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pauline_b's review
4.0
4.5 stars
Single book review on YT to come (can you tell I really liked this?!)
Single book review on YT to come (can you tell I really liked this?!)
pbraue13's review
5.0
A charmingly written and smart autobiography of a woman (and famed mystery writer) who lived her life to the fullest. As a fan of her novels (I am still attempting to read them all - Dame Agatha wrote so many that it is incredibly hard to catch up) I seized upon this book with eagerness and excitement. The book feels like I sat down and had a conversation with the writer and she told me all about her life. In fact, there may be something to the having a conversation with her as if you check out the Audible audiobook it is her own recordings (ignore the bad audio) for this book, mainly the moments discussing her writing process and creation of some of her most iconic characters.
The book has been fitted together and edited to perfection posthumously by her publishers as this book was worked on by the writer over a period of 15 years (from 1950 to 1965) in an effort to set the record straight about her life before many people were bound to write biographies about her pre/post her death. All the repetitions and inconsistencies have been eliminated or smoothed out for an autobiography that is beautifully put together and feels like a cozy, warm hug from a relative you love. Inspiring, smart, and again so much fun!
My only qualm with it is the fact that one of the most interesting and unexplained moments in her life is not explained or talked about - her infamous disappearance and "amnesia". Yet, even then the way she doesn't talk about it makes it all the more interesting and the book all the more engaging. She religates the year that it happens to one sentence or two, mentioning that it is a painful year that she hates to recall or talk about. It's no wonder considering that was the year her mother died, she had to clean out and sell her family home, she was becoming world famous, and her husband revealed that he was cheating on her and wanted a divorce. All that at once would make anyone want to disappear, but in her writing around that year you get the sense that she was able to find happiness and heal and it made me all the happier for her. The other flaw in this book is that she stopped writing it 15 years prior to her death and all her future successes! I would have loved to have heard her opinions on the long-running "The Mousetrap" (which is still the longest running play in history) and the amazing adaptation of "Murder on the Orient Express". Otherwise, great!
5/5 stars!
The book has been fitted together and edited to perfection posthumously by her publishers as this book was worked on by the writer over a period of 15 years (from 1950 to 1965) in an effort to set the record straight about her life before many people were bound to write biographies about her pre/post her death. All the repetitions and inconsistencies have been eliminated or smoothed out for an autobiography that is beautifully put together and feels like a cozy, warm hug from a relative you love. Inspiring, smart, and again so much fun!
My only qualm with it is the fact that one of the most interesting and unexplained moments in her life is not explained or talked about - her infamous disappearance and "amnesia". Yet, even then the way she doesn't talk about it makes it all the more interesting and the book all the more engaging. She religates the year that it happens to one sentence or two, mentioning that it is a painful year that she hates to recall or talk about. It's no wonder considering that was the year her mother died, she had to clean out and sell her family home, she was becoming world famous, and her husband revealed that he was cheating on her and wanted a divorce. All that at once would make anyone want to disappear, but in her writing around that year you get the sense that she was able to find happiness and heal and it made me all the happier for her. The other flaw in this book is that she stopped writing it 15 years prior to her death and all her future successes! I would have loved to have heard her opinions on the long-running "The Mousetrap" (which is still the longest running play in history) and the amazing adaptation of "Murder on the Orient Express". Otherwise, great!
5/5 stars!
ratgirlreads's review
4.0
Great fun. Agatha Christie was an interesting person entirely apart from her long career as a writer, so the book is engaging on several different levels. The occasional bursts of Victorian hypocrisy only add to the amusement value.
eroviana's review
It's finally over! After two months of slug-reading I can proudly say that I finished it. Now, why exactly this is important I wouldn't know. I was interested in the writing life of an author such as Agatha Christie but I got very little of that - like 7% of the whole book. It was mostly about her childhood, her married life (both husbands) and the archaelogical diggs (which was the only interesting thing I could find here). I mean why on earth would I care about the curtain patterns, the sturdiness of furniture or the state of the kitchen? I don't. I don't even care enough about my staff let alone someone else's.
