The Christie Affair by Nina De Gramont

Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Christie Affair by author Nina De Gramont, for my stop I have my review, non spoiler as always.

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 5 days

Pages -

Publisher - Mantle

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder—and a brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century.

Every story has its secrets.
Every mystery has its motives.

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.”

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered.

London, 1925: In a world of townhomes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie.

The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing?


My Review

Agatha Christie is a name pretty much everyone is familiar with. I have never read her books (I have one on my tbrm) but I do know she was an author and she went missing for eleven days. What happened in those days has been speculated on although Christie never (that I am aware of) divulged what happened in that time. In The Christie Affair the author creates a version of what happened, a look at the mistress and all told from the mistresses' POV.

Nancy Neele is not a name I knew as I said I don't really know much about Agatha Christie nor what prompted or speculation about why she bolted. The book is heavily centred on Nancy, she is telling the story and her story interlinks with Agatha's in a surprising turn of events.

We learn about Nancy's background, growing up and what ends up bringing her to her current position. I felt the book actually focused much more on Nancy's character, there is of course Agatha and Archie in the book but much more of Nancy than I expected. She is of course the centre factor for the break up of Agatha's marriage. Her own story is emotive and I found myself flipping between being sorry for her and annoyed at some of her choices.

There is no denying De Gramont has done a lot of research and reading in preparation for the re-imaging of what went down between these characters. Filling in gaps around events we know did happen. It is certainly interesting and I found myself putting it down to read up on the characters and events to see how much was true/fact. This was my first time reading this author, I would read her again. I intend to dig out my Christie book and maybe read up about the author and what has been written about her days gone missing, 4/5 for me this time. The book is out to buy/read now.

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The Story of Silence by Alex Myers

The Story of Silence by Alex Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - as able over 10 days

Pages - 400

Publisher - Harper

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

A knightly fairy tale of royalty and dragons, of midwives with secrets and dashing strangers in dark inns. Taking the original French legend as his starting point, The Story of Silence is a rich, multilayered new story for today’s world – sure to delight fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale.

There was once, long ago, a foolish king who decreed that women should not, and would not, inherit. Thus when a girl-child was born to Lord Cador – Merlin-enchanted fighter of dragons and Earl of Cornwall – he secreted her away: to be raised a boy so that the family land and honour would remain intact.

That child’s name was Silence.

Silence must find their own place in a medieval world that is determined to place the many restrictions of gender and class upon them. With dreams of knighthood and a lonely heart to answer, Silence sets out to define themselves.

Soon their silence will be ended.



My Review

Silence, born a girl, raised a boy. The laws of the land that only males could inherit therefore Silence MUST be a boy. I had never heard of this medieval poem so this retelling was shiny brand new to me from all angles. We open in an old tavern with a bard telling the story of Silence and we go back to Silence's birth, why the law came into play that only males can inherit and Silence's life.

This is brilliant, different, unique (I felt) going back to a time when there is war, inheriting through marriage, birth, titles, land. Being raised as a boy, knowing you are different but not exactly why and living your life a lie, trying to constantly prove your worth. It is emotive in places, I really felt for Silence. Nothing was good enough, just wanting approval, only wanting to be a knight. Silence is such a good person, kind, honest and it is almost constantly used against them.

I don't generally read books like this and I am glad I got a chance to, historical fiction (I am coming more around and enjoying this genre), fantasy, gender vs sex, adventure, friendship, relationships, deceit, betrayal and even a wizard! There is just so much and for me it was fresh, different, new. I read a lot of books across genres but this was really different. I plan to hunt down the poem and have a read at it. When reading this I did find myself pondering life/situations for Silence then and for those in the LGBTQIA community now. I don't know if that was one of the authors goals in writing this but it certainly left me deep in thought. Sometimes you don't realise how much you take for granted purely because of how you were born/raised. 4.5/5 for me this time, this was my first time reading this author, I will be looking at their other work and other books in this kind of vein. It is thought provoking read and I think I will be thinking about this long after I put it down.

