Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

24 reviews

alexareads27's review against another edition

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

2.0

I had the instinct to DNF this book around 100 pages in and I wish I did. The only thing that kept me going was that it was a gift from a friend and purchased at Rare Bird bookstore in Edinburgh. 

The tie to Agatha Christie’s 11 day disappearance weighed the plot down and by the end it felt like a cash-grab to get people to buy the book. This was confirmed for me when in the acknowledgements the author writes that it was her agent who suggested that she write a book about Christie’s disappearance. 

The premise of the book being from the perspective of her husband’s mistress was really interesting and I think Nan’s story could have been a good standalone novel. Combining it with Agatha’s made it seem overly complicated  and far-fetched. Especially considering the book is written from Nan’s perspective and speaks about the experiences and events of other characters that she couldn’t have known. The author uses the idea of lucid dreaming to get around that but not effectively enough for me. 

What really made me dislike the novel was the twist at the end of act two, which  I saw coming but really didn’t want to see coming. I did appreciate the act three twist but not enough to compensate for the rest. 

I enjoyed learning about Magdalen laundries and convents in Ireland. 

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alexklinect's review

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lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars… Interesting, but unnecessarily long. I found the story wasn’t as redemptive as I had hoped. Lots of back and forth and perspective shifts in the timeline. Be aware that there is sexual content and abuse portrayed, though nothing explicit.

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jessica_grayson's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0


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bessadams's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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mels_reading_log's review against another edition

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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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kathryn_fletcher's review against another edition

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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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_alyssar_'s review

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emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0


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kstep0's review

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5


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passionatereader78's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a twisted tale of love! What does a woman do when her husband leaves her for his mistress? She disappears and uncovers a horrible past act that has impacted her future.

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edhyndman's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad slow-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? No

2.5


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