند و خیلی حرفهای بیربط اصلا لازم نیست گفته شود.
...
کمال مطلوب هر کس خاص خود اوست.
داستان با وجود تعدد شخصیتها، شخصیتپردازی خیلی خوبی داره و به مرور با همهشون آشنا میشیم و آخر کتاب همهشون رو میشناسیم.
روند داستان در طول کل کتاب جاذبهی خودش رو حفظ کرد و جایی نبود که احساس کنم خسته شدم یا حوصلهم سر رفته و تقریبا اگر بخوایم محدودیتهای زمانی خودم رو فاکتور بگیریم، یک نفس خوندمش.
به طور کلی بعد از مدتها یک کتاب معمایی جنایی کاملا جذاب خوندم که تا انتها هیچ چیزی قابل پیشبینی نبود و حتی حدسام با اینکه به واقعیت ماجرا مربوط بود یه جورایی پیش پا افتاده به نظر رسید!
----------------------
یادگاری از کتاب:
وقتی انسان در وضعیتی قرار میگیرد که قبلا هم آن را تجربه کرده است، همان احساسی در ایجاد میشود که در گذشته دستخوش آن بوده است؛ گویی آن وضعیت و آن احساس با رشتهای ناگسستنی به هم گره خوردهاند.
...
میخواهیم آنطور که دلمان میخواهد زندگی کنیم، ولی هیچوقت نمیخواهیم دیگران هم مثل ما زندگی کنند.
...
آدم تنها که باشد راحتتر است.
...
نمیدانید چقدر ناراحتکننده است که آدم همیشه از دیگران بخواهد کارهایش را انجام بدهند.
...
گلهای ظریف و زیبا باید در گلخانه قرار داده شوند و تحت مراقبت قرار گیرند؛ چون بادهای سرد و هوای نامساعد از بینشان میبرد. اما علفهای هرز در همه جا میرویند و هر هوایی را تحمل میکنند و این دلیل نمیشود که ارزش آنها صرفا به خاطر این خصوصیت بیشتر باشد.
...
تاریکترین شب چون به فردا برسد گذشته است و جایش را روشنایی گرفته.
...
مردم کمتر قدر حقیقت را میدانند. در صورتی که اگر آدم حقیقت را بگوید، در وقت واقعا صرفهجویی میکند و خیلی حرفهای بیربط اصلا لازم نیست گفته شود.
...
کمال مطلوب هر کس خاص خود اوست.
May 12, 2020
I admit it, I teared up at the end; I don't ever want there to be a final Poirot novel. However, two things comforted me: one is that this was not actually the last novel Dame Agatha wrote about Poirot, not by a long shot. Since Elephants Can Remember is largely regarded as a weak later effort, I think of Hallowe'en Party as the last excellent novel written about Poirot. Curtain was written somewhere around WWII most likely, and put away to be released decades later as Agatha neared the end of her long career. So it is always possible to read the novels in chronological order and pretend that Poirot is back for all his many post-WWII cases, rather like Sherlock Holmes' return from "The Final Problem".
But the biggest comfort is that this truly excellent novel could not have been written without
There are many satisfying elements in this novel to console the bereaved reader. There is the perfect symmetry of having Poirot's English career end where it began, at Styles Court (and many other, more minor symmetries along the way). There is the character development of Hastings, shown here as far more complex that one usually credits him as being, and given hope of a happy ending and a new romance thoughtfully provided by Poirot! There is the delightful surprise that,
Curtain is supremely clever and confident, one of Dame Agatha's tours de force. I am glad, though, that she never I really don't think I could handle that.
But the biggest comfort is that this truly excellent novel could not have been written without
There are many satisfying elements in this novel to console the bereaved reader. There is the perfect symmetry of having Poirot's English career end where it began, at Styles Court (and many other, more minor symmetries along the way). There is the character development of Hastings, shown here as far more complex that one usually credits him as being, and given hope of a happy ending and a new romance thoughtfully provided by Poirot! There is the delightful surprise that,
Curtain is supremely clever and confident, one of Dame Agatha's tours de force. I am glad, though, that she never I really don't think I could handle that.
