![Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The: Book review]()
review, Thriller, YA |
Do you ever give a book a second chance? I mean quite literally – like you read the first time and you don’t like it, but then you give it another chance and ending up appreciating it more? Well, that is what happened with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
About the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Book Name: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Author: Mark Haddon
Genre: Fiction – Drama, Young adult
Characters: Christopher John Francis Boone, Toby, Wellington, Siobhan, Mr. Jeavons, Mrs. Alexander, Ed Boone, Judy Boone, Mr. and Mrs. Eileen Shears
Setting: England, The UK
Plot summary of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen year old kid on the Autism/Asperger’s spectrum, is on a mission to find out who murdered his neighbour’s dog, Sherlock Holmes’ style. While he has a gift for math, he has difficulty reading other people’s emotion and hates being touched.
His father finds it difficult to understand his needs. His mother did it all for him until she died suddenly and now they are left to fend for themselves. Did he find the murderer? What happened to his mother? Read the rest of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time to know more.
Book review of the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
I rarely give books that I DNF-ed a second chance and I decided to read it because the Classics N Christie book club chose it as the BOTM. And I really wanted to know what happened in the book after I gave up and why everyone goes gaga over it.
Even though it plays the stereotypical high functioning autistic kid, this book helped me take a look at what happens inside the head of an autistic teen.
If I had to wonder what the difference was between the first time I read it and now, it is that I am more educated about the autistic spectrum, thanks to mainstream media and other books.
Things that worked for me
- While I found it hard to get into the first time I read it, I liked the non linear writing style now.
- I was genuinely surprised when the big reveal came up and I hadn’t guessed it at all.
- Christopher is a classic example of unreliable narrators, whom I love in general.
Things that didn’t work for me
Christopher falls straight into the holes of the stereotypes of autism in the mainstream media.
Bottom-line
I am glad I gave The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time a second chance and I wish that I liked it more. Sure I didn’t love it, but I didn’t dislike it as much I did the first time.
Similar books that you may like
Pin me!
Let us chat
Have you read the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time? Or watched the play? Do have recommendations with a better Autistic/Asperger’s representation? Let us talk.
![Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The: Book review]()
Sunday Musings |
I wish it wasn’t as hard to keep up with each other as adults. Do you ever feel friendships become more difficult to maintain as we grow into adults?
After so many cancellations, I caught up with some of my friends yesterday and I can’t believe how three hours just flew away. We discussed from the disaster that Game of Thrones’ last season to what we will be doing for the next year’s literature festival.
Of course we dissected each other’s current reads and shared more recommendations – you know just bookworm things!
Anyway here is another interesting conversations I had with fellow bloggers last week about wordpress followers. You know I have been blogging for quite a while here right? But you will be shocked to know my follower count. It is so few I don’t even wanna mention it. Yes, I am not thrilled, but the others were shocked! Yes it is that low.
So help me understand how to gain more followers on WordPress. And if you had not hit the follow button on my blog yet, do it right away.
Follow Elgee Writes on WordPress.com
I always return them and as you know I am sincere at leaving comments on other blogs.
What I read this week
This week has been a mess of sorts in terms of my reading. I have three books that I have left halfway and completed just one of them, that a children classic. Now I need to figure it out before it turns out into a reading slump, right?
I am currently reading
- Queenie
- The Mystery of the Blue Train
- The Unhoneymooners
I finished reading Charlotte’s web by E. B. White. Can you believe I have never even heard of this book until it was chosen to be the BOTM of the ClassicsNChristie book club?
What I watched this week
Is it just me or Big Little Lies was not all that great? I mean I enjoyed watching it but I never felt invested in any of the characters and felt utterly annoyed at every single one of them. While, I agree their acting was brilliant but I guess ‘meh’ to everything else about it.
I watched Murder Mystery with Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler and I really liked. Cheesy dialogues, a cliched Christie-sque set up and murders to solve – I mean, what is not to like!
I also caught up on a few episodes of Good girls season two and that, I truly loved and felt invested in. I might binge the rest this week. Have you watched it?
On my blog
Sunday Musings #51: One About The Trip To Musandam, Oman
I reviewed The Hating Game by Sally Thorne on Monday
On Wednesday I posted Blogging Terms You Have To Know As A Book Blogger
Get to know more about me through my Why I Am Weird post.
I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.
Around the blogosphere
Here are a few of my favorite reads from around the book blogging world in the last week. Let me know which are your favorites.
- Krysta on Pages Unbound made me think a lot about the changes book blogging has gone through in the last decade or so. Do give it a read.
- My mind blew its top as I read Kelly’s post on Does engagement equal success as a blogger? I am sure you will enjoy her perspective on successful blogging.
- If you DNF books often, you need to follow this nifty trick on Goodreads by having an exclusive shelf. Many of us do it already but if you are finding out just now about it, thank Inkish Kingdom for the idea.
- Do you pick books marketed as the next Harry Potter or Gone girl? Marija’s post on how important book marketing is on Inside my library mind opens a discussion on this topic.
From the Insta-world
If you are not already following me on Instagram, give me follow here.
Pin me!
Let us chat
How has your week been? How do you even keep up with adult friendships? Share with me your secrets to gaining followers on WordPress. Let us talk
![Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The: Book review]()
Thriller |
It has been a while since I posted a review of a book as soon as I finished reading it. But today is one of those days! I finished reading The Big Four by Agatha Christie just yesterday and I spent more than half a day today talking about it and here I am ready to write a review.
Is that a good thing or not? Read ahead to know more.
About the Big Four
Book Name: The Big Four
Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Fiction – Thriller
Characters: Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings, Li Chang Yen, Madame Olivier, Abe Ryland, Number four
Setting: England, The UK
Plot summary of the Big Four
We are used to reading and loving the various murder mysteries set in London or other British cities and suburban towns. But with The Big Four, Christie sets us for a crime thriller with not one but four international super villains aiming at world domination against the grey cells of our Poirot and his dear friend Hastings.
A random guy dies in Poirot’s apartment, which ends to be a foul play. This sets the duo on wild goose chase against The Big Four – A Chinese mastermind, a French woman, an American and a mysterious number four, who always seem to be a step ahead of our dear detective.
How does he stop them from reaching their evil goal forms the rest of the story in The Big Four!
Book review of the Big Four
The Classics N Christie has been reading Agatha Christie’s books based on the publication dates. This has been very helpful for me to understand the different writing and story telling styles that the author has been trying. I wish I could The Big Four is one of those attempts, that kinda bombed for me.
Earlier in the Murder on the Links, Dame Christie tried her hand at romance in mystery novels which I didn’t enjoy much. I enjoyed her take on spy thriller even lesser. I just can’t wait to get back to cozy little town mysteries from her.
Things that worked for me
- The Big Four reminded me a lot of Sherlock vs Moriarty (I love that).
- It may work better if you pick the book when you are in the mood to read a spy thriller.
Things that didn’t work for me
- The Big Four seemed like a bundle of short mysteries badly woven together, which I found out to be true later. The Big Four was indeed published as a twelve short mysteries during a particularly bad time of Christie personally.
- There are too many named characters and most of them do not even reappear after a scene or two.
- I don’t like how Poirot somehow turned into James Bond at the end of the book. That is so not our Belgian detective.
Bottom-line
If you are looking to read a typical Christie or Poirot’s mystery you will be disappointed. I never thought I would read Christie’s book that would disappoint me as much, but here it is.
Similar reviews you might like
Pin me!
Let us chat
Have you read this one? What is the best murder mystery you have read till date? How do you handle disappointment about your favorite author’s work? Let us talk.
