Agatha Christie
The Sunday Times bestselling biography of the legendary creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple
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4.4 • 19 Ratings
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- £0.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling biography of Britain's 'Queen of Crime' by acclaimed historian Lucy Worsley OBE
'Every Christie fan should read this' - THE TIMES
To Lucy Worsley, Agatha Christie was 'thrillingly, scintillatingly modern'. She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness. Born in 1890, Christie defied societal expectations the whole of her life.
With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley's bestselling biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realise what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was - truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.
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ACCLAIM for Agatha Christie:
'A smart and highly entertaining portrait of a literary powerhouse' - THE TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'A riveting portrait' - GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR
'Worsley's sparkling biography brings a fresh eye to Christie's life and work, firmly busting the myth that she, or her novels, were cosy' - DAILY MAIL
'Shows the Queen of Crime in a new light' - DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Worsley's book excels in bringing a broader historical perspective to Christie's life and work, and her enthusiasm is infectious' - OBSERVER
AGATHA CHRISTIE published as a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller in the w/c 2023-08-27.
Customer Reviews
An insightful biography of Agatha Christie
Lucy Worsley has written an insightful book into the life of the author Agatha Christie.
The book ties in with the TV series, presented by the author, which was first shown on the BBC at the end of last year.
Worsley writes how Agatha’s first marriage to Archie Christie was difficult. Archie returned from fighting in World War I with nervous dyspepsia.
Worsley spends a significant part of the book looking at Agatha’s disappearance. This happens soon after the death of her mother and the breakdown of her marriage. Worsley writes, “Agatha experienced a distressing episode of mental illness, brought on by the trauma of the death of her mother and the breakdown of her marriage.”
Worsley states this illness nearly broke Christie, but she was able to overcome it and become stronger because of the experience.
I like the way the book also looks at the characters Agatha created. It describes how Poirot doesn’t use his brawn but his, “little grey cells.” Worsley says she prefers the “early, acidic Miss Marple.”
It was interesting to read that Agatha put a bit of “her own life” into her books when she used the pen name Mary Westmacott.
Agatha’s marriage to her second husband, Max Mallowan, proved to be successful and Worsley writes it, “was a companionate marriage that proved remarkably endurable.”
In later life Agatha lived in Wallingford and through the book we find that she was a “rather unapproachable lady.”
The author comes to the conclusion that Agatha was shaped by the 20th century, but her success was down to her willpower and industry.