But they are essential to explaining Nan’s actions throughout the book. The scenes in the convent felt a bit off with how they were written. The reader flips from 1925, the present time for the book, back to 1919-1920 when Nan was in the convent. My biggest issue with the book was that it felt so disjointed. Leech, being from the Caribbean, is used to having people frown down on her due to her skin color. Even Archie seems to have lost a bit of himself in the war. Finbarr has lost the joy and sparkle he used to have in his eye, and Chilton has lost the use of one arm due to injury. As it is set post-World War I, the men who served are described in various ways.

The cast is relatively diverse, considering the time the book covers. The forest around the manor is easy to picture, and even imagine what it would be like in the summer when the leaves are on the trees. You can feel the wind on your face while you’re walking the beaches or the trails around the hotel. The descriptions of all the settings, whether it be Styles or the Timeless Manor or the convent, it is easy to picture them. What makes someone vengeful enough to hatch a plot years in the making? What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman’s marriage? To a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together–until war and pandemic and shameful secrets tore them apart. The answer takes you back time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War. Then, just Archie.Īnd what did it have to do with the mysterious eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing? In every way, she became a part of their world–first, both Christies. Nan O’Dea became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife. A world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties, and tennis matches. In 1925, she infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. So begins The Christie Affair, told from the point of view of Miss Nan O’Dea, a fictional character but based on someone real. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment, it feels sweet. Your hands, harmless until now, rise up to squeeze another person’s life away. It conveys a strength you never knew you possessed. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. First comes rage, larger than any you’ve ever imagined. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. “A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. All opinions presented here are solely mine.ĬW/TW: kidnapping, murder, rape, physical assault Synopsis from Goodreads Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Christie Affair.

Nina de gramont the christie affair