August 23, 2022
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Poirot! I was in an emotional rollercoaster after I finished reading this one! Not going to get into details, but, what a treat there is ahead of you! 🔥
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Poirot! I was in an emotional rollercoaster after I finished reading this one! Not going to get into details, but, what a treat there is ahead of you! 🔥
February 26, 2021
What does one think when a read of 3 years comes to an end. It has been an enjoyable 3 years, and although I had read some of the books, some were certainly new to me and were an enjoyable revelation.
This was no exception, yes I have seen the David Suchet tv episode, but I do not remember reading this novel despite owning the book for many years. Firstly I have to say I found it very moving as well as being a great detective story. Both Hastings and Poirot were the epitome of Hastings- ness and Poirot-ness, and this made the book so enjoyable.
Returning to Styles where they first met, on the orders of Poirot, Hastings finds it is now a hotel of sorts, and Poirot is a long term guest. Now confined to a wheelchair, Poirot appears very frail, and Hastings wonders at times if his little grey cells are in decline along with his body. Poirot puts forward an hypothesis that a mysterious Mr X has committed indirectly many murders and is one of the guests in Styles, and that a murder will be committed. Unable to move about because of his infirmities, Poirot enlists Hastings to be his eyes and ears, and to relay all events and conversations.
To add a touch of spice to the mix, Hastings youngest daughter is also staying there whilst she pursues her scientific career as a Doctor's assistant. Hastings ever the true English gent (oh why are there so few left now ?) always thinks the best of people, struggles to see through the outward appearance of his fellow guests and as a father is so caring and solicitous of his daughter, that she pushes against his stifling love.
Events move towards a climax, various accidents occur followed by murder and then the unthinkable saddest of all things happens. I must admit that reading certain passages brought a tear to my eyes, but for all the sadness there was also a final demonstration albeit posthumously of Poirot's abilities.
This was no exception, yes I have seen the David Suchet tv episode, but I do not remember reading this novel despite owning the book for many years. Firstly I have to say I found it very moving as well as being a great detective story. Both Hastings and Poirot were the epitome of Hastings- ness and Poirot-ness, and this made the book so enjoyable.
Returning to Styles where they first met, on the orders of Poirot, Hastings finds it is now a hotel of sorts, and Poirot is a long term guest. Now confined to a wheelchair, Poirot appears very frail, and Hastings wonders at times if his little grey cells are in decline along with his body. Poirot puts forward an hypothesis that a mysterious Mr X has committed indirectly many murders and is one of the guests in Styles, and that a murder will be committed. Unable to move about because of his infirmities, Poirot enlists Hastings to be his eyes and ears, and to relay all events and conversations.
To add a touch of spice to the mix, Hastings youngest daughter is also staying there whilst she pursues her scientific career as a Doctor's assistant. Hastings ever the true English gent (oh why are there so few left now ?) always thinks the best of people, struggles to see through the outward appearance of his fellow guests and as a father is so caring and solicitous of his daughter, that she pushes against his stifling love.
Events move towards a climax, various accidents occur followed by murder and then the unthinkable saddest of all things happens. I must admit that reading certain passages brought a tear to my eyes, but for all the sadness there was also a final demonstration albeit posthumously of Poirot's abilities.
August 17, 2022
Sconvolta. Devastata.
Poirot, tutto avrei immaginato, tranne questo.
Poirot, tutto avrei immaginato, tranne questo.
September 12, 2019
I am sad that I had to give 2 stars to an Agatha Christie book because I am a huge fan. I took this book with a lot of hope. This book is so famous I thought I will have a fantastic reading experience with it. I felt distraught after reading it.
The 2 stars are for the following:
The original idea of the story, a criminal who puts thoughts into people and make them commit crimes. It was brilliant. Totally awesome.
Secondly, the book portrays many kinds of people and their relationships. And I thought Christie was able to bring justice to that.
Things I hated about this book:
Characters: Apparently the only character I could like was that of the murderer.( sigh!) All the rest of them were totally unbearable. Couldn't stand anyone including Poirot. I couldn't accept their opinions. I hated Poirot for constantly mocking Hastings who is mind you his closest friend and has come to visit Poirot because he asked for him. Now if I were Hastings, I would have left Poirot to succumb to his ailments, the way he treated me. Its almost close to abuse. This is the book where I truly hated Poirot. Ok enough with this stuff.
