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Librarybelle
The Burden | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

Can love be a burden? Westmacott/Christie writes a psychological study of family and how far one can go to protect a loved one. There are parts, especially at the end, that did not quite seem to fit with the rest of the narrative. However, it‘s Christie, and so therefore there‘s an in-depth study of human nature. Not as strong as others of her Westmacott books, but still a pick.

Thanks for hosting #LMWBR , @CSeydel !

#192025 #1956

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CSeydel
The Burden | writing as Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
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CSeydel Here we go again with the “interfering always backfires.” I think she‘s right, but I also think it can be taken too far. 1mo
CSeydel I‘m also interested in what you all thought of the discussion between Llewellyn and Wilding about human nature. Wilding says, “To believe the best of someone is to call the best into being. People respond to one‘s belief in them.” Llewellyn disagrees: “To keep up being what someone expect you to be is to live under a great strain. Too great a strain leads eventually to collapse.” Which do you believe? Can they both be right? (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella Sure, they can both be right. I think everyone needs both, but in different doses and o 100% of one or the other would be harmful. The rehashing of previous themes wearied me a bit in this one, but maybe because we‘ve read them all back to back now. 1mo
See All 8 Comments
BarbaraJean I appreciate what Christie was trying to do here, but I don't think it was executed well. Her insight into human nature is masterful, but the plot elements just didn't work together coherently for me. I agree with the “interfering always backfires,“ to a point, but wasn't the opposite the problem in A Daughter's a Daughter? I don't think it's a universal rule, and I think Christie knows it. She had a hard time communicating that complexity here. 1mo
BarbaraJean @CSeydel @Ruthiella Yes, I do think Llewellyn and Wilding can both be right about this. It depends a whole lot on who the person is who's being “believed in.“ Some people will rise to the best that is believed of them, others will collapse under the expectations, and still others will resent and therefore want to go against those expectations. I agree about the repetition of themes--but it's also clear this was the first of these novels she wrote! 1mo
quietjenn I agree with what others have said - both can be true to an extent and the balance is the key here, as it is with so many things. Very often, interfering gets you nowhere, but Not Interfering is sometimes easier said than done. I wouldn't say that this book resonated with me particularly. It's probably one of my least favorites and I'm glad it was short. 😅 And I really liked Baldock. 1mo
Librarybelle Yes, I think both can be right about their human nature observations. And, I agree that this one seems to be the weakest of her non-mystery novels. I‘ve not read all of them as of yet - I plan to read those I missed this year! - but this one seemed not as polished, if that makes sense. @BarbaraJean is right that Christie had a hard time communicating the complexity of interference. @CSeydel @Ruthiella @quietjenn 4w
36 likes8 comments
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CSeydel
The Burden | writing as Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
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CSeydel Llewellyn and his visions were so strange to me. I‘m still ruminating on what he represents. I thought the religious overtones of Shirley “paying the price” for Laura‘s sin was discomfiting, but perhaps that was the intention. 1mo
CSeydel In this one she weaves in a religious dimension, using the story of Job to drive home the point that God has God‘s plan and we are really not capable of understanding God‘s priorities and purposes, only human ones. I think her point here is that when we “try to help” we inevitably fail because we only see from our perspective, not that of the recipient of the help. What do you think? 1mo
Ruthiella I think it was in interesting decision to include such a mystical character. I don‘t agree with his interpretation of Laura‘s actions or their results, personally. The story of Job makes me think more of Greek gods, toying with humans for their own amusement. 1mo
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BarbaraJean Other than providing a deus ex machina for Laura at the end of the book, and giving us an outside perspective of Shirley and Richard, I didn't think Llewellyn added much to the novel. I felt that last third of the book would have been better from Shirley or even Richard's perspective. I was troubled by the implications of the religious aspect: both Shirley “paying the price“ for Laura's sin, or our helplessness to understand higher purposes. 1mo
BarbaraJean I think the idea that help/interference is misguided, because we cannot understand another's perspective, isn't well-supported by the narrative. Mainly because I don't think the problem was Laura “helping,“ it was Henry being an ass, and with Richard, it was Shirley not understanding herself or what she needed. Maybe the problem was the plot Christie chose to explore these ideas! Overall, I thought the message was muddled. 1mo
quietjenn It was ... odd? I honestly found the book, overall, a bit disjointed and I definitely was not expecting a televangelist who has had visions of Laura his entire life swooping in to show her what love is! 1mo
CSeydel @BarbaraJean I was thinking of Laura killing Henry as her trying to help Shirley be happy, but it backfired. The premise seemed to me to be that Shirley would have been better off continuing to be unhappy caring for Henry rather than the soft, comfortable life she had with Wilding. It was definitely a hard message to accept. 1mo
CSeydel @quietjenn Definitely threw me for a loop as well. Not sure if it was just a device to allow a 3rd-party, objective view of Shirley‘s later life, but the visions went over my head - I didn‘t understand why that was necessary 1mo
CSeydel @BarbaraJean I agree, the religious angle in this one didn‘t sit well with me either 1mo
Librarybelle I was a bit confused as to Llewellyn‘s purpose. It seems to come out of nowhere, unless you consider Laura‘s prayers at the beginning of the novel. I‘m puzzled why Christie chose a religious discussion - it‘s a little out of character for her novels, at least to me. @CSeydel @Ruthiella @BarbaraJean @quietjenn 4w
Ruthiella @Librarybelle It seemed out of character to me too. In her mystery novels, the few times spiritualism or the mystical comes up, it is always debunked. 4w
Librarybelle @Ruthiella Yes! She gives many pages to the religious discussion in this one rather than her mysteries, except maybe Hallowe‘en Party (though I‘ve not read that one yet. I‘ve only seen the new Poirot movie very loosely based on it). 4w
25 likes12 comments
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CSeydel
The Burden | writing as Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
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#westmakittens #LMWBR

Our final selection for the #MaryWestmacottBuddyRead ! Who‘s up for discussion? What did you think? I‘ll put my question under a spoiler tag in case anyone hasn‘t read it yet.

