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mariearen's review against another edition
0.25
0-1 Star
TL;DR: The plot of The Big Four is rife with antisemitic conspiracists thought. It furthermore relies heavily on orientalism, to build suspense and introduce one of its main antagonists. Even accounting for the pov generally present in the Poirot series, I found the racism and xenophobia in this book so uncomfortable, that I didn’t enjoy the reading experience. Sharing my review mainly because it might help someone gauge their mileage with this particular instalment. Further ramblings and incoherent musings below.
I read The Big Four in a burst of Poirot completism. Racism, classism, sexism etc. are part of Christie's entire Poirot series (e.g. murderers being more or less likely depending on "heredity" and certain methods being more male/female etc), but I found it particularly foregrounded in this installment.
A vast global criminal conspiracy formed by elites is plotting to take over the world and must be stopped by Poirot. There is seemingly no end to their powers and influence over world events, and the echo of antisemitic conspiracy theories was loud enough to drown out any potentially clever plotting. That, combined with the pervasive orientalism, just made it too unpleasant a read for me to recommend to anyone. Even a reader who is clear-eyed about the world-view generally present in Christie's work.
Racism, classism and sexism are present throughout the series, some of which I have enjoyed very much in spite of it. My mileage on this is most definitely informed by my relative position of privilege, and I understand that even me writing this review is evidence of the same.
Christie's writing and plotting is often brilliant. And it is of course also a product of her time. Neither of these facts mean that we should dismiss her writing, nor do they mean we should disregard her racism, sexism, and classism. Especially since they are interwoven with texts that have become fundamental to an entire genre of writing and filmmaking.
At points the classism (for example) is so outrageous as to be almost laughable. Some statements (be they character specific or emblematic of the writer’s larger pov) are so glaringly outdated, that I find it easy to shrug them off, and pay attention to the story taking place around it. But at other points plots rely so heavily on a perspective of the inherent righteousness of white British Imperialism, that there isn’t really anything left to enjoy.
I don’t generally believe that we should only read books with Good Moral Perspectives. And I think there’s a lot of value to be found in reading, enjoying, and engaging with classics (be they of genre or of literature more broadly). But even though I went into this book fairly clear-eyed about what to expect, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m not sure this rambly review makes any real sense (or has a point), so thank you if you have read this far. I am struggling to make sense of my feelings about this series overall, and this turned into a random recording of my thoughts as part of that endeavour. 0-1 stars out of 5 do not recommend.
TL;DR: The plot of The Big Four is rife with antisemitic conspiracists thought. It furthermore relies heavily on orientalism, to build suspense and introduce one of its main antagonists. Even accounting for the pov generally present in the Poirot series, I found the racism and xenophobia in this book so uncomfortable, that I didn’t enjoy the reading experience. Sharing my review mainly because it might help someone gauge their mileage with this particular instalment. Further ramblings and incoherent musings below.
I read The Big Four in a burst of Poirot completism. Racism, classism, sexism etc. are part of Christie's entire Poirot series (e.g. murderers being more or less likely depending on "heredity" and certain methods being more male/female etc), but I found it particularly foregrounded in this installment.
A vast global criminal conspiracy formed by elites is plotting to take over the world and must be stopped by Poirot. There is seemingly no end to their powers and influence over world events, and the echo of antisemitic conspiracy theories was loud enough to drown out any potentially clever plotting. That, combined with the pervasive orientalism, just made it too unpleasant a read for me to recommend to anyone. Even a reader who is clear-eyed about the world-view generally present in Christie's work.
Racism, classism and sexism are present throughout the series, some of which I have enjoyed very much in spite of it. My mileage on this is most definitely informed by my relative position of privilege, and I understand that even me writing this review is evidence of the same.
Christie's writing and plotting is often brilliant. And it is of course also a product of her time. Neither of these facts mean that we should dismiss her writing, nor do they mean we should disregard her racism, sexism, and classism. Especially since they are interwoven with texts that have become fundamental to an entire genre of writing and filmmaking.
At points the classism (for example) is so outrageous as to be almost laughable. Some statements (be they character specific or emblematic of the writer’s larger pov) are so glaringly outdated, that I find it easy to shrug them off, and pay attention to the story taking place around it. But at other points plots rely so heavily on a perspective of the inherent righteousness of white British Imperialism, that there isn’t really anything left to enjoy.
I don’t generally believe that we should only read books with Good Moral Perspectives. And I think there’s a lot of value to be found in reading, enjoying, and engaging with classics (be they of genre or of literature more broadly). But even though I went into this book fairly clear-eyed about what to expect, it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I’m not sure this rambly review makes any real sense (or has a point), so thank you if you have read this far. I am struggling to make sense of my feelings about this series overall, and this turned into a random recording of my thoughts as part of that endeavour. 0-1 stars out of 5 do not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Xenophobia
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