Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A teacher at Harvard, Gill specializes in modern fiction and feminist theory--the roots of her interest in the phenomenally popular British author/playwright. The well-known facts about Christie's life (1891-1976) support Gill's perception of the mystery writer as a lusty and adventurous woman. In Christie's fiction, the biographer finds clues to characteristics she believes were hidden by her intensely private subject. Gill succeeds in proving Christie was no prissy Victorian, as charged by some critics, and on the whole, this biography of the prolific mystery writer is extremely satisfying. There are, however, disappointments: for example, Gill glosses over the racist elements in Christie's early novels (amended in American editions), as did Janet Morgan in the authorized Agatha Christie: A Biography .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Agatha Christie fans will delight in this skillful unraveling of the mystique of the world's most famous female mystery writer. Christie is a study in contradictions, a woman of physical and moral courage who all her life suffered from shyness so great that she allowed herself to be turned away unrecognized from a party in her honor. By using the writer's own techniques of detection, Gill is able to unmask much of Christie's past. This is no easy task, for Christie left her own autobiography and succeeded in controlling all other biographies in a determined attempt to preserve her privacy. By examining her novels closely and comparing them to events in Christie's own life, Gill sheds new light on the woman and the writer. Although Gill's treatment is scholarly and her vocabulary challenging, students of fiction writing and admirers of Christie's work will welcome Gill's insights into the creative process. Feminists, too, will appreciate how this reclusive Victorian rose above her own nature, influenced generations of readers, and maintained an exciting personal life.
- Jacqueline Gropman, Richard Byrd Library, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 243 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (September 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0029117038
• ISBN-13: 978-0029117033
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,975,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Goes deeper than the usual bios, August 26, 2000

By	K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries (Hardcover)

The author of this works shows how Agatha Christie's private life and the traumas she endured pushed her to go beyond the usual norms of mystery writing, surprising and enchanting her readers. Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie's writing, as it lends insight into her life and her work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thanks to Gillian Gill we are allowed a glimpse of our beloved Ms. Christie, September 14, 2005

By	Sarah "shoot_straight" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Agatha Christie: The Woman and Her Mysteries (Paperback)

This book does a very nice job of rounding out the character of Our Agatha. Almost everyone living and breathing has heard of this famous mystery writer, but a fraction of those people know the events in Christie's life that created a basis for her most loved tales.

Gill's obvious respect for Christie allows her readers to enjoy reading this biography almost as much as Gill must have had in writing it.

One criticism would be that this book does tend to linger in the area of deconstruction of the style of mystery writing that Agatha Christie used in her many-decade career. The general idea of how a mystery is constructed is interesting, but a bit less of this would tighten up Gill's otherwise delightful biography.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating mind, November 9, 2006

By	Mary E. Sibley (Carneys Point, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Agatha Christie had a fascinating mind. Her eleven day disappearance in 1926 caught the public's attention. She was the author of 78 crime novels. She was extremely successful during her long lifetime and became Dame Agatha. She claimed she was shy and slow. Christie was traumatized by press accounts of the events of 1926.

Six novels were published under the pen name of Mary Westmacott. Agatha was a strange and memorable first name. Her father was affable and affectionate. She had a strong sense of communion with her mother. One of the events leading up to her disappearance in 1926 was the death of her mother, causing her profound grief. The other event was the announcement by her husband Archie that he no longer loved her.

After her father's death in 1901, elaborate dinner parties were no longer given in her household. Agatha spent most of her time in the traditional pursuits of sewing, reading, and playing the piano. During World War I she loved nursing, but gave that up at her husband, Archie's insistence. Agatha's sister, Madge, had had some early success as a writer, and Agatha sought to follow in her foot steps. She began THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES.

Writing developed out of speech. The English detective fiction genre is a genre of oedipal struggle, with each successive writer learning from an earlier one. MURDER ON THE LINKS explores French police procedure. Agatha Christie uses the amateur detective convention. Most literary detectives are projections of their creators. Hercule Poirot was a reverse image.

Agatha and Archie had one child, Rosalind. After the child was born, and leaving her at home, Agatha and Archie went on a ten month's world tour. They both possessed energy and curiousity. Agatha Christie did not place her characters in a the political arena. In some respects this is fortunate since the stories have not aged much.

The noted author had an instinctive appreciation of modern art and modern music. Her first masterpiece was issued in 1926 by Collins, THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD. Max Mallowan became Christie's second husband in 1930. From 1930 to 1939 she had much private happiness and success as a writer. During the war years the couple endured a good deal of separation as Mallowan worked as an adminstrator abroad. In her mystery writing Agatha Christie did not resort to the least likely suspect technique.

Once Agatha wrote a book in three days and slept for twenty four hours after the great ordeal. In the fifties, THE MOUSETRAP and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, plays, became a new source of revenue.