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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
A super enjoyable and fast read. It’s basically Gone Girl except based in actual events, and the Agatha Christie history is great, too.
This is my second book about Agatha's Christie's eleven day disappearance. I really liked this one. We have two timelines. We go back in time to when Agatha and her husband were dating and then married which is through Agatha's POV. Then we have her husband's POV when she goes missing. I liked how this one was done because I do not believe for one second that she had amnesia.
"As I reread it for a final time, it occurred to me that we are all unreliable narrators of our own lives, crafting stories about ourselves that omit unsavory truths and highlight our invented identities."
"As I reread it for a final time, it occurred to me that we are all unreliable narrators of our own lives, crafting stories about ourselves that omit unsavory truths and highlight our invented identities."
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.25 stars
This year I have become acquainted with Mrs. Christie's works. I really enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. Hence, when I found out about this book (with its beautiful cover) I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell flat of my expectations. In this novel we follow a dual timeline: one where we learn about Agatha's life as well as the police investigation into her disappearance.
You are plunged head first into the story without any groundwork being laid. This can be done well if the aforementioned groundwork is laid later. In this case, it wasn't. Essentially, the reader is thrust into this dual narrative without an explanation or connection to anything. I assume that many people who aren't Christie fans or aren't in the know about her disappearance, probably will end up DNF-ing this book because of this disorientating beginning.
The writing was somewhat distracting and it stood out to me from page 1. It is exemplified in this example:
The book is littered with weird sentences like this. The dialogue, especially between Mrs. Christie and her husband is also odd and slightly cringey. It distracted me from enjoying the story as much as I would have liked to. Here is an example of this weird dialogue:
... yeah let's take a moment to let that sink in. Although this distracting writing style does somewhat diminish towards the middle of the novel, the last few chapters are filled with it once again, which put a sour taste in my mouth after finally starting to enjoy the novel.
Men being womens' fate is a prevalent theme in the novel. The author attempts to give commentary on this, but it is very on the nose and ends up illustrating Agatha Christie as a feeble and naive fool. From the start we get gems like
The commentary is constantly thrown in your face almost as if the author didn't trust the reader to come to conclusions on their own. By the end, Mrs. Christie becomes so obsessed with pleasing her husband that when her motive to leave is revealed it doesn't feel at all like the girl we were just reading about... and I sincerely doubt that Christie was exactly like that IRL.
Despite its many jarring flaws, some aspects of the novel are pleasing. The story is easy to digest and fun to follow, especially towards the middle. Even taking this into account, however, I do not think that I'd really recommend it to many.
This year I have become acquainted with Mrs. Christie's works. I really enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None. Hence, when I found out about this book (with its beautiful cover) I was really excited to read it. Unfortunately it fell flat of my expectations. In this novel we follow a dual timeline: one where we learn about Agatha's life as well as the police investigation into her disappearance.
You are plunged head first into the story without any groundwork being laid. This can be done well if the aforementioned groundwork is laid later. In this case, it wasn't. Essentially, the reader is thrust into this dual narrative without an explanation or connection to anything. I assume that many people who aren't Christie fans or aren't in the know about her disappearance, probably will end up DNF-ing this book because of this disorientating beginning.
The writing was somewhat distracting and it stood out to me from page 1. It is exemplified in this example:
“Opening his mouth as he forms another inquiry, Kenward clamps it shut when a policeman barges into his study.”.
The book is littered with weird sentences like this. The dialogue, especially between Mrs. Christie and her husband is also odd and slightly cringey. It distracted me from enjoying the story as much as I would have liked to. Here is an example of this weird dialogue:
“With a broad smile, I teased, “Can I trust you with the secrets of my garden?”
He did not smile back. Instead, he fixed his bright-blue eyes on mine and said, “I hope you can trust me with all your secrets.”
... yeah let's take a moment to let that sink in. Although this distracting writing style does somewhat diminish towards the middle of the novel, the last few chapters are filled with it once again, which put a sour taste in my mouth after finally starting to enjoy the novel.
Men being womens' fate is a prevalent theme in the novel. The author attempts to give commentary on this, but it is very on the nose and ends up illustrating Agatha Christie as a feeble and naive fool. From the start we get gems like
“Wasn’t that the destiny of all us girls? To be swept away by a man and then swept into the tidal pull of our Fate?”
The commentary is constantly thrown in your face almost as if the author didn't trust the reader to come to conclusions on their own. By the end, Mrs. Christie becomes so obsessed with pleasing her husband that when her motive to leave is revealed it doesn't feel at all like the girl we were just reading about... and I sincerely doubt that Christie was exactly like that IRL.
Despite its many jarring flaws, some aspects of the novel are pleasing. The story is easy to digest and fun to follow, especially towards the middle. Even taking this into account, however, I do not think that I'd really recommend it to many.
While I appreciate the concept of building a story around a real life mystery, I did not come away from reading this book feeling I had any insight into the life of Agatha Christie. Her husband comes across as a complete asshole with no redeeming qualities. But I’m more inclined to think that he got fed up with his wife ALWAYS being by his side and catering to his every whim. This approach is never a good recipe for a happy marriage. There was also very little about what went through Agatha’s head when her first novel got published. How proud she must have felt and yet we get very little of that story. All we really get is her feeling resentful but not changing her behavior. It drove me crazy. And honestly, I just didn’t get the ending. There were so many questions that I was left with.
I was prepared to give this book a 2-3 star review. That was until I read the last 40 pages. WOW! The last 40 pages (part 2) was incredible and everything that was needed to make this book come together.
I don’t think this is a spoiler but for a while I thought this book should have been titled “I’m Married to a Narcissist.” Can we just talk about how well Archie was written?! There were so many times I wanted to punch the book just to punch him.
I know very little about Agatha Christie but I believe this book mixed fact and fiction so well that I will be thinking bout this story every time I think about Agatha Christie.
I don’t think this is a spoiler but for a while I thought this book should have been titled “I’m Married to a Narcissist.” Can we just talk about how well Archie was written?! There were so many times I wanted to punch the book just to punch him.
I know very little about Agatha Christie but I believe this book mixed fact and fiction so well that I will be thinking bout this story every time I think about Agatha Christie.
Loved it! I listened to this as an audiobook, and it was so fascinating. It is a fiction retelling of the mysterious 10 days when Agatha Christie disappeared. Still, it left me wanting to read more about the real life lady. Very well written!
KTO WYMYŚLIŁ, ŻEBY GŁÓWNYM BOHATEREM KSIĄŻKI O ZNIKNIECIU AGATY CHRISTIE BYŁ FACET, NO KTO????