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Agatha Christie

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Agatha Christie

By: Lucy Worsley
Narrated by: Lucy Worsley
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About this listen

 'A smart and highly entertaining portrait of a literary powerhouse'
- THE TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR

'A riveting portrait'
- GUARDIAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR

***
'Worsley's sparkling biography brings a fresh eye to Christie's life and work, firmly busting the myth that she, or her novels, were cosy.' Daily Mail

'Every Christie fan should read this' - The Times

'Shows the Queen of Crime in a new light.' - Daily Telegraph

'Worsley's book excels in bringing a broader historical perspective to Christie's life and work, and her enthusiasm is infectious.' - Observer

***

'Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was.'

Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was 'just' an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn't? As Lucy Worsley says, 'She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern'. She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.

So why - despite all the evidence to the contrary - did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure?
She was born in 1890 into a world which had its own rules about what women could and couldn't do. Lucy Worsley's biography is not just of an internationally renowned bestselling writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.

With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley's biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realise what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was - truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.©2022 Lucy Worsley (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Art & Literature Authors Literary History & Criticism Women Thought-Provoking

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This was an amazing story about Agatha Christie's life captured beautifully by Lucy Worsley. It gave me insight into what it was like to be a pioneering female author before it was acceptable to do so and despite all odds, having the determination and courage to stick to her passion. Very enjoyable read.

Agatha Christie's life captured beautifully

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Very interesting, thank you Lucy for writing this great book on Agatha Christie’s life, brilliantly read.

Brilliant

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Always impeccably written by the author this book was riveting. Listened in one weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it,

Excellent

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Love Lucy Worsley as a narrator. The book felt extremely well researched and an objective overview of her life and impact.

Fantastic!

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Lucy at her best. Thank you. Left me wanting to find out more. Will be reading Agatha books with different eyes.

Brilliant.

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I loved it! So many things I never actually knew about Agatha Christie... Come to of it, in fact I knew nothing... Not sure I would call myself a Christie fan as such. I always know before I start reading it that will enjoy myself reading Agatha Christie's book, but I haven't read them all - far from. I must admit though that having now listened to Lucy Worsley's book, I really do want to read them all. I feel like Lucy Worsley has just undone the bow and lifted the box's flaps slightly , just enough that we can get a peek at all of Agatha Christie's work. Just enough to tease us, so that we want to go and get the box fully open and read all of it!
Lucy Worsley also did a great job as the narrator of her own book. I love her voice actually. I haven't given 5 stars however because I felt that it was a little slow at times, and at others a little too "involved" - though this is also good as you can hear the passion that was put into producing the book.

Brilliantly Written! Loved it and Learnt so Much

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Having read Agatha Christie books in my teens, I was sceptical at first but the audio/book became a kind of mystery/adventure book in itself. What a life! Has left me with a greater understanding & admiration for an author committed to writing and very much a risk taker for a woman of her times.

Informative & Enjoyable

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The book was a great read for someone who has read just about all of Agatha Christie’s books. I have long been interested in finding out more about the author and this book delivered on that. Fascinating read. Lots of spoilers for her books so this book probably isn’t for someone simply with a passing interest who is going to go on and read her works. Best to finish with this after reading them.

Great book for an interested fan

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I have greatly enjoyed all of Lucy Worsley’s previous books and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint. I have read Agatha Christie’s books all through my life and had heard all the gossipy stories, but Miss Worsley’s sympathetic unpicking of the truth was a joy to listen to! I can certainly recommend it, whether you like detective stories or not!

Loved it!

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I love Lucy because of her wry humour, lovely style and genuine academic credentials - a winning mix. Fascinated by Agatha Christie too, so it doesn't get much better than this.

Authoritative and accessible

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