...........have been written to explain the 11 days when Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926?
I've read two, one was 'A Talent for Murder' by Andrew Wilson and then this one.......
Agatha Christie is already a well know author when she disappears on December 3rd 1926. She's been married to Archie Christie for several years and has a daughter Teddy. Her world is one of glamourous society parties and country house weekends. Unfortunately she knows that Archie has a mistress -Nan- and is probably about to divorce her to be with Nan.
In this account Nan is very different and has escaped a tough London upbringing to live in Ireland where she becomes pregnant and spends the pregnancy in a convent maternity home where the nuns are aloof, the priest takes advantage of the women and the child is taken away after just a few weeks.
Managing to get back to England she is noticed by Archie and later becomes involved with Agatha's disappearance. The father of Nan's baby and a policeman are also involved and the story is told from the point of view of all four characters.
A clever story- very well written, and as Agatha never did reveal or remember what she had been doing in Harrogate in those missing days, there is plenty of opportunity for any author to make up a good tale.
I came across another in my search but not in the library stock........ 'The Mystery of Mrs Christie" by Marie Benedict and there are a couple of non fiction books on the same subject too
Back Tomorrow
Sue
I must look out for that book, it sounds interesting, thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good read
DeleteIt does look interesting, I agree with Sooze. Thanks, Sue.
ReplyDeletePersonally I agree with the Doctor Who solution in The Unicorn and the Wasp! < chuckle >
xx
Had to look that up to find out what you meant - it's from 2008 - I might have seen it then but can't remember it from that long ago!
DeleteSounds like she had a psychotic episode a bit like my former partner who got up in the middle of the night because voices in his head told him to leave. He then disappeared.
ReplyDeleteThat's a possibility of course
DeleteReports do say that when she was found, staying in a hotel somewhere, she had memory loss and had no idea what she was doing. I think it points to a mental breakdown even if it was only temporary. I suspect having a young child brought her back to reality eventually.
DeleteFrom what I have read about this episode I think Rachel's explanation is very likely. It resembles quite closely a dissociative fugue state the main feature of this temporary amnesia. I have come across it a few times. It normally occurs following a highly stressful event in someone's life which is suppressed into the subconscious as a defence in the face of a psychologically traumatic event. What AG was going through with her husband might well account for it in her case. She might well not have ever wanted to talk about it, partly because of the memory loss, but also perhaps the stigma of a mental breakdown. This is a neurotic rather than psychotic reaction.
DeleteSounds a good read-thanks for the précis. Catriona
ReplyDeleteGood to share book ideas. This might have come from some ones blog for me to know about it!
DeleteThe book is a good blend of fact and fiction with lots of suspense. Definitely a good read.
ReplyDeleteIt was!
DeleteI didn't know Agatha Christie disappeared. Interesting. My daughter bought a cookbook at Target store written by Magnolia. She has her magazine as well per subscription that I got her for a birthday a couple years ago. I have been reading more books lately. Now that I am at home and not working for awhile, I plan to get things done and read books as well. A list needs to be written for me as well. Have a good week!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting read. I must look for that.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
There's a good account of this episode in Lucy Worsley's recent bio of Christie, too, which does sound like a mental breakdown from stress and overwork. Thanks for reminding me of Marie Benedict. I recently read her Mitford Affair, based on the rl mitford family, and very good.
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember reading about this! Very curious.
ReplyDelete