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trekkifulshay's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Classism
thequeeraunt's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Not a bad Poirot novel, even if it wasn't authored by Christie herself and instead was adapted from a play she wrote. It reads more like Mystery of the Blue Train than some of the other, more Hastings-forward mysteries, so I enjoyed the pacing a bit better. Describing certain actions characters took out of sight of Poirot or Hastings seemed a little off-brand, but when you consider that the novel is adapted from a play, these would be the things the audience saw and therefore the reader gets a glimpse of them, too. It's just a little unusual.
Possibly because of the fact that it's a more recent adaptation, Black Coffee is a lot less egregious when it comes to the racism, sexism, etc. of the other novels. There's some fairly blatant xenophobia against Italians by the British characters, so there is that.
I wouldn't recommend it as a first Poirot novel, but it's probably worth reading if you're following an Agatha Christie-shaped rabbit hole.
Possibly because of the fact that it's a more recent adaptation, Black Coffee is a lot less egregious when it comes to the racism, sexism, etc. of the other novels. There's some fairly blatant xenophobia against Italians by the British characters, so there is that.
I wouldn't recommend it as a first Poirot novel, but it's probably worth reading if you're following an Agatha Christie-shaped rabbit hole.
Moderate: Xenophobia
exlibrissum's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Xenophobia and Suicidal thoughts
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