Plot: Oh boy. Even though the story line and relationship between the characters are greatly written, the whole story is really stupid. Like Poirot must be held responsible for atleast one murder and another attempt at murder. He could have prevented that from happening. Instead of that he just sits back in his chair and relaxes, leaving poor clueless Hastings to figure out who the murderer is, from a bunch of obnoxious, dark people.
Conclusion: Equally terrible. Has any of the readers thought about the fact that if Poirot ( trying to avoid spoilers here, please bear with me) did what he did at the end of the story, at the beginning, everything would have been set right. Instead he waits idly so that Christie has a novel to write about!
Really! This is probably one of the few Christie novels in which I feel Christie was trying to mock at the intellect of the reader as well as that of Hastings! (Obviously).
The 2 stars are for the following:
The original idea of the story, a criminal who puts thoughts into people and make them commit crimes. It was brilliant. Totally awesome.
Secondly, the book portrays many kinds of people and their relationships. And I thought Christie was able to bring justice to that.
Things I hated about this book:
Characters: Apparently the only character I could like was that of the murderer.( sigh!) All the rest of them were totally unbearable. Couldn't stand anyone including Poirot. I couldn't accept their opinions. I hated Poirot for constantly mocking Hastings who is mind you his closest friend and has come to visit Poirot because he asked for him. Now if I were Hastings, I would have left Poirot to succumb to his ailments, the way he treated me. Its almost close to abuse. This is the book where I truly hated Poirot. Ok enough with this stuff.
Plot: Oh boy. Even though the story line and relationship between the characters are greatly written, the whole story is really stupid. Like Poirot must be held responsible for atleast one murder and another attempt at murder. He could have prevented that from happening. Instead of that he just sits back in his chair and relaxes, leaving poor clueless Hastings to figure out who the murderer is, from a bunch of obnoxious, dark people.
Conclusion: Equally terrible. Has any of the readers thought about the fact that if Poirot ( trying to avoid spoilers here, please bear with me) did what he did at the end of the story, at the beginning, everything would have been set right. Instead he waits idly so that Christie has a novel to write about!
Really! This is probably one of the few Christie novels in which I feel Christie was trying to mock at the intellect of the reader as well as that of Hastings! (Obviously).
January 1, 2019
Outstanding. Better than the first time that I read it.
March 7, 2019
3.5*
brace 2019 βιβλίο που συνδυάζει 2 κατηγορίες: εκδόθηκε μετά το θάνατο της συγγραφέως (σύμφωνα με την επιθυμία της) και ανήκει στα νουάρ
νοσταλγικό και πιο πολύ αφηγηματικό, μου έλειψε ο Πουαρώ, ήταν αφιερωμένο στον Χέιστινγκς
brace 2019 βιβλίο που συνδυάζει 2 κατηγορίες: εκδόθηκε μετά το θάνατο της συγγραφέως (σύμφωνα με την επιθυμία της) και ανήκει στα νουάρ
νοσταλγικό και πιο πολύ αφηγηματικό, μου έλειψε ο Πουαρώ, ήταν αφιερωμένο στον Χέιστινγκς
July 26, 2020
خب آخرین پرونده پوآرو هم تموم شد و باید بگم انصافا پرونده جالب و متفاوتی بود
ولی
با احترام به نظر همه اونایی که این داستان رو بهترین کار کریستی میدونن باید بگم به نظرم با اینکه واقعا جز بهترین ها بود ولی کریستی بهتر ازاینم داشته و یک ستاره ازش کم میکنم
در هر حال یکی از پلن های زندگیم اینجا تموم شد
