Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Agatha Christie has to be one of the best-known authors in the world.  Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, came out in 1920 and her books have been in demand ever since.  Numerous movies, TV shows, and plays have been based on her works, including the 2023 movie “A Haunting in Venice” with Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot.

But what of the author herself?  There have been numerous biographies of Dame Agatha and even a few fictional treatments, most revolving around her 1926 disappearance.  The lady herself continues to intrigue, as evidenced by the best-seller status of this book—helped along, no doubt, by the prominence of the author.

Lucy Worlsey is a historian known for her interesting documentaries which run on PBS such as “Royal Secrets” or “12 Days of Tudor Christmas.”  For me, it’s her background as a historian which makes this biography of Christie stand out.  She views Christie as a product of her times, and backs it up with references from her many novels. 

Agatha was born in 1890, at the end of the Victorian era, to an American father and an English mother, and was the youngest of their three children.  While the family had been upper middle class, financial problems arose: servants had to be let go, and there wasn’t even enough money for Agatha to have a proper debut. When she was 24, she married an artillery officer who was home on leave from fighting in France during World War I. 

After the war, they set up housekeeping in London. Society was undergoing a lot of changes:  think Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs.  Agatha gave birth to a daughter, which she found almost bewildering. Fortunately, there was a nanny to take care of the child, while the Christies tried to find ways to make ends meet. One of those ways was for Agatha to try her hand at writing a mystery.

One book led to another, and soon Agatha was in demand as an author of mysteries.  Unfortunately, there were troubles in her marriage: Archie was spending a lot of time away from home. It’s debated how much Agatha suspected, but in August 1926, Archie asked for a divorce, having been carrying on an affair with Nancy Neely, a woman Agatha knew. 

The result was that Agatha went missing.  Search parties spent days looking for the famous author, finding only her abandoned car.  There were even dark suspicions that she might have met with foul play.  When she turned up at a spa, registered under the name of Neely, speculation was rampant.  Was she trying to frame her husband for murder? Did she have amnesia? Was it all a huge publicity stunt?

Worsley believes the explanation has already been given by Agatha herself and puts forth her own interpretation of the event, which I found plausible. Again, part of the understanding depends on knowing the time period.

The book continues with the rest of Agatha’s life, including her second marriage to a much younger man, her relationship with her daughter and grandson, and of course her writing.  I liked that Worsley didn’t feel as if this one incident defined Mrs. Christie (as she continued to be known, despite divorce and remarriage) and wanted to show the whole of her life.

The tone is conversational and light.  A great deal of research has gone into the book, including reading personal letters for background.  (One such gives lie to Agatha’s stance that she wrote her second novel only to help out with the household expenses, but Worsley explains that, given the times and Agatha’s upbringing, she would have felt obliged to have an excuse for doing something outside of being a housewife—which is what she continued to list as her occupation.  That, or “married woman.”) I also like that Worsley touches on some of the events or persons in her life that made their way into her fiction.  I very much want to re-read some of the books now.

If you are looking for scandal, this isn’t going to be the book for you. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in one of the most influential mystery writers of all time, by all means give it a try.

Must Read Well by Ellen Pall

Reviewed by Kristin

Liz Miller is a rather typical PhD student—smart, striving, and poor. She is focusing on the feminist works of mid-century women novelists, those women who sparked a revolution in the minds of American women. The big hole in her research is making contact with Anne Taussig Weil, who wrote a very important women’s liberation novel in the mid-1960s. Liz has attempted to contact Ms. Weil, who even lives in Greenwich Village in New York City, so close to Liz at Columbia University, only to be refused.

After an unexpected breakup from her longtime boyfriend, Liz finds herself on her best friend Petra’s couch searching Craigslist for any rental property that she could possibly afford. In NYC as a near penniless student, that doesn’t leave a lot of options. Until she sees…

            “Private room and bath with river view in pre-war doorman Greenwich
            Village building. Kitchen privileges. Available now. Advantageous terms
            for quiet female willing to read aloud to purblind landlady one hour a
            day. Reply with brief work/educational details to ATW1301922@juno.com.
            Must read well.”

ATW. Anne. Taussig. Weil. Who just happened to be born January 30, 1922.

Liz inquires about the apartment as “Beth Miller” hoping that Ms. Weil will not remember “Liz” the graduate student who sent her multiple letters asking for research assistance. “Beth” goes to meet Ms. Weil, who finds her an excellent prospect as both a tenant and a reader. A few days later, Liz moves in and begins reading aloud Ms. Weil’s journals surrounding a specific episode the elderly woman wishes to recall.

Liz cannot believe her luck that she is going to have access to the journals of the woman she has so long pursued. The enormity of what she might discover is exciting, and gives her hope that she may be able to finish her dissertation and make a place in hallowed academic circles.

This book kept me up late into the night as the tension increased. The episode Ms. Weil wishes to revisit gives Liz a huge insight into the iconic feminist author. Additionally, Ms. Weil is in failing health at age 89, and that adds to the suspense as Liz wonders how long she will be able to stay in the apartment.

I cannot say too much because I would not want to spoil this book for anyone who might choose to read it. I found it an excellent read with an exciting climax which I did not see coming. Looking back after finishing it (late at night!) I can see that there were definite clues that turned this into a cat-and-mouse game in which the reader can’t be sure who is manipulating whom.

