And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
This book was quite a marvel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you don't enjoy mystery novels, or murder, then this book is not for you. For those who are intrigued by it, then this is a must read. It is of course a classic. Agatha Christie is one of the best selling authors of all time. Only The Bible, and Shakespeare has out sold her books. And she definitely deserves her high rank, her writing was very different and intriguing. At first when I started this book, I was slightly confused by its format. I decided to give up after one chapter (NEVER DO THAT). My friend later told me how great the book was, so I felt inclined to try it again. I am so glad I did.
This book is about ten people who received a letter from a mysterious figure asking them to come to some island to visit him. The strangers all arrived on the island, and this mysterious man was not there! They all got acquainted and settled in. On the first night, someone mysteriously died. A man at the prime of his health and youth just dropped dead. It was quite the shock to everyone there. They slowly realized this couldn't have been an accident, or even suicide. One by one, people were dropping like flies. The remaining group figured out the killer must have been among themselves. Living in constant fear, the group struggles to figure out this frightening mystery.
There is a show called Any Number Can Die that was based off of this book. Of course that show is a satire comedy with loosely the same plot line. It is very good, but different from the book. I really recommend this book to high schoolers and older. It is an easy read once you get used to the slightly odd format. I absolutely loved it. It actually moved me so much, I had a dream that I was in the same predicament.
There is a chilling poem that the plot line is based off of, and used multiple times in the book:
"Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were Five.Five little Soldier boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.Four little Soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.Three little Soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.Two little Soldier boys were out in the sun; One got all frizzled up and then there was one.One little Soldier boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."
Hope you give this book a go! If you've read it, comment and let me know what you think!
-Aida