از اولین روزی که با هرکول پوآرو آشنا شدم که یادم نمیاد دقیقا کی و کجا بوده تا این لحظه که دارم ریویوی آخرین کتابش رو مینویسم همیشه دوست داشتم تمام کتابهاش رو بخونم
ممنون از چالش های فوق العاده ای که به ذهنم دادی
از اون لحظاتی که کتاب رو میبستم و ده بیست دقیقه فکر میکردم که خب بالاخره قاتل کی میتونه باشه؟
و اون لحظه روشن شدن حقیقت که هر دفعه غافلگیرم میکرد
سفر هیجان انگیزی بود
ولی
با احترام به نظر همه اونایی که این داستان رو بهترین کار کریستی میدونن باید بگم به نظرم با اینکه واقعا جز بهترین ها بود ولی کریستی بهتر ازاینم داشته و یک ستاره ازش کم میکنم
در هر حال یکی از پلن های زندگیم اینجا تموم شد
از اولین روزی که با هرکول پوآرو آشنا شدم که یادم نمیاد دقیقا کی و کجا بوده تا این لحظه که دارم ریویوی آخرین کتابش رو مینویسم همیشه دوست داشتم تمام کتابهاش رو بخونم
ممنون از چالش های فوق العاده ای که به ذهنم دادی
از اون لحظاتی که کتاب رو میبستم و ده بیست دقیقه فکر میکردم که خب بالاخره قاتل کی میتونه باشه؟
و اون لحظه روشن شدن حقیقت که هر دفعه غافلگیرم میکرد
سفر هیجان انگیزی بود
May 14, 2019
A masterpiece for finishing the series. Although I haven't read all the books, only 5-6. I read what I had in hand.
A really good crime plot. I guessed some parts about the story, but not the parts of murderer.
Thought I grew out of classical crime fiction after school, but no. The impression was as good as it was about 15 years ago. Maybe it's time I reread Sherlock Holmes?
A really good crime plot. I guessed some parts about the story, but not the parts of murderer.
Thought I grew out of classical crime fiction after school, but no. The impression was as good as it was about 15 years ago. Maybe it's time I reread Sherlock Holmes?
September 20, 2016
Retko kojom kljigom sam toliko oduševljena da pamtim većinu detalja bez obzira na to što je pročitana pre više godina. Jednostavno, priča je toliko genijalna i fantastična.
Herkul Poaro i kapetan Artur Hejstings se vraćaju u Stajls kako bi uhvatili ubicu kojeg je Poaro opisao kao savršenog. Hejstings biva upoznat sa nizom dokumenata o slučajevima u kojima je razjašnjeno ko je počinilac jer su se oni sami predali policiji i suočili se sa suđenjem, poput devojke koja je ubila nasilnog oca koji je godinama zlostavljao nju i njenu sestru. Zbunjen, Hejstings po prvi put čuje da je Poaro ušao u trag osobi X koja je umešana u sva ubistva iz pomenutih dokumenata, ali ono što razdražuje Hejstingsa je činjenica da Poaro ne samo da zna ko je tačno X, već je on sa njima, u Stajlsu, i sprema se na novo ubistvo, a Poaro ne želi da podeli sa njim identitet ubice. Ubrzo čudne stvari počinju da se dešavaju, a rasplet je potpuno neočekivan.
Herkul Poaro i kapetan Artur Hejstings se vraćaju u Stajls kako bi uhvatili ubicu kojeg je Poaro opisao kao savršenog. Hejstings biva upoznat sa nizom dokumenata o slučajevima u kojima je razjašnjeno ko je počinilac jer su se oni sami predali policiji i suočili se sa suđenjem, poput devojke koja je ubila nasilnog oca koji je godinama zlostavljao nju i njenu sestru. Zbunjen, Hejstings po prvi put čuje da je Poaro ušao u trag osobi X koja je umešana u sva ubistva iz pomenutih dokumenata, ali ono što razdražuje Hejstingsa je činjenica da Poaro ne samo da zna ko je tačno X, već je on sa njima, u Stajlsu, i sprema se na novo ubistvo, a Poaro ne želi da podeli sa njim identitet ubice. Ubrzo čudne stvari počinju da se dešavaju, a rasplet je potpuno neočekivan.
December 8, 2022
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4.5 stars
Curtain bids a bittersweet farewell to the one and only Hercule Poirot. While I know that by this point Agatha Christie feelings towards him were less than amicable, her novel doesn't convey its creators impatience. Rather than hurrying Poirot off from the stage, Christie grants him one final performance.
