Hi! How’re you doing?
I guess it’s high time that I reported on my individual reading progress because recently I’ve started reading a new book. This book was given to me for my birthday, and I took it as a sign from the universe. I was thinking: “I haven’t chosen a book yet, but the book has already chosen me.” The book And Then There Were None was written by one of the most prominent authors of all time — Agatha Christie.
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was an English writer known for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections. She also wrote the world’s longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which was performed in the West End from 1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.
And Then There Were None is a mystery novel, described by Agatha Christie as the most difficult of her books to write. It was first published in the United Kingdom by the Collins Crime Club in 1939, as Ten Little Niggers, after the children’s counting rhyme and minstrel song, which serves as a major element of the plot. A US edition was released in 1940 with the title And Then There Were None, which is taken from the last five words of the song.
The book tells us about 10 (!) main characters, who all received the invitations to the party from the same person, and ended up on the same island, where somebody keeps committing mystery murders. Judging by the name of the book, there is no doubt that all these guests will be killed till the end of the book, but still, I’m very intrigued to learn about how, why, and by whom the murders would have been committed. This book differs from the books I read before due to the number of the main characters. The author reveals the facts from their lives, which sometimes seem extremely weird and astonishing. The numerous storylines make the structure complex as well as train a reader’s memory because you should remember a lot of names, their jobs, age, minor details, etc.
So far I relish reading this book as I’ve always had a great interest in detective stories. It’s not a long book, there are no boring descriptions, and the events develop quickly, that is why I think it won’t take me long to finish it. So, it might happen that I’d have to choose one more book before the end of this semester.
The language of the book isn’t difficult, and at the same time, there are quite many new words and expressions that are useful to know. Traditionally, here are some of the words:
luscious — fragrant — ароматный; delightful — восхитительный.
disparaging — expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory — пренебрежительный.
evasive — tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly — уклончивый.
an indictment — accusation — обвинение.
to acquit — justify, free (someone) from a criminal charge by a verdict of not guilty — оправдать.
