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tygertigs's review
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Rape
blancake's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Was Agatha Christie really necessary here?
I think I would enjoy it more if it were about some completely fictional people, especially since some very bold statements were made about and by real people who still have very much living relatives and offsprings. This made me quite uncomfortable while reading.
I think I would enjoy it more if it were about some completely fictional people, especially since some very bold statements were made about and by real people who still have very much living relatives and offsprings. This made me quite uncomfortable while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Suicide, Classism, Child death, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault
shelfofunread's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
2.0
The Christie Affair has a fantastic premise: what if there had been a real-life mystery behind the period during 1926 when best-selling novelist Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days? Even better, what if that mystery involved both Christie and her husband Archie's mistress, here re-named Nan O'Dea?
Sadly, for me, the execution didn't deliver on the concept. And that reimagining of Archie's real-life second wife, Nancy Neele, into Nan O'Dea is one of the primary reasons for that.
Nan's personal story is a tragic one involving an Irish lover, an unexpected pregnancy, and a brutal forced incarceration. But it only becomes entwined with Agatha's life towards the end of the novel and has little relevance to her disappearance. Indeed, the 'twist' at the end that links the two women was, to me, both somewhat disrespectful to the real Agatha, Archie, and Nancy and also rather far-fetched and bizarre.
Nan's tale is, in and of itself, a very compelling one - and it is well told by the author, with an evocative sense of both character and place coming across on the page - but I just couldn't understand why the Christie connection had been made.
I understand that this is fiction but the title, blurb, and marketing of The Christie Affair suggested that the book "reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 that captivated the world". Yet instead of Nan's story revealing "the truth of [Agatha's] disappearance", it wholly alters several aspects of both Christie and Nancy Neele's lives, replacing the real women with compellingly-written but barely recognisable figures and 'reimagining' their biographies by inventing fictitious romances (for Christie) and traumatic secrets (for Nancy/Nan).
If The Christie Affair hadn't promised to be a novel about Agatha Christie, I suspect I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. It is clear that the author can write a compelling historical novel and create interesting, believable, and empathetic characters. Sadly, the Christie link ended up feeling like little more than a convenient and underutilised hook that detracted from an otherwise interesting - but very different - novel.
Sadly, for me, the execution didn't deliver on the concept. And that reimagining of Archie's real-life second wife, Nancy Neele, into Nan O'Dea is one of the primary reasons for that.
Nan's personal story is a tragic one involving an Irish lover, an unexpected pregnancy, and a brutal forced incarceration. But it only becomes entwined with Agatha's life towards the end of the novel and has little relevance to her disappearance. Indeed, the 'twist' at the end that links the two women was, to me, both somewhat disrespectful to the real Agatha, Archie, and Nancy and also rather far-fetched and bizarre.
Nan's tale is, in and of itself, a very compelling one - and it is well told by the author, with an evocative sense of both character and place coming across on the page - but I just couldn't understand why the Christie connection had been made.
I understand that this is fiction but the title, blurb, and marketing of The Christie Affair suggested that the book "reimagines the unexplained eleven-day disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 that captivated the world". Yet instead of Nan's story revealing "the truth of [Agatha's] disappearance", it wholly alters several aspects of both Christie and Nancy Neele's lives, replacing the real women with compellingly-written but barely recognisable figures and 'reimagining' their biographies by inventing fictitious romances (for Christie) and traumatic secrets (for Nancy/Nan).
If The Christie Affair hadn't promised to be a novel about Agatha Christie, I suspect I'd have enjoyed it a lot more. It is clear that the author can write a compelling historical novel and create interesting, believable, and empathetic characters. Sadly, the Christie link ended up feeling like little more than a convenient and underutilised hook that detracted from an otherwise interesting - but very different - novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Suicide, War, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Infertility
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.
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
highladymagnus's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Child death
Moderate: War
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"
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
breekeeler's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Nina de Gramont is clearly a talented writer; there are passages in this book that are incredibly lovely and affecting. In part, I think my own expectations for what this book would be affected my enjoyment of the book.
Given that the book isn't terribly long, it seemed to drag on. I was interested in Nan's story (although was personally annoyed by the "motherhood is more powerful and important than anything" trope that drove/justified much of the plot), but for so much of the book, there were just too many storylines going on, and they didn't get connected until quite late in the game, by which point I hardly cared anymore. In fact, the story dragged so much that by the time the mystery plot was solved, my entire response was to shrug. I just didn't care anymore.
Unreliable narrators don't always work for me, and this, unfortunately, was an instance where it didn't work for me at all. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think it's because everyone's story is told from Nan's imagined version of their life/events, and so it all only serves her narrative of events. I understand why this choice was made, but I think this comes down to me wanting a story about Agatha Christie's disappearance, and instead getting a story that was something else entirely. In fact, you could have simply re-named the Christie character and given her a different profession, and the story wouldn't have been impacted at all. If this book hadn't been marketed as being a take on the Christie disappearance, it isn't something I would have picked up, and since the plot wasn't affected by the fact that it was Christie (as opposed to any other upper class woman) who "disappeared", I felt a bit duped in the end.
Given that the book isn't terribly long, it seemed to drag on. I was interested in Nan's story (although was personally annoyed by the "motherhood is more powerful and important than anything" trope that drove/justified much of the plot), but for so much of the book, there were just too many storylines going on, and they didn't get connected until quite late in the game, by which point I hardly cared anymore. In fact, the story dragged so much that by the time the mystery plot was solved, my entire response was to shrug. I just didn't care anymore.
Unreliable narrators don't always work for me, and this, unfortunately, was an instance where it didn't work for me at all. I can't quite put my finger on why, but I think it's because everyone's story is told from Nan's imagined version of their life/events, and so it all only serves her narrative of events. I understand why this choice was made, but I think this comes down to me wanting a story about Agatha Christie's disappearance, and instead getting a story that was something else entirely. In fact, you could have simply re-named the Christie character and given her a different profession, and the story wouldn't have been impacted at all. If this book hadn't been marketed as being a take on the Christie disappearance, it isn't something I would have picked up, and since the plot wasn't affected by the fact that it was Christie (as opposed to any other upper class woman) who "disappeared", I felt a bit duped in the end.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Animal death and Suicide
dorsetreader's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
ninjamuse's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization and Infidelity
Moderate: Kidnapping, Misogyny, Rape, Pregnancy, and Murder
jukietoss's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I really like the concept of telling a story of Agatha Christie's 11-day disappearance, and I thought the story de Gramont conjured was quite compelling. It incorporated both romance and mystery in really satisfying ways. Where it fell down for me was in how it executed that narrative: the book's structure was really disjointed which made it hard to stay engaged. I understand what de Gramont was trying to do and why she told the story asynchronously, but the way it played out was disruptive and led to some reveals that felt premature or repetitive. De Gramont didn't just look backward in time to contextualize the present--she also did a lot of foreshadowing or explicitly naming what would take place years into the future. I found these forward-looking reveals distracting. The stories from the past were important to the story, but I think they could have been incorporated or examined more elegantly.
That said, the overall story was fun, and there were glimmers of ambience that showed really strong world-building and the ability to sweep the reader away. These were often interrupted by other locations or time periods, but I enjoyed the moments of respite where I could get swept up in Christie's story.
That said, the overall story was fun, and there were glimmers of ambience that showed really strong world-building and the ability to sweep the reader away. These were often interrupted by other locations or time periods, but I enjoyed the moments of respite where I could get swept up in Christie's story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Pregnancy, Murder, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Child death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, War, Death of parent, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Infertility
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