I will admit that seeing the formidable Poirot altered in such a visible way did indeed affect me. Still, in spite of his physical appearance, his mind remains as sharp as ever and he is, as per usual, always a mile ahead of his naïve friend Hastings (who is yet again played like a fiddle). Surprisingly Hastings was not as irritating as he could usually be, and while his younger self was more of a stick-in-the-mud kind of chap (at times acting like little more than disgruntled child), this older Hastings seems far more genial. Hastings' feelings mirrored my own ones: being at Styles again brings about a bout of nostalgia, and his reunion with Poirot reveals that underneath his somewhat priggish British exterior, lies a deep affection for his Belgian friend.
Their banter was as amusing as ever, especially in those occasions when Poirot teases Hastings about his partiality for redheads.
While many of Christie's murderers are often motived by financial gain, in Curtain our 'X' is driven by much more fiendish impulses. Suspecting this, Poirot is forced to act fast. Sadly, his failing health does seem to disrupt his investigation so much so that Poirot finds himself seeking once again Hastings' assistance.
The group of people residing in Styles offer us with interesting little portraits of human nature: a domineering spouse, an ambitious doctor, a womaniser...some of these have indeed in some form or other in previous works by Christie but that doesn't make them any less interesting. Christie, as per usual, demonstrates that she is perfectly attuned to capture certain personalities—their attitudes, moral and political standpoints, as well as their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses—and the way in which they talk—through different word choices, expressions, and turns of phrases—so that each character leaves a vivid impression in the readers' mind.
Christie's own nostalgia is apparent in this novel, and Hastings, similarly to his creator, perceives the changes in his world with an uneasy acceptance. There are quite a few works by Christie that express uncertainty over the modernisation and rapidly changing social norms of her country, and these feelings particularly suited the story of Curtain as much of it seems to be a dialogue between the various cases that have shaped Poirot's career.
The mystery was skillfully executed, and I enjoyed reading of the way in which seemingly small events and exchanges seemed to alienate the characters from one another. The reveal was both clever and effective, bringing light to the whole affair.
I thoroughly recommend this one to fans of Poirot. Sad as it may be, it demonstrates Christie's greatest strengths (wit, murder, drama). And while the novel might be presenting us with Poirot's final case, I am eager to be reunited with him in his early adventures...
4.5 stars
“Who is there who has not felt a sudden startled pang at reliving an old experience, or feeling an old emotion?”
Curtain bids a bittersweet farewell to the one and only Hercule Poirot. While I know that by this point Agatha Christie feelings towards him were less than amicable, her novel doesn't convey its creators impatience. Rather than hurrying Poirot off from the stage, Christie grants him one final performance.
I will admit that seeing the formidable Poirot altered in such a visible way did indeed affect me. Still, in spite of his physical appearance, his mind remains as sharp as ever and he is, as per usual, always a mile ahead of his naïve friend Hastings (who is yet again played like a fiddle). Surprisingly Hastings was not as irritating as he could usually be, and while his younger self was more of a stick-in-the-mud kind of chap (at times acting like little more than disgruntled child), this older Hastings seems far more genial. Hastings' feelings mirrored my own ones: being at Styles again brings about a bout of nostalgia, and his reunion with Poirot reveals that underneath his somewhat priggish British exterior, lies a deep affection for his Belgian friend.
Their banter was as amusing as ever, especially in those occasions when Poirot teases Hastings about his partiality for redheads.
While many of Christie's murderers are often motived by financial gain, in Curtain our 'X' is driven by much more fiendish impulses. Suspecting this, Poirot is forced to act fast. Sadly, his failing health does seem to disrupt his investigation so much so that Poirot finds himself seeking once again Hastings' assistance.
The group of people residing in Styles offer us with interesting little portraits of human nature: a domineering spouse, an ambitious doctor, a womaniser...some of these have indeed in some form or other in previous works by Christie but that doesn't make them any less interesting. Christie, as per usual, demonstrates that she is perfectly attuned to capture certain personalities—their attitudes, moral and political standpoints, as well as their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses—and the way in which they talk—through different word choices, expressions, and turns of phrases—so that each character leaves a vivid impression in the readers' mind.
