Customer Reviews

Unfinished Portrait (Westmacott)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Unfinished Protrait" will be useful reading for anyone interested not only in Agatha Christie's writing but also in her life. The parallels between the latter and this book at the time it was written (193?) are striking. The main character, "Celia," has one child, is a writer (Christie makes some interesting observations on her writing habits), and loves to travel. She is driven to the point of suicide (and, though Christie probably never made such an attempt, she did disappear for awhile) by her selfish husband's demands for a divorce. Christie herself divorced in 1928, because her husband wanted it, and, despite remarriage and much subsequent happiness, never seems to have gotten over the shock of such a thing happening, sort of how some children never get over their parents' divorce. The ending, also, is on a level with where Mrs. Christie probably felt herself to be, psychologically, at that point in her life.

Of course there are many differences - Christie was not, I think, as close to her mother, and closer, I hope, to her daughter. (Maybe she flipped them, for dramatic purposes.) But much of the childhood - the Victorian grandmother, the trip to France - are in cinque.

The above-mentioned autobiographical parts (especially about the agony of the divorce, and the writing) were extremely interesting and worth reading the book for. The rest, unfortunately, drags, because, without the imposed discipline and contrast of a whodunnit plotframe, Mrs. Christie is just too sweet and gentle. She goes on too long about her character's childhood, for instance. But it is a must for real Christie fans. Read it, perhaps, after reading her legitimate (and actually, less revealing) "Autobiography." (And don't forget her other autobiography, about her life with her second husband, the archeologist Max Mallowan: "Come, Tell Me How You Live.")

I found this book to be both exciting and enchanting. Agatha Christie, as Mary Westmacott, diverges from writing mystery novels to taking a poignant look at the human spirit. As Christie writes this intriguing tale, we see Celia's world unfold before us with many unexpected turns to follow. This book is definitely one to get especially for the romantics at heart.

There has been much speculation that this 1934 novel by Agatha Christie writing under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott is largely autobiographical. Indeed, if you read Ms. Christie's own autobiography, you will be struck with many resemblances between her real life and that of the fictional Celia.

We first meet Celia when she is a child, unsure of herself, longing for attributes she may never have, and deeply attached to her mother. With the deft characterization she is famous for, the author weaves an enchanting tale of a young girl growing into womanhood and facing numerous challenges. Because Celia is beautiful, she has no lack of suitors or marriage proposals. It is only when she does marry that her life begins to tear apart. The reader is privy to her many mistakes and misconceptions about her husband and may be saddened when Celia finds herself without the support of the three people she most deeply loves---her mother, her husband, and her only child.

The story is told by a portrait painter who meets Celia one night. He thinks he may have unwittingly rescued her from a suicide attempt. He is mesmerized by the story she tells and writes it all down and sends it to a friend. Readers of women's fiction will enjoy the many twists and turns that make Celia's life memorable.