Into Her Story: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

In this episode, our hosts Samantha and Nat are talking all things And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.

From Clever plot twists to plenty of laughs at our own expense, we're unpacking this classic mystery in our own honest (and slightly chaotic) way. While we can absolutely appreciate why it's considered one of the greatest mysteries written, the outdated language and racial undertones caught us off guard and definetly influenced our reading experience, so be advised. Even so we found plenty of laughs along the way and can see how this book has influenced the mystery novels and films of today. 

So whether you've read the book, are thinking about diving in to read, or just want to hear our unfiltered thoughts...welcome to our little book club all are welcome here. 

 As always, we start spoiler-free with a brief discussion and our personal ratings. We will then give a clear spoiler warning before diving deeper, in case you want to pause and read the book first. 

Follow us on Instagram @fmcx2podcast for updates and behind-the-scenes content. New episodes every two weeks. 

All opinions are our own and we are not affiliated or sponsored by any authors, publishers, or brands.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey guys, it's Samantha. And it's Nat. Welcome to episode seven of FMC Square. So this week we are reviewing Agatha Christie's And Then They Were Nuns.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

And I'm gonna go through and give a brief summary of the book so you guys are just aware of what we read. So the book is basically about 10 people that travel to this kind of rich memory of an island. I will say like it has this kind of ambiance of it being rich. And they're all under the premise that they are supposed to be meeting this special person that they kind of remember, but then they also like don't fully remember them. And one by one, these people start getting killed off, and as time goes on, of course, paranoia is being raised, and people are being concerned about who the murderer is, and it takes you on a whirlwind. But not a mystery. But it's a mystery, alright. It's a mystery, it's definitely a mystery. It's not a mystery. Let's rate the book first before we jump into it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

My rating, I'm not gonna lie. Um, it was hard for me personally to get through this book because of the fact that it was written in a different language from back in the day. Yeah, it's much more prim and proper, and I guess maybe I'm just uncultured swine, but I just felt like I felt like I was dumb. It was rough. Dude, the page one, okay, was thick for me. It was hard to get through. I was reading page one. It took me about 20 tries. I think it said something racist about a Jewish person, and it I could not get past this because I was like, did I just read that right or am I having a stroke?

SPEAKER_01 1:39

And I it took me like a I was having like an aneurysm.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

So zero out of five stars for me. If had not been for this podcast, if I can just be true to my heart, I don't think I would have ever finished it. If I can be really blatant about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Okay, so I'm not as bad as Samantha. I will at least give it a one out of five. I mean, it did have some mystery to it. I mean, if it if it's if it's abiding by the the the category that it says it is, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

You're right. Okay, I'll give one star because the writing itself wasn't horrible. It it really wasn't. It's just the time it's not. I was not born in 1939. Exactly. We are in a different era. Yeah. And it was not converted over well. And I think we've just seen so much nowadays in media and things like that that what at the time I think probably blew people's socks off is just something that we're kind of like desynthesized to. Yeah, I'm like, oh, okay, that sounds exactly like Glass Onion, the movie that I saw. You know, it's just Yeah. It's but that's just me. I wish I could sound cultured and lovely, but to be honest, no. I didn't get it. Yeah. So if you guys want to pause and read the book, take it on your own. We are just two people. You know what I mean? You might like it. There's a lot of people out there that revere. Obviously, this was banned for things that we're gonna get into. Yes, but let me just say, in the future, my friends, we will be further reviewing books before we decide to read them.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Because disclaimer, she's racist, she's definitely racist.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

We should have guessed that after page one.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

And honestly, though, like basing a book in 1939, even if it was like, let's say they made the book in 1939, like they wanted the plot to be made in 1939. You would have to be racist now.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Yeah in order to make up to vibe. Yes, yeah, like I just couldn't swap. Listen, it was rough, y'all, for me personally.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

Yeah. Honestly, all right. I know Samantha said that the writing was not that bad, but the writing was actually shit. Um first of all, there were ways, you know those books that like are more descriptive than what they should be? Like they use so many words to describe something that's so plain and simple, and in the process you get lost in like what you need. Yes, yes. It's like, why are you telling me so Benny flipped over a chair? And I'm not saying that there's a Benny in this book that flipped over a chair, but you're telling me Benny fell to his demise, he he twisted, and then he he then frolicked over the fucking floor, and it's just like I can't keep up.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Right. You're like, I get it, just like get to the point. Like, I'm just I'm lost in the sauce. Like, I when she described things, where I was at was kind of like, Yeah, I needed to know the people more to care that they were dying. If I can be totally honest. There all the stuff about the people. Number one different people?

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yes, the biggest piece is there's way too much. My AG could not. I was like, who I said, please hurry up and start killing them because I can't even keep up.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

I literally in the first chapter or two, you meet ten different people. She gives too many names. I don't need a first and last government name. Just give me like one. Call him the judge, you know? Like, she just went so into these people as far as their names, but as didn't get didn't you didn't emotionally feel connected.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Yeah, like fuck Dr.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

Armstrong. We don't give a fuck if he dies. Yes, like you know what I'm Who even is he? Yeah, exactly. Like, uh okay, so let's get to what really happened. So this book basically, these people come into it, they're all going to this island, and they're kind of like, where are we going? At this mysterious island no one knows about. They're all very intrigued.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yes, everyone has received like a similar letter by someone that like they think they met in college, or maybe they even like saw in a couple of years.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Oh, I think my friend so-and-so knew him.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Yes, and no one actually like knows for sure who this person is, but they're all intrigued to go to this island because the island does have a reputation. Yes. Someone like bought the island out for like lots of dollars and shit like that. And it's been something that's been very elusive for a long time. Yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

People kind of want to know their nosy.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Yeah, they're curious as to what goes on on this island. I think it has like the reputation that it's like some party island. I think of it as like the great Gatsby. You know how like Gatsby throws like these anom anonymous parties, yes, and no one even knows like who Gatsby is.

SPEAKER_00 6:30

Yeah, who exactly is the owner of the house? Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 6:33

It was kind of like that same ambiance when they went there, except like it was trash, but yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

So I think what this book, you know, as you go through, they basically there was all these little tiny figurines that were on this table. There was ten of them. And at first, these people were kind of like, okay, where is the owner of the house? And the people that are there to take care of the house are like, we don't know. We just got here last week and no one's been here at all.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

We just taking care of the house, making meals because someone has told us to, which is fucking dumb.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Which is crazy. You're like, what happened in your life that you just felt the need to flee to such a fucking weird ass place? But then they go and basically these people say, Oh, don't worry, this boat always comes.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Yes, and he makes sure you guys have all the supplies that you need.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

And these people are like, Cool, we'll be able to dip because this is weird vibes, and we're not into it anymore. Like, where's the owner? We're down, we're out. But then they're all hanging out and they're kind of talking everything over, and one of them plays a recording, and this recording kind of outs all of their dirty laundry. Yes. All the skeletons in their closet, if you will. And that's kind of where it gets a little bit messy. The little lyric that goes along.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yes, the the lyric that tells you how everyone gets murdered eventually, and this is what the whole entire story is based off of. So, kind of you already know how the story and the plot is gonna go. I guess the mystery is filling out figuring out who's orchestrating this. But like, honestly, at some point you just stopped giving a fuck. So I'm just gonna read it. Who started?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

Who started giving a fuck?

SPEAKER_01 8:06

No, you're right. So it goes ten little soldier boys went out to dine, one choked his little self, and then there were nine.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

Nine little soldiers set up very late, one overslept himself, and then they were eight. Eight little soldier boys traveling in Devon, one said he'd stay there, and then there were seven. Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks, one chopped himself in halves, and then they were six.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Six little soldier boys playing with the hive, a bumblebee stung one, and then there were five.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Five little soldier boys going in for lol, one got into chancery, and then they were four. That shit don't even rhyme. I literally don't even know what that means. Carry on.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

Four little soldier boys going out to sea, a red heron swallowed one, and then there were three.

SPEAKER_00 9:04

Also, like what the f a bird swallowed a kid? Anyways, three little soldier boys walking in the zoo, a big bear hugged one, and then there were two. Who the fuck is in charge of these kids? Keep going.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun, one got frizzled up, and then there was one. Like, what?

SPEAKER_00 9:24

He got sunburned to death? I can't One little soldier boy left all alone, he went and hanged himself, and then there were none. Okay, first off, one little boy overslept himself to death, Agatha Christie. If you were here, bitch. To hell with you.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

He overslept him, first off. So obviously, some well, I won't even say Samantha and I, because I will be taking too much credit. But Samantha went and did some research about this book because obviously it makes no fucking sense. I had questions. So you want to start understanding the origin of it. I was like, we are idiots.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

How can we better ourselves about this book before we do this review so we're not embarrassed?

SPEAKER_01 10:04

For you guys.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

It was for you guys.

SPEAKER_01 10:06

And we discover that the book was actually the original title of the book was actually ten little bleeps. Ten little people of my color. Yeah. I happen to be African American, but the derogatory term for it, if that makes any sense. And then we later found this book had been banned. It had been banned and republished, so I do think it's odd that this book was able to be republished.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

I'm gonna tell some people.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

I personally was not a fan of it. It it was really just a lot to track.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Yeah, it was here's the thing. I think to do something where you invite that many characters in and then kill them off, if you want me to be involved, I need to at least care about a couple of the characters, and it was too quick they were introduced and too quick they were killed. And I'm not saying I would have wanna read a longer book because Yeah, I don't think I would have wanted to deal with that book in a longer version. But I'm I can see that at the time it would have been like, wow, what a crazy book to put out where like everyone dies pretty much. And the thing is, is that the the judge guy didn't die per se, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Per se. That's what they're saying.

SPEAKER_00 11:23

Yes, it was like this whole scheme to and then you know, uh it's just very messy, but essentially it just wasn't our vibe. No, it's not a lot of people. I want to say something pop, I guess, and you're like, oh, I really need to like, you know, see what happened in the the olden days and like with the way they used to write, but pass for me.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

I'm not, yeah. It wasn't we're gonna do better. Next time we will do better. This yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

And you know what? We are gonna do better because I'm sure everyone has seen talk of the movie Housemaid.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yes, the movie Housemaid. I am one of those people, I'm so anti, like whenever everybody else is watching something. I'm like purposely not gonna watch the movie until like everyone is like over the hype. And we need to read the book, so we are going to be reading The Housemaid by Frida McFadden.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

She has a lot of good books, which I've never read, so I'm really excited. I've not read them either. I'm just like assuming this gives us just a little tidbit for those of you that have not seen anything about it. So it's a best-selling psychological thriller about Millie, a young woman with a secret past who takes a job as a live-in maid with a wealthy Winchester family, only to discover they have dark secrets and dangerous games, leading to a twist-filled story of manipulation and survival. So this came out in 2022, and then obviously the film is coming out, came out, I believe, right at the end of 2025. It did. So for those of you that hasn't seen it and also want to read the book, yes, go ahead and read it. And then come out. Come back to us. Please come back to us. And you know, it'll be better next time, we swear.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yeah, honestly, before we just end this, if you made it all the way to the end and maybe you just didn't read the book by Agatha Christie, just don't read it.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

Just don't. And disclaimer, this is all, of course, our personal opinions. Yes. We are not affiliated with anyone or paid by anyone. So you could also not care at all about our opinions.

SPEAKER_01 13:27

And still go and read the book, honestly, but you will be let down. Yeah, you might be like, um, or uncultured swine.

SPEAKER_00 13:34

And this was crushing.

SPEAKER_01 13:35

Maybe I am uncultured. Yeah. And that's the truth. Yep. So thank you guys so much for joining our podcast tonight at FMC Square. Yes, and we will see you guys next time. Happy reading.