“As my taxi passed through the village, though, I realised the passage of years. Styles St Mary was altered out of all recognition. Petrol stations, a cinema, two more inns and rows of council houses.”
Christie's own nostalgia is apparent in this novel, and Hastings, similarly to his creator, perceives the changes in his world with an uneasy acceptance. There are quite a few works by Christie that express uncertainty over the modernisation and rapidly changing social norms of her country, and these feelings particularly suited the story of Curtain as much of it seems to be a dialogue between the various cases that have shaped Poirot's career.
The mystery was skillfully executed, and I enjoyed reading of the way in which seemingly small events and exchanges seemed to alienate the characters from one another. The reveal was both clever and effective, bringing light to the whole affair.
I thoroughly recommend this one to fans of Poirot. Sad as it may be, it demonstrates Christie's greatest strengths (wit, murder, drama). And while the novel might be presenting us with Poirot's final case, I am eager to be reunited with him in his early adventures...
February 23, 2016
It would be wrong to say I loved this book (despite the 5 stars)... I hated it. I love Poirot so much that I couldn't bear to see him pass beyond the veil.
That said, I consider this one a fantastic mystery - and one which could be resolved only this way, with the death of the detective (read the book, and you'll get what I mean). Many people have complained that the premise is far-fetched, but IMO, that is its main charm. And let me tell you, it's not all that impossible...
BTW, Christie had written this long back and kept it with her lawyer with instructions to publish it only after her death. Poirot got an official obituary in the paper once this book was published.
That said, I consider this one a fantastic mystery - and one which could be resolved only this way, with the death of the detective (read the book, and you'll get what I mean). Many people have complained that the premise is far-fetched, but IMO, that is its main charm. And let me tell you, it's not all that impossible...
BTW, Christie had written this long back and kept it with her lawyer with instructions to publish it only after her death. Poirot got an official obituary in the paper once this book was published.
April 11, 2020
Hercule Poirot este unul dintre personajele mele favorite si cu mare tristete am citit acest ultim roman ce il are ca protagonist, caci stiam de la inceput ca in acesta marele Poirot moare. Ma asteptam la un final grandios si acesta a venit, cu o serie de crime alambicate, cu un Hastings ce asista nauc la ce se intampla in jurul sau, dar care relateaza atat de bine intamplarile. Ceea ce mi s-a parut extrem de interesant a fost faptul ca Agatha Christie a scris acest roman cu 30 de ani inainte sa il publice, stabilind astfel punctil final al carierei lui Poirot, ca mai apoi sa scrie toate romanele care il aduc pe Poirot in acest punct. Mi-a placut simetria seriei, faptul ca intreaga actiune se petrece acolo unde Poirot si Hastings incep, la Styles si ca Hastings este prezent.
November 3, 2018
درود گاد بر ملکه ی جنایت!
و درود بی کران دیگر بر «کریستوفر گانینگ» آهنگساز بریتانیایی!
بعضی جاها رو خودم حدس میزدم و حتی قاتل رو شناسایی میکردم و به خودم میگفتم اوه نکنه من بتوونم جای پای بزرگان نویسنده های جنایی بذارم؟ 😉😃
✔آگاتا کریستی در داروخانه کار میکرد و از این امتیاز در بسیاری از کتابهاش استفاده کرده
✔همسر دومش،باستان شناس بود که همیشه با او در حال سفر بوده که بعضی از داستانها رو از این طریق نوشته!
و درود بی کران دیگر بر «کریستوفر گانینگ» آهنگساز بریتانیایی!
بعضی جاها رو خودم حدس میزدم و حتی قاتل رو شناسایی میکردم و به خودم میگفتم اوه نکنه من بتوونم جای پای بزرگان نویسنده های جنایی بذارم؟ 😉😃
✔آگاتا کریستی در داروخانه کار میکرد و از این امتیاز در بسیاری از کتابهاش استفاده کرده
✔همسر دومش،باستان شناس بود که همیشه با او در حال سفر بوده که بعضی از داستانها رو از این طریق نوشته!