I looked to see what else Ellen Pall has written, and found she has had a long but sporadic career in writing. Her early work is under the pseudonym Fiona Hill, writing historical romances. This is definitely not in the same vein, and I hope to see more nail-biting contemporary suspense from Pall in the future.

Romance on the Range

 

Janet Dailey became an author after her husband challenged her to prove she could write a better book than the ones she had been reading.  She rose to the challenge and sold her first book to Harlequin in 1976.  At that time, Harlequin romances were all set in Europe or exotic locales; Dailey was the first American author to be signed to the imprint.  She went on to write over 90 books, many of which were set in the American West—also a first.  Before Dailey, the image of a Western was almost solely male, with the occasional homesteader’s wife, saloon girl, or school marm thrown in.  Her books featured strong, independent women and contemporary settings that struck a chord with her readers:  estimates of her book sales range between 100-300 million.

In the meantime, another author tried to sell a book to Harlequin but was rejected because “they already had an American author.”  Nora Roberts sold her first book to Silhouette instead.

 

Dailey is probably best known for her eleven book series featuring the Calder family and for her 50 book Americana series, which featured a book set in each one of the 50 states. 

In 1997, Dailey was accused of plagiarizing from Roberts.  She admitted it, and two of her books (Notorious and Aspen Gold) were pulled by the publisher for “trademark infringement.”  She paid an undisclosed amount which Roberts said she would donate to literary causes.  Dailey blamed her actions on being under a great amount of stress caused by her husband’s surgery.

Dailey passed away in 2013 from complications of heart surgery. Books continue to appear under her name, however; a reply posted on Facebook to a questioner says that the books are being written by an author Dailey had mentored who is working from notes and outlines left by Dailey.

 

Sources:  Wikipedia, New York Times obituary, Simon & Schuster, www.janetdailey.com and www.facebook.com/janetdaileyauthor

Tumbledown Manor by Helen Brown

Reviewed by Jeanne

Lisa Trumperton Katz’s milestone birthday party is quite the surprise.  It begins promisingly enough, with unexpected appearances by her sister and son, both of whom have flown in to New York from Australia, and her daughter from California.  Her husband Jake makes a loving toast.

An enormous bouquet of red roses arrives, which is not at all Jake’s usual penny-pinching style.  Lisa is thrilled.  And then she reads the card which begins, “To my darling Belle.”

Let’s just say the party doesn’t end well.

After struggling to come to terms with the divorce, Lisa decides that she needs to reinvent herself.  She’s going to leave New York and return home to Australia.  After all, she is a novelist; she can write anywhere.  So she packs her bags and heads home, only to find home isn’t exactly the way she remembered it.  Her sister is encouraging to buy a house in a new development, but Lisa can’t work up any enthusiasm for that.  Instead, she wants to see Trumperton Manor, a house owned by her great -grandfather. She’s seen photos of it, faded black and white shots with glimpses of her beloved grandfather, but she feels the need to see it in person.  It turns out not to be quite what she expected.  It’s big, all right, but it’s very run down. 

 It’s also for sale.  

Against the advice of almost everyone, Lisa decides to buy the house and rehabilitate it.  Her decision is met by disbelief, derision, and laughter.  The town folk see her not as a local girl come home but as a New Yorker unused to life in rural Australia and are certain she won’t last a month.  The hunky landscaper makes her feel lumpy and inadequate as he seems to be making all the decisions about the property. The neighbors seem to be actively shunning her.  Then there’s the one eyed cat and the wild cockatoo. . . .

Having read two nonfiction memoirs by Helen Brown, I was really looking forward to finally reading her first novel.  I admit I was a bit disappointed at first but I wasn’t sure why.  Then I realized that I was missing the personal tone of her nonfiction books, which always made me feel as if was having a chat with an old friend.  I also found myself looking at certain characters and scenes and wondering if they were fictionalized versions of parts of Ms. Brown’s life.  Once I took away those distractions, I found myself enjoying this tale of a middle aged author and cancer survivor who isn’t as sophisticated or glib as she would like to be, who worries about her children but who tries not to meddle, but who also is determined to stand on her own two feet.  There’s humor, romance, a bit of mystery, and a sense of satisfaction to see someone learn how strong and independent she can be.

One of my favorite lines comes fairly early in the book, when her sister is trying to dissuade Lisa from buying the house because it isn’t practical or sensible.  Lisa replies that “I don’t have the luxury of not taking risks.” 

Know what?  She’s right.

I also appreciated the strong sense of place:  since Lisa had lived in New York City for years, she sees the landscape with more of an outsider’s perspective.  The summer heat practically shimmers off the page. The animal characters are vivid—a big plus for me—and I got a kick out of Lisa’s writing career.  (She’s writing a trilogy about the Bronte sisters, giving them all a bit of spicy romance in the process.)

This is a light and enjoyable novel that would make a good summer book. I also highly recommend her other two books, Cleo and Cats and Daughters:  They Don’t Always Come When Called. (I think I have cornered the local market on copies of Cleo; I've given at least a half dozen copies as gifts as well as copies of Cats and Daughters.  And yes, I have already gotten two copies of Tumbledown Manor  to give as a gift as well.)