Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - The Christie Affair

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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fairytalefootnotes's review

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emotional sad tense 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

3.5

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rosemaryfay's review

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

not gonna lie, this whole book was very "cool motive, still murder".

I don't really care about the nun and priest, they can rot.

nan... is maximally unlikable despite her very tragic past. I honestly would have respected the author more if she'd leaned into the assholeness of nans actions and relationship.

also, I agree with other reviewers that the narration is Bad. lots of "i imagine" interspersed with random 3rd person interludes and odd side characters that make the plot feel even MORE contrived than it already is. I really really wish the author had just picked one. Honestly, if Nan wasn't the narrator, this book would probably improve by at least 1 star.

I will not be reading another book by this author any time soon.

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sophie_theresia_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I have no words. This story was everything and even more than I expected when I picked it up. It was so much more than just a mystery novel and I'd definitely check out trigger warnings beforehand - I did not expect that dark of a backstory really. I really enjoyed the story built around the vanishing of Agatha Christie, which really happened, becoming something that could've been, but we never will know for sure. Will definitely look more into that vanishing now I'm deeply invested!

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khayes694's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.0

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laurenleigh's review

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mysterious medium-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

An interesting premise fell short of the mark for me on this one. The plot felt convoluted, trying to be its own book while also trying to be a Christie mystery. The constant jumping around of time was confusing. That all may be my own fault for not paying attention enough while I was packing, but what definitely wasn’t on me was the mystifying POV. It’s supposedly first person narrative, but then it suddenly switches to third with no warning? Or the first person narrator tries to explain how she knew these things, even if she wasn’t there?? It made no sense to me. Almost DNF, but it was a quick read anyway.

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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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