So many things made this biography fascinating to me. I'm currently engaged in a project to read Christie's novels in publication order, one per month. I look forward to each one and enjoy watching the changes in English society as time rolls on. I have also read Christie's autobiography and wondered what she omitted and what she massaged to make it look better.
I think many women can relate to the desire to be seen as attractive and/or feminine. This desire seems to me to be manifested in Ms. Christie as disavowing her ambition and claiming not to be too serious about being an author. Her behaviour tells a different story, as she had very definite ideas about her novels, even down to the blurbs on the covers. Her publishers found her a formidable client, so there was definitely ambition there even if she wouldn't admit to it. I wonder if she was conscious of the dichotomy between words and actions?
I think her reluctance to claim her rightful recognition has contributed to her relegation by the literature snobs to ‘merely' genre fiction. I am constantly amazed by how deftly she introduces her characters, how amusing her dialogue is, and how well structured her plots are. She accomplished so much in so few pages. Considering her haphazard education, her work is even more amazing. She had a huge role in shaping the mystery genre, pioneering devices like the unreliable narrator and psychological profiling.
Like so many writers, Christie was an introvert. She didn't seek publicity and in fact often fled from it. Many members of the public seemed to resent her unwillingness to open herself to them, thereby proving her point, that her audience expected too much. She was willing to pretend that she was a regular citizen, not a celebrated author, a ridiculous proposition. It seems that male critics, directors, and reviewers were particularly hostile—how dare a mere woman be so successful and yet demand a private life?
I had read that her final novels revealed the possibility of dementia and this author repeats the reasons for this speculation. It seems reasonable, if sad. However I cannot feel sorry for her. She had a long and eventful life, filled with more happiness than tribulation, and died quickly and quietly. A life well lived and a wonderful literary legacy.
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