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Review - The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - on and off over 7 days

Pages - 599

Publisher - Macmillan Pan Books

Blurb from Goodreads

Summer 1924

On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999

Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.



My Review


Grace Bradley is 98 years old, reminiscing on her days as a housemaid, and later as a ladies maid at Riverton Manor. A movie is being made of its history and Grace is being interviewed, this brings back many memories and secrets, some of which the family, and Grace would prefer to stay in the past.

The story goes between the 1920s and present day, set to 1999. The story revolves around Grace going into employment within the Riverton Manor, where her mother worked years previously. There is a blatant theme from the servants that they know something about Grace, and her mother, that she isn't aware of. The story build up is long, drawn out and takes, I felt, forever for anything to actually happen or come to fruition. The last quarter of the book is where it really starts to come together, you get an insight into what has been hinted at throughout the book and some closure with the characters, past and present.

I think it is a nice tale if you like a sedate pace, a long and winding tale with lots of mundane stages that allude to something big coming. It was nicely written and a well received book by many, however, for me I prefer a bit more meat to my read. 2/5 for me this time, I would read this author again however I won't be rushing out to buy up her work.

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Review - Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 1 day

Publisher - Virago Press

Pages - 422

Blurb from Goodreads

Born to rough cloth in working-class London in 1748, Mary Saunders hungers for linen and lace. Her lust for a shiny red ribbon leads her to a life of prostitution at a young age, where she encounters a freedom unknown to virtuous young women. But a dangerous misstep sends her fleeing to Monmouth and the refuge of the middle-class household of Mrs. Jones, to become the seamstress her mother always expected her to be and to live the ordinary life of an ordinary girl. Although Mary becomes a close confidante of Mrs. Jones, her desire for a better life leads her back to prostitution. She remains true only to the three rules she learned on the streets of London: Never give up your liberty; Clothes make the woman; Clothes are the greatest lie ever told. In the end, it is clothes, their splendor and their deception, that lead Mary to disaster.
Emma Donoghue's daring, sensually charged prose casts a new sheen on the squalor and glamour of eighteenth-century England. Accurate, masterfully written, and infused with themes that still bedevil us today, Slammerkin is historical fiction for all readers.


My Review

Mary Saunders is fourteen and knows already she does not want the life her mother has, she wants more. When she covets a red ribbon and approaches the seller she is attacked and the consequences that follow leads her down a path of no return. By the age of fifteen she is a hardened prostitute, her and her friend Doll do what needs to be done and drink away the hours. The story follows their friendship and Mary's health and Doll lead her to the Magdalen Hospital which sees her follow a different path that flings up twists and turns that keep you reading to the last page.

Well, I read and really liked Room but don't remember the writing being like this, maybe that was because it was told in modern day and via a 5 year olds view point. This is written in a different time period, the 1700s and whilst historical novels are not something I generally go for I really enjoyed most things about this book. I learned a bit about this time period and the writer creates a vivid picture for the reader where you can almost smell and feel the scenario being created.

Mary, whilst being a child and wronged doesn't immediately evoke sympathy from the reader which I found hard and pondered over even after finishing the book. She is selfish, hard, materialistic and cold to a point, I often found myself forgetting her age as I read. Her actions evoked a sense of horror a few times throughout reading and I didn't see the biggest twist coming.

The book paints a very dark picture and baring in mind prostitution is the main theme of the book it is not for the easily offended as sex and that which goes with it is prominent throughout. Morals are another thing that gives pause for thought, what she does, why she does it and other characters actions in the tale.

I normally don't mention covers however within the book, before the first page, my copy had a picture of a slammerkin on a postcard type print inserted into the book (see below). It was unusual but I quite liked it and after reading the book you know its significance. The Slammerkin, as well as being the book title, plays a part to the story but for now I will leave you with the definition within the book. Slammerkin, noun, eigtheeth century, of unknown origin. 1. A loose gown. 2. A loose woman. Perfect title for the book, I felt. 4/5 for me this time and if the other title on my to be read is as good I will buy up the rest of the available titles.

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