Finally, I have reached the end of #ReadChristie2021! I can't believe how fast it's gone, but I have officially finished my December read.
The prompt for December was: a story set in bad weather.
I could think of a few that might fit this one, but I decided to stick with the official choice this time, and read The Sittaford Mystery. I've never read it before, and I didn't actually know anything about the story in advance, so it seemed like a great choice.
It was definitely a great winter choice with all the snow, but I'm afraid it wasn't one of my favourites. It did have a lot of Christie tropes that I liked - it was a fairly closed-circuit mystery, there was a feisty young woman attempting to get to the bottom of the mystery, and there were a lot of complex relationships to explore. However, it fell a bit flat for me. There was a bit too much going on which, when combined with a plot that I found a bit underwhelming, made this one of the more mediocre Christies in my eyes.
For more information about the #ReadChristie2021 campaign, take a look at the official Agatha Christie website.
Rating: ✫✫✫
My Thoughts
This is probably going to be short and sweet, because I think what I'm finding while reflecting on The Sittaford Mystery is that I'm largely indifferent to it.
It has all the elements of a solid crime fiction story:
- An intriguing opening
- Varied characters with lots of complex relationships
- Plenty of sub-plots to unpack
However, it just didn't come together for me. I found myself really struggling to concentrate, which is a clear sign that I wasn't really very invested in the story.
The amount of characters was probably a very positive point for many readers, but because I wasn't very in to the story, it just made it even more difficult to keep up with.
The Verdict
It's a shame, because I think there's a lot to really appreciate in this novel. It has a really strong start, with a unique and interesting idea. I was keen to see where it went, but it sadly wasn't for me.
I can see the appeal, but I think other readers probably enjoyed this a lot more than me.
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