All in all, I would not recommend this. She keeps going back and forth with no warning which is disorienting. On the whole it was rather boring. My first read of 2016, it is a disappointment, especially if you consider how much I loved her books while I was growing up.
All in all, I would not recommend this. She keeps going back and forth with no warning which is disorienting. On the whole it was rather boring. My first read of 2016, it is a disappointment, especially if you consider how much I loved her books while I was growing up.
letopotato's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
An interesting recap on life in Victorian England. This is not a strictly chronological biography. It feels more like very rational diary entries loosely following her life, and I think that's what made it interesting to me.
The little things, the weird thoughts one never dares to speak, the factually most mediocre situations that, for some reason, stay most vividly in her memory. Those tell so much more about what kind of person she was than anything else. They also make it painfully obvious how different the life in her time was. No recognition of her privileges and very interesting opinions on "the youth" and the developement of the world in general. It's to be expected of course, but still was an eye-opener.
All in all, I am glad I have read her autobiography. Definitely a good read, narrative-wise.
The little things, the weird thoughts one never dares to speak, the factually most mediocre situations that, for some reason, stay most vividly in her memory. Those tell so much more about what kind of person she was than anything else. They also make it painfully obvious how different the life in her time was. No recognition of her privileges and very interesting opinions on "the youth" and the developement of the world in general. It's to be expected of course, but still was an eye-opener.
All in all, I am glad I have read her autobiography. Definitely a good read, narrative-wise.
mg_in_md_'s review
4.0
This was my pick for the 2018 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge prompt "a book published posthumously." Christie drafted this over the course of several decades; it covers her childhood, both of her marriages, her travels, her impressions of war, and, of course, her incredible career and views about her beloved characters. Interestingly, she also touches on the concept of memories. The exuberantly told anecdotes leave the reader with a sense of optimism and joy. It was a fascinating read overall and provided unique insights about Christie's life and work. Noticeably absent is any discussion of Christie's 11-day disappearance, which remains a mystery even today. But then, she is the Queen of Mystery for a reason ;-)
jetia13's review
5.0
not recommended unless you enjoy long descriptions of everyday victorian life as much as i do.
gingerjane's review against another edition
4.0
Review at: Self-Conscious Posturing. It's where I do the blogging mostly.
ckrupiej's review against another edition
"No meu entender, a vida consiste em três partes: o absorvente e habitualmente agradável presente, que corre minuto a minuto com velocidade fatal; o futuro, obscuro e incerto, em relação ao qual podemos imaginar grande número de planos interessantes, e se insólitos e improváveis tanto melhor, visto que - como nada virá ser como esperávamos que fosse - ao menos nos divertimos enquanto planeávamos; e a terceira parte, o passado, as recordações e as realidades que são os alicerces da vida presente e que nos surgem de repente, trazidas por um perfume, pela forma de uma colina, qualquer canção antiga, trivialidades que de súbito nos fazem murmurar: - Eu lembro-me .....- com um peculiar e quase inexplicável prazer."
"Quando pensamos no tempo e na eternidade, as coisas pessoais cessam de nos afectar do mesmo modo. Tristezas, sofrimentos, todas as coisas finitas da vida se mostram em perspectiva diferente."
.
"A lealdade é a virtude que mais admiro. A lealdade e a coragem são duas das mais belas coisas que existem no mundo. Se suportamos viver, podemos suportar viver com coragem. É um dever!"
"Quando pensamos no tempo e na eternidade, as coisas pessoais cessam de nos afectar do mesmo modo. Tristezas, sofrimentos, todas as coisas finitas da vida se mostram em perspectiva diferente."
.
"A lealdade é a virtude que mais admiro. A lealdade e a coragem são duas das mais belas coisas que existem no mundo. Se suportamos viver, podemos suportar viver com coragem. É um dever!"
lisa_whitfield's review
4.0
I actually listened to the audiobook and it was cool to hear her actual voice telling the story. It was sometimes difficult to follow and got a little boring even though I really like Agatha Christie's stories. For those of you who are easily offended, she uses the "N" word which was common in that era. Since I understand that period of time, it didn't shock me.