Tag: Mary Westmacott

Agatha Christie – The Rose and the Yew Tree | Review

August 21, 2014
Authors A-E (By Surname)Fiction

Title: The Rose and the Yew Tree

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 218

Rating: 7/10

 

Agatha Christie - The Rose and the Yew Tree

Agatha Christie – The Rose and the Yew Tree

 

The Rose and the Yew Tree is one of Christie’s pseudonymous novels, originally published under the pen name of Mary Westmacott. The novels which Christie wrote as Westmacott are usually referred to as romance novels, and while there’s a healthy dose of romance involved here, it’s more of a human interest novel than anything else.

Loosely speaking, the story follows the ruthless John Gabriel in his attempt to make it as a politician in a sleepy village, a man who would happily represent any political party so long as he could gain power. It’s an interesting look back at a time that is no more, and to the types of character that you no longer get to meet – it’s also surprisingly exciting, despite the subject matter.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting great things – as usual, Agatha Christie surprised me. If you only read her because you’re in to crime novels then this isn’t for you, but if you’re a fan in general of literature from her era then you’re going to love this – it puts her on a par with Hemingway, Graham Greene and other great writers of her generation.

 

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

 

Click here to buy The Rose and the Yew Tree.

Agatha Christie – The Mystery of the Blue Train | Review

April 16, 2014
Authors A-E (By Surname)Fiction

Title: The Mystery of the Blue Train

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 232

Rating: 8/10

 

Agatha Christie - The Mystery of the Blue Train

Agatha Christie – The Mystery of the Blue Train

 

The Queen of Crime is back with another classic tale of murder and intrigue, in which the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of a millionaire’s daughter and the theft of her valuable diamonds. It’s a similar story-line to most of Christie’s other work, but there are a couple of things to make this particular novel stand out.

The characterisation, for example, is fantastic – each character is believable and easy to relate to, even eighty five years after its publication. Sure, there’s no real equivalent to the eponymous ‘blue train’ (unless you count the Eurostar), but it’s easy to picture the train as it chugs across Europe with a murderer on board.

It’s also easy to read – I powered through it with a constant headache, and though I didn’t see the ending coming, I had a good guess. That’s exactly what you want from a detective story – it keeps you on tenterhooks throughout, then delivers the coup de grace at just the right time to keep you interested and engaged throughout.

Miss Christie wrote over ninety novels (though some were under her pen name of Mary Westmacott) and you’re hardly spoiled for choice, so start elsewhere and move on to this when you’re ready.

 

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

 

Click here to buy The Mystery of the Blue Train.