Customer Reviews

Come, Tell Me How You Live

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Several times Agatha Christie accompanied her husband Max Mallowan on his archaeological expeditions to the Middle East. When friends kept on asking how she lived there, Agatha decided to write her adventures down in this book.

The title, in fact, is a pun on "tell," the Arabic word for hill or mound, which is used in the Middle East to describe the hill-like shapes of buried archaeological sites.

This book is probably the most humorous book the detective writer has ever written. She not only puts her own fame in perspective, but also acts as a keen observer of those little things that make humans such funny creatures. Although you never lose the impression that most of the characters in this non-fiction book are caricatures of real people, it still gives you a plausible impression of how life strolled on in the Middle East at that time.

Do not expect a serious treatise on archaeological excavations, because you won't find any scientific information in this book. What you can expect is a rather messy hodgepodge of all-day situations that may bring a smile on your face. And that's fine with me, because that's all Agatha intended it to be: an easily digested chronicle written with love.

It's great to know that this book is available again to delight new readers with Agatha's travel diary.
Married to an archeologist, who worked mainly at that part of the world once known as Mesopotamia, Agatha has participated in many expeditions with her husband and team. Her book is about her day life at the camp, trying to manage the servants, struggling to develop photos of the objects in a suffocating studio, fighting her own shyness when it comes to talk to the expedition's architect. Piece by piece, she take us back to this almost mysterious past with her talent and good sense of humor.
Mine is an old edition, but when I feel a little depressed or sad, I always go back to its pages. It heals my soul. Every time.

Agatha Christie was a prolific writer who churned out one or more books each year for decades. She was invariably on the Best Seller lists in several countries at any given moment, usually had at least one or more plays running in London and saw several films made from her novels. One would imagine her life as divided between writing her novels in some comfortable English country house or attending various events publicizing her latest work or supporting some worthy cause. Instead of this life in the public spotlight for many years she spent every winter 'season' accompanying her husband, Max Mallowan, on archaeological digs in the Middle East, usually living in primative conditions and assisting him with his work. This book is her description of that part of her life, where she was not Agatha Christie, the world famous writer but Mrs Mallowan, the boss's wife.

This chronicle, written and published against her agent's and publisher's advice was written shortly before WWII broke out and describes life on archaelogical digs in the Middle East. Christie gives us descriptions of areas that figure prominently in today's news, Beruit, Basura, Afghanistan. Events that shape present day headlines are recent events at this time, the Armenian massacres for example. While Christie mentions these larger events her focus is on the day to day lives of those around her, the interactions of Europeans, Arabs, Kurds and others. She describes a time when a twenty five mile trip into the nearest town could take two or more days, and where communication was almost nonexistent. In this exotic location she relates homey little tales of village life such as Miss Marple would know (though without the murders).

As another reviewer has already mentioned these memoirs are reminiscent of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody novels both in setting and wry tone. For fans of Christie it is a treat to get a glimpse into this very private woman's private life. From time to time a situation or person that has appeared in her stories can be seen here 'in real life'.

I'm sad to see that this book is out of print, because it's one of my favorites by Christie. Her second husband, archeologist Max Mallowan, was kind, reliable, and utterly devoted to her, by contrast with her straying ex. But accompanying Mallowan on his digs satisfied her adventurous side as well, and this period of her life was a happy and productive one. In this book, she writes humorously about their travels together, but the picture that emerges is one of great affection and mutual respect. Guaranteed to make you feel good!

This book has been my companion for a few nights now, just a little amusing reading while I prepare to drop off-- if only those dogs would move over and give me some room!

Christie writes of a Middle East that few now can remember, and she is writing to entertain, not inform. There's a certain careless racism that caused me a little niggle of discomfort but, fear not, the Europeans come in for their fair share of ridicule as she skewers the members of the dig and their staff.

Those who enjoy Elizabeth Peters' mysteries set in Egypt (at admittedly an earlier period) might also enjoy this glimpse into what a dig in the desert could be like.

Just to put things in perspective, Mallowan (Christie's archaeologist husband) had begun his career digging with Leonard Woolley and Christie is writing oh so casually about events that underpin some of what is going on in that part of the world now. The massacre of Armenians and the differences between the Kurds and the Arabs are now writ large in our news reports.

Agatha Christie's Autobiography gives almost no attention to what is the most exciting time in her life--to her and to anyone interested in her. It's obvious that she was much more content at this point in her life through the amount of character and excitement this book contains, though it spans a much shorter time. It is a chronicle of her time in the Middle East with her second husband Max Mallowan, and conveys a fascinating picture of archaeology and life in the desert areas in the middle of the century

In the early portion of the 20th Century, wealthy leisured men not infrequently financed and supervised archeological digs (to the dismay of modern scientists). Famed mystery writer Agatha Christie's husband was such a wealthy leisured man. In Come, Tell Me How You Live, Ms. Christie depicts a several-year-long archeological expedition to the Middle East. Though clearly not nearly so interested in archeology as her husband, Agatha traveled to the Middle East with him and recorded her impressions of the people and places she visited. Writing with keen observation and more keen humor, Ms. Christie both provides a history of the dig and points out the stark differences between the Middle East and Europe in the early 20th century.

Though this book is quite clearly somewhat dated and many modern readers may feel, at the very least, uncomfortable with the depictions of the local population, Ms. Christie succeeds in painting an attractive picture of a romantic bygone era. (That is not to say that Ms. Christie sugarcoats the events of the expedition - indeed, more than a few persons involved in the dig die.) She presents the British empire in its waning days, conjuring visions of proper but amused Brits struggling to maintain decorum among civilizations half a world physically and a universe culturally away from Britain. Thankfully, Ms. Christie avoids excessive romanticization and does not fail to recognize the humanity in the local populace. Though the "natives" are constant objects of confusion and humor, they are never treated as subhuman.

Perhaps most surprising for me is the persona of Ms. Christie that emerges from this book. Having read more than a few of Ms. Christie's works, I was aware of her humor and, at times, ability to take on a conversational tone. Even so, I was impressed and delighted to discover an Agatha Christie that was sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, self-deprecating and empathetic. Simply for this, the book is worth reading. Though I would not attempt to claim that this book is a masterpiece of contemporary history, it does provide a pleasant-feeling remembrance of an interesting point in time and insight into the unexpected life experience of one of history's great genre authors.

This is the first Agatha Christie book I've read that was NOT a mystery. I was not sure if I would enjoy it but I did! One of the reviews said "it is impossible for Christie to write a dull book" and I now agree with that statement.
Reading this is like entering another world. I never gave a thought to what an archaeological dig would be like, but now I have a very good idea. I'm sure that this book is dated and things have changed by now, but I really felt like I was a part of the time and place Christie and her husband occupied. I'd just love the chance to meet them now!

I stayed at the Hotel Baron in Aleppo in 1990 and 1992 where, many years earlier, Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan frequently sought respite from the Syrian desert. I mentioned to the Baron's owner, Krikor Mazmoumian, that Come Tell Me How You Live was my favorite book of hers. "Oh, mine too," he said. "I don't like mysteries. I once threw a party here at the hotel. Agatha was in the lobby and was a bit miffed when guests didn't realize who she was. She went all silent. But when I introduced her, and others recognized who she was she perked up and had a grand time."

When reality surpasses fiction: Every near-eastern archaeologist will love to read over and over again this wonderful book. Almost every situation is still true today.

Yallah Shebab!