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oliii_24's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Death, Murder, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Vomit, Car accident, Suicide, Sexism, Alcohol, Confinement, War, Torture, and Physical abuse
thequeeraunt's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Here's the thing about revisiting books originally published almost 100 years ago - you're going to find racism. There's going to be cringe-worthy language, slurs used in common speech, and some really dated stereotypes. Because of the nature of this particular mystery's antagonist(s), there are some unpleasant characterizations of people from China. I mention all of this at the beginning of my review because if casual racism is a deal-breaker for you, then nothing else I say about the novel will make it palatable.
Moving past the racist characterizations of Chinese people in The Big Four, this is one of the weaker Poirot mysteries I've read so far. Without giving away anything that may spoil the ending, I found that it wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes. Obviously, that's part of the suspension of disbelief one agrees to when one is reading mysteries, but there were some fairly outrageous stunts pulled in The Big Four that felt like they would have been more at home in a modern international spy thriller than an Agatha Christie novel. In the previous Poirot cases, while the detective's skills are truly amazing, they don't stretch the limits of what I consider humanly possible.
I would hesitate to recommend this book to any reader. Either you are interested in reading Agatha Christie in spite of the language and racism, or you aren't. The Big Four certainly isn't where I would consider starting the Poirot series. I get the feeling that you don't necessarily need to read Poirot from beginning to end as you do with some series, so you could probably just skip this one altogether and move on.
Moving past the racist characterizations of Chinese people in The Big Four, this is one of the weaker Poirot mysteries I've read so far. Without giving away anything that may spoil the ending, I found that it wrapped up a little too neatly for my tastes. Obviously, that's part of the suspension of disbelief one agrees to when one is reading mysteries, but there were some fairly outrageous stunts pulled in The Big Four that felt like they would have been more at home in a modern international spy thriller than an Agatha Christie novel. In the previous Poirot cases, while the detective's skills are truly amazing, they don't stretch the limits of what I consider humanly possible.
I would hesitate to recommend this book to any reader. Either you are interested in reading Agatha Christie in spite of the language and racism, or you aren't. The Big Four certainly isn't where I would consider starting the Poirot series. I get the feeling that you don't necessarily need to read Poirot from beginning to end as you do with some series, so you could probably just skip this one altogether and move on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Violence
thomas_wright's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
i enjoyed this not as much as the previous book (the murder of Roger Ackroyd)
which is mentioned in the final line of this book which you may miss if not reading in release order
this book is Poirot and Hastings on multiple cases
which is mentioned in the final line of this book which you may miss if not reading in release order
this book is Poirot and Hastings on multiple cases
as aposed to the usual 1 case per book thats been the norm so far
(excluding Poirot investigates which was a bunch of unconected cases)
(excluding Poirot investigates which was a bunch of unconected cases)
the cases in thi book where all linked by the criminal organisation the big four
which i thought might be a potential inspiration in Alex Rider books by Anthony Horrowitz
the way Scorpia operate in those books
i tweeted Anthony Horrowitz about it and he said possibly subconsciously which is so cool
the way Scorpia operate in those books
i tweeted Anthony Horrowitz about it and he said possibly subconsciously which is so cool
because this book was more about the over aching plot in how they all link together the case's do suffer slightly in how few pages they take up and connections are made a little to quickly and conveniently I'd say
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexism
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