Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - The Christie Affair

Thanks to Midas PR and the publisher for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Read my full review here: https://readingthroughinfinity.com/20...

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chelsaat's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Not to be confused with The Mystery of Mrs. Christie or that episode of Doctor Who, this trend of exploring what happened during Agatha Christie’s mysterious 10-day disappearance in 1926 nonetheless continues with Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair.

I really enjoyed the characters in this. Despite my initial skepticism of having this story told from the POV of Archie’s mistress (and I’m still skeptical of the moments where she’s telling us what certain characters are thinking and feeling), I did really come to sympathize with Nan. Her own tragic love story was quite sad, as is the general commentary on how unwed pregnant women were treated back then. I also enjoyed the murder mystery here, with all its little nods to Christie’s famous stories.

That said, this book messed with history a bit too much for me. I know you have to spin a yarn when writing historical fiction, but I don’t like when authors change the hard-set facts to fit their own narrative. Saying what major facts get changed here spoils the twist of the book, so I won’t reveal it, but I wasn’t a fan.

In my opinion, a successful historical fiction uses the facts as a starting point and then fills in the gaps. Otherwise, just create a whole new story that is “inspired by” true events.

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briannareads1342's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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? No

3.0

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constantine2020's review against another edition

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mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ½

Genre: Historical Fiction

This is historical fiction with mystery elements. The story takes place in the year 1926 when the author Agatha Christie disappeared for eleven days. This is the story of what made her disappear and all the reasons behind it. Her husband Archie Christie has informed her that he loves someone else and that he wants a divorce. Agatha was devastated by that and had to do something to save her marriage.

I’m a huge fan of Agatha Christie’s books so when I saw The Chrisite’s Affair I added it to my TBR. I liked the story and was intrigued by the premise a lot but unfortunately, this was majorly narrated by the other woman, Nan. It was more about her perspective than Agatha’s. I came for Agatha and most of what I got was about Nan. I didn’t like her perspective a lot. She was painting a picture of Agatha that felt like coming out of jealousy rather than truthness. This is honestly how I felt. At some point in the book, the shift in perspective confused me a bit, especially because during her hiding Agatha uses the same surname as Nan. So that might cause a mixup of POVs to readers.

Overall, this was an entertaining reading experience. Christie fans might be somehow disappointed because they are reading this book due to her name. However, the intriguing storyline and the few surprises will make it a pleasurable reading for you.

Many thanks to the publisher St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book.

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ninjamuse's review against another edition

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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

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themixedpages's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.5

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