Source: Publisher
Description: The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered.
London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie.
The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?
Genre: Fiction - Historical
Why I Picked This Book: Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors and I've always found the story of her disappearance fascinating. I thought this sounded like an interesting premise.
My Impression: I honestly don't know how I feel about this one. I really liked the author's writing style. She pulled me in and really made the story come to life. Both Nan and Agatha are flawed women with strengths and weaknesses which I appreciated.
There are two timelines in this book. One involves Nan as a teenager and a young woman and the other starts shortly before Agatha Christie's disappearance. Nan is the narrator of both stories and has a voice that is a mix of vulnerable and jaded which is interesting. It felt like this was really two books. While Nan's earlier story is tragic and does provide backstory for her I was always so relieved when we went back to Agatha's story. Nan's story was so heavy and tragic that while I was pulled in it was much more distressing then I was looking for. As well it felt much more developed then the story of Agatha's disappearance which was my main draw to the book.
I really enjoyed this author's writing style and love this concept. While this didn't end up being the story I was really looking for I think it will appeal to many other readers who are looking for a historical read that touches on darker issues and not so much for the Agatha Christie story.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would if the subject matter interested me though I might wait for some reviews first so I can adjust expectations.
Would I Recommend this Book? This book touches on things like sexual assault, adultery, infant death, infant loss, and animal death (which is talked about but happens off page). Nothing is too graphically described but it is clear what is happening. If none of these trigger you and you enjoy deeper historical fiction then I would recommend this book as I did really appreciate the writing.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
Would I Recommend this Book? This book touches on things like sexual assault, adultery, infant death, infant loss, and animal death (which is talked about but happens off page). Nothing is too graphically described but it is clear what is happening. If none of these trigger you and you enjoy deeper historical fiction then I would recommend this book as I did really appreciate the writing.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I'm glad you mostly liked it. This book is on my radar because there are tons of books about Agatha Christie, and I haven't read any of them. I'll probably pick this one up eventually.
ReplyDeleteI have this one on hold at the library and will keep the things you said in mind. I will note that I was drawn to it as well because of the Christie disappearance story. We shall see how it goes for me when I get it. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHmm I can see how anyone interested in Agatha Christie's life would pick this one up. However sounds like the focus is too much on Nan to be truly right for an Agatha Christie fan.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good. I have it on my wishlist.
ReplyDeleteThis book has such an interesting premise but I would want Agatha's story.
ReplyDeleteWell, I am glad you liked it, but a little bummed the focus wasn't truly on Agatha.
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