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the_library's review against another edition
4.0
This book gives a fascinating peek at Agatha Christie's writing process.
aditurbo's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. I hoped this book would actually provide Christie's diaries. Instead, we get very tiny pieces of them here and there, and a lot of trivial information about her writing methods, habits and even her handwriting. I was looking forward to learn more about her personality and unique mind, but found myself drowning in details Curran deemed interesting, but often aren't. On the way he manages to spoil almost all of Christie's novels and plays. Not what I planned to read.
catherine_t's review against another edition
4.0
John Curran had extraordinary access to Agatha Christie's notebooks, in which the Queen of Crime plotted out her novels and short stories. These notebooks remain at Greenway, Christie's Devon holiday home, but they are not available for the general public.
In this book, Curran examines the ways in which Christie planned out her books. I admire his dedication. Though he says he learned fairly quickly how to read Christie's handwriting, I couldn't manage to interpret half of the facsimile pages included! The notebooks themselves are in no sort of order; Curran imposed an order for his book, examining the notebooks by theme, using the actual publications (for example, "Murder Abroad" covers books like A Caribbean Mystery and others set outside of England). Also included are two previously unpublished Poirot short stories, one being a drastically different version of "The Capture of Cerberus" to the one collected in The Labours of Hercules, and "The Incident of the Dog's Ball," which contains the germ of Dumb Witness.
Reading Curran's book has inspired me to go back and re-read the Christies I already have, and to read more Agatha Christie in general. If you're a Christie fan, you may enjoy this glimpse into the inner workings of the writer's mind.
In this book, Curran examines the ways in which Christie planned out her books. I admire his dedication. Though he says he learned fairly quickly how to read Christie's handwriting, I couldn't manage to interpret half of the facsimile pages included! The notebooks themselves are in no sort of order; Curran imposed an order for his book, examining the notebooks by theme, using the actual publications (for example, "Murder Abroad" covers books like A Caribbean Mystery and others set outside of England). Also included are two previously unpublished Poirot short stories, one being a drastically different version of "The Capture of Cerberus" to the one collected in The Labours of Hercules, and "The Incident of the Dog's Ball," which contains the germ of Dumb Witness.
Reading Curran's book has inspired me to go back and re-read the Christies I already have, and to read more Agatha Christie in general. If you're a Christie fan, you may enjoy this glimpse into the inner workings of the writer's mind.
cleng's review against another edition
4.0
This book has made me want to read all the Agatha books I haven't already read, and reread those I have!
oliwija's review
4.0
DEt var en väldigt intressant och lättläst bok, det var roligt att lära sig om hur hon byggde upp sina historier genom hela karriären. Den var välskriven och lätt att ta sig till.
murderbydeath's review
3.0
I stopped reading this book after about a hundred pages - not because it wasn't good, it was, but because I haven't read all of Christie's canon yet, and this books is 100% geared towards those that have (or have at least read a majority of it). For true Christie fans, it's an interesting look inside her thoughts.
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1290128/agathacristienotebooks
Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1290128/agathacristienotebooks
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