@ruthiella @KathyWheeler @quietjenn @Librarybelle @kspenmoll @BarbaraJean @peanutnine @Roary47 @willaful @batsy @rubyslippersreads

CSeydel Laura longs to be loved throughout the book, and it‘s only at the end that she feels “the burden” settle on her shoulders - the burden of someone else‘s love. Do you think that‘s a fair description of love? How do you think the burden of Laura‘s love ultimately harmed Shirley? 1mo
CSeydel This was not as painful as A Daughter‘s a Daughter, but I still found it a fairly bleak representation of family relationships. 1mo
Ruthiella I think the burden goes both ways: the burden of loving and the responsibility of that care and of being loved and the expectations that come with that. I agree it‘s not as bleak as A Daughter‘s a Daughter, but it comes close. However, I think that many, many humans would see love as a privilege and an honor. I wonder how things would have turned out differently if Laura hadn‘t been saddled with a parental role at such a young age. (edited) 1mo
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BarbaraJean I'm not sure if I agree with this description of love--I think it's problematic as a description of healthy love! I do think it's a fair description when it's an unequal relationship. And honestly, I don't think the novel does a good job of bearing out the “burden of love“ as a thesis. Shirley supposedly bears the burden of Laura's love, but she doesn't seem stifled by it. She does seem stifled under the burden of Richard's love, but ⬇ 1mo
BarbaraJean (Cont'd) I think that burden is due to her own choices & lack of self-knowledge, not Laura's actions. Shirley didn't understand herself well enough to know what she needed when she turned to Richard. Shirley wasn't old enough/experienced enough to gauge Henry's character—I don't think that situation would have turned out any differently regardless of how Laura handled it. And I don't think Shirley would have been better off if Henry had lived! 1mo
willaful Sorry, I couldn't find a copy and participate. :-( 1mo
quietjenn Love is complicated and I do think that, even in the best of relationships, there are times when it can feel burdensome - especially in those moments that it feels unequal, as others have pointed out. But I think that's only a small part of it, and I think to define it just by that quality is an unfortunate and limited view of things. 1mo
Librarybelle This was definitely a bleak representation of family relationships, @CSeydel ! Love as a burden seems to be a pretty strong statement by Christie, but Laura‘s idea of love is a bit shady given what she went through at a young age. @BarbaraJean @quietjenn @Ruthiella 4w
21 likes8 comments
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GlassAsDiamonds
Come, Tell Me How You Live (Revised) | Agatha Christie Mallowan
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Okay, gotta get back into the swing of Litsy things… (although honestly, a pox on moving)

1) I have moved 8 times in the last ten years, almost all of them intercontinentally and most with pets…and I could not be more over it (although if you need moving pointers, I‘m your gal!). Most recently was 8 months ago & this one had better stick for a bit.

2. Agatha Christie‘s memoir of her expat life is one of my all time favourites

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView I'll be certain to ask you any moving questions going forward. However, I hope to never move again. Thanks for playing! 1mo
CarolynM That‘s a lot of moves! 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds @CarolynM 🤣 yeah… I‘m totally over it!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 1mo
19 likes3 comments
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LeahBergen
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My previous read reminded me that I still had this memoir on my shelves. Agatha Christie writes of the time spent with her archaeologist husband on digs in Iraq and Syria in the years before WWII. It‘s incredibly witty!

See, @Tamra ? I‘m really trying to #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks. 😆

Leftcoastzen You have some great old books! 1mo
TheBookHippie These are so pretty! 1mo
CSeydel Nice! 1mo
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Tamra And that‘s a clear win for TBR!! 🥇 😆 1mo
Ruthiella I have a copy (as yet unread) of that too! I‘m all the more excited to read it now after reading the allegedly autobiographical Mary Westmacott novel 1mo
Cathythoughts Lovely book. Sounds good 👌🏻 ❤️ 1mo
batsy How cool! Great cover, too 😍 1mo
Crazeedi Sounds very interesting 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds Omg I adore her writing in this. The epilogue always makes me cry. 1mo
LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen And so do you! 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Tamra Yep! 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella I really need to try one of the Westmacott books! I have several of them sitting in one of my online shopper carts. 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @GlassAsDiamonds It‘s so chatty and witty! 1mo
sarahbarnes I am also trying to do that! 😂 1mo
Ruthiella If you read only one Westmacott, I recommend Absent in the Spring. It‘s the best of all of them IMO. And the shortest! 😆 Just note, she‘s very fond of using ellipses… to the point of annoyance… 1mo
LeahBergen @sarahbarnes It‘s my never ending goal. 😆 1mo
LeahBergen @Ruthiella That‘s actually the first one I stacked ! And … oh dear… that may become annoying… 😆 Actually, I‘ve noticed her overuse of exclamation marks in this one but I‘m choosing to ignore it, so far. (!!!!) (edited) 1mo
GlassAsDiamonds @LeahBergen I love it, especially the bit at the start in the stores trying to buy winter clothes in spring 🤣🤣 1