January 3, 2015
Adieu, mon ami.
August 5, 2019
The book MUST be read only after you have read 33 novels and the 56 short stories featuring the ace detective. And what a befitting end to the series. Reading it i could feel myself part of the entire story line. I could hear Poirot telling- "We shall not hunt together again, my friend. Our first hunt was here-and our last…. Yes they have been good days". The range of emotions one goes through reading the story is difficult to put into words. Having read the entire series there is no way I can ever read Sophie Hannah's Poirot series. For me Poirot made a graceful exit having solved the most challenging crime.
February 8, 2017
يا إلهي!!!
أهكذا تكون النهاية؟؟
أنا أرفض ذلك! كلا! أرفض هذه النهاية لبوارو!!!
أرجوك أجاثا عودي للحياة وأخبرينا أن هذه خدعة ذكية اختتمت بها قضايا بوارو وأنها ليست النهاية!!
لن أفسد الأحداث عليك بمعرفة القاتل في هذه الرواية، لكني سأخبرك بأنك حينما ستصل للورقة الأخيرة فإنك ستقلبها مرارا وتكرارا أملا في وجود تكملة لها !
هل النهاية تليق ببوارو؟ اخخخخخ كلا!
نعم..كنت أنتظر نوعا من المصادمات، والخدع الذكية، بل وحتى الوسائل الماكرة، لكن أن تنتهي بانهيار مبدأ هذا كان محزنا لي جدا :(
الرواية كعادة روايات أجاثا لذيذة ولاذعة كالخل كوصف أحد أبطالها لشخصياتها :) التعقيد يملأ شخصياتها في الدوافع والأفعال، لكنها كانت من أكثر الروايات قربا للقاتل، لكنه ذلك النوع من القرب الذي يكون فيه القاتل قريبا منك كنظارتك التي تحملها على أنفك لكنك لا تستطيع أن تراها ببساطة: لأنك ترى بها !
شعرت بأن أجاثا في هذه الرواية والتي تعتبر خاتمة قضايا بوارو تصدر حكما علينا جميعا كبشر بأننا "قتلة" أو قل بشكل أدق "قابلون لأن نكون كذلك" متى ما سنحت لنا الفرصة، والدافع، والمقنع ، وهذا الأشد خطورة حيث أن وظيفته هي الكلام، لكنك ببساطة ستجد نفسك متأثرا بحديثه وقناعاته منعكسا ذلك على أفعالك وتصرفاتك.
الرواية كانت مليئة بالشخصيات القابلة للتحليل النفسي ودراسة السلوكيات، وهذه سمة أصلية في كل روايات أجاثا، حيث أنني أجد فيها وجبة لذيذة لمحبي علم النفس..
هنا ستجد الشخصية الضعيفة التي تجد في ضعفها وسيلة للفت الأنظار من حولها، والشخصية للفتاة القوية في مقتبل عمرها المثقفة والذكية والتي حين تقع في شرك الحب فإنها تفقد قلبها في حالة من اليأس والخذلان، وشخصية الرجل اللعوب الذي يجد في المخاطرة لذة تكسبه محبة النساء من حوله، وغيرها من الشخصيات.
رواية ممتعة لولا النهاية الصادمة، المؤلمة للصديق هاستنجز ولي كأحد عشاق الشخصية العظيمة ذات التاريخ العريق في روايات أجاثا "بوارو".
*ملاحظة: كلمة السر في هذه الرواية "رواية عطيل لشكسبير".
*ملاحظة أخرى: هل المؤلفة هنا تسقط مبادئها الحقيقية التي تعتنقها وإن لم تصرح بها على شخصيتها "بوارو"؟ هل قد تكون رؤية بوارو الأخيرة وقناعته التي أصدر بها حكمه تمثل في الحقيقة قناعات أجاثا؟ في الحقيقة لا أستبعد ذلك D: !
خصوصا أني من أولئك الأشخاص الذين يؤمنون بأن كتاب الروايات هم من أكثر الأشخاص صراحة في الإفصاح عن قناعاتهم ولكن عن طريق شخصياتهم..
أهكذا تكون النهاية؟؟
أنا أرفض ذلك! كلا! أرفض هذه النهاية لبوارو!!!
أرجوك أجاثا عودي للحياة وأخبرينا أن هذه خدعة ذكية اختتمت بها قضايا بوارو وأنها ليست النهاية!!
لن أفسد الأحداث عليك بمعرفة القاتل في هذه الرواية، لكني سأخبرك بأنك حينما ستصل للورقة الأخيرة فإنك ستقلبها مرارا وتكرارا أملا في وجود تكملة لها !
هل النهاية تليق ببوارو؟ اخخخخخ كلا!
نعم..كنت أنتظر نوعا من المصادمات، والخدع الذكية، بل وحتى الوسائل الماكرة، لكن أن تنتهي بانهيار مبدأ هذا كان محزنا لي جدا :(
الرواية كعادة روايات أجاثا لذيذة ولاذعة كالخل كوصف أحد أبطالها لشخصياتها :) التعقيد يملأ شخصياتها في الدوافع والأفعال، لكنها كانت من أكثر الروايات قربا للقاتل، لكنه ذلك النوع من القرب الذي يكون فيه القاتل قريبا منك كنظارتك التي تحملها على أنفك لكنك لا تستطيع أن تراها ببساطة: لأنك ترى بها !
شعرت بأن أجاثا في هذه الرواية والتي تعتبر خاتمة قضايا بوارو تصدر حكما علينا جميعا كبشر بأننا "قتلة" أو قل بشكل أدق "قابلون لأن نكون كذلك" متى ما سنحت لنا الفرصة، والدافع، والمقنع ، وهذا الأشد خطورة حيث أن وظيفته هي الكلام، لكنك ببساطة ستجد نفسك متأثرا بحديثه وقناعاته منعكسا ذلك على أفعالك وتصرفاتك.
الرواية كانت مليئة بالشخصيات القابلة للتحليل النفسي ودراسة السلوكيات، وهذه سمة أصلية في كل روايات أجاثا، حيث أنني أجد فيها وجبة لذيذة لمحبي علم النفس..
هنا ستجد الشخصية الضعيفة التي تجد في ضعفها وسيلة للفت الأنظار من حولها، والشخصية للفتاة القوية في مقتبل عمرها المثقفة والذكية والتي حين تقع في شرك الحب فإنها تفقد قلبها في حالة من اليأس والخذلان، وشخصية الرجل اللعوب الذي يجد في المخاطرة لذة تكسبه محبة النساء من حوله، وغيرها من الشخصيات.
رواية ممتعة لولا النهاية الصادمة، المؤلمة للصديق هاستنجز ولي كأحد عشاق الشخصية العظيمة ذات التاريخ العريق في روايات أجاثا "بوارو".
*ملاحظة: كلمة السر في هذه الرواية "رواية عطيل لشكسبير".
*ملاحظة أخرى: هل المؤلفة هنا تسقط مبادئها الحقيقية التي تعتنقها وإن لم تصرح بها على شخصيتها "بوارو"؟ هل قد تكون رؤية بوارو الأخيرة وقناعته التي أصدر بها حكمه تمثل في الحقيقة قناعات أجاثا؟ في الحقيقة لا أستبعد ذلك D: !
خصوصا أني من أولئك الأشخاص الذين يؤمنون بأن كتاب الروايات هم من أكثر الأشخاص صراحة في الإفصاح عن قناعاتهم ولكن عن طريق شخصياتهم..
July 18, 2017
Dear Agatha, whatever possessed you to write this piece of nonsense? I'll give you that it's built on an interesting concept but so much of it is so transparently obvious and the ending........whatever possessed you? My favourite phrase in the book is "It behooved us to forestall that happening" - not a phrase much in use these days, if ever. Frankly, Mrs Christie, you should have behooved yourself not to write this book. It's criminal!"
My first 'borrow' from Open Library. A few pages missing from the ends of chapters but otherwise a good copy. I don't think the missing pages were material to following the plot.
My first 'borrow' from Open Library. A few pages missing from the ends of chapters but otherwise a good copy. I don't think the missing pages were material to following the plot.
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