Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

14 reviews

mels_reading_log's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I’ve always been more interested in Agatha Christie’s real life than her amazing stories. I love the mystery that no one can figure out, and this novel fills in all the gaps in such a mysterious and satisfying way. There is so much love in this book, all wrapped up in mystery and deception. I really enjoyed it, and would like to hope the real life mystery was a lot like this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Murder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, War, and Suicide

kathryn_fletcher's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, and Violence

_alyssar_'s review

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Rape, Terminal illness, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Death

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Classism, Domestic abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Car accident, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

abotte's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Rape, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, War, and Sexual assault

natashaball's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Child death

frantically's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This would've been so much more fun without Agatha Christie. Sorry. Nan's story was so well-written and just deserved its own place, especially in this climate, where we're more openly talking about the horrible things that have happened due to organized religion. The "historical" details of what happened to the Christies always took me out the story and didn't really fit within the plot, in my opinion. I got really into it at the end but the writing was a bit confusing at times.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, War, and Physical abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Abandonment

alzyest's review

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

kaylamoran's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a 5 star prediction for me, and it fell so flat.  It never managed to get me to care about the characters, despite all of its efforts.  It's not bad per se but I'm extremely disappointed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, War, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault

jessgreads's review

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Rating: ⭐⭐✨⬜⬜

Title: The Christie Affair

Author: Nina de Gramont

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: London, England

Month Read: February 2022

Book Type: Hardcover

Publication: 2022

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Pages: 311

*Book of the Month Selection

TRIGGER WARNING- 

Abuse / Infidelity / Murder / Kidnapping / Trauma / Religious Abuse / Rape

"Perhaps a woman has a different kind of measuring stick. For when it might be acceptable, or even necessary, to commit a murder."

No Spoiler Summary:

The Christie Affair is a fiction take on Agatha Christie's mysterious 11 day disappearance told in the POV's of Agatha, and her husband's mistress, Nan. You follow both women through the days before, during, and slightly after the disappearance takes place. You also follow Nan through her past, filled with trauma, treachery, and abuse. 

Review:

I'm not quite sure how I felt about this novel, and I think the completely fabricated storylines sort of lost me a bit more than I thought they would. For fans of Agatha, I think this misses the mark quite a bit on being a good mystery novel, and Nan's stakes in this seem incredibly far fetched (and a little forced.)

Nan's past was an incredibly hard part of this book to get through, for me, and I could have probably just read an entire book about this and enjoyed it a lot more. The Irish Catholic religion and the harm they did to unmarried women is disgusting, and as a newer Mom this sent me into rages. I cannot imagine what all of these women went through, and it just hurts so much to know that religion, and those who upheld it, caused people so much pain.

I wish we got to know Archie more, besides just being the man in the center of these two women.I feel like he was really underdeveloped and one sided, and I left the novel unsure why anyone even wanted him in the firs place. 

See more reviews at:  https://jessgreads.wixsite.com

"As if the sheer force of her anguish had made her, inexplicably, the most important person on earth"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Trafficking, Violence, Abandonment, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual content

Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Alcohol, Bullying, and Confinement

vixenreader's review

adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

For a book about Agatha Christie’s disappointment, it runs into more cliches than a bad mystery novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, Death, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Physical abuse, and War

Minor: Racism

There is starvation and emotional abuse of young woman at the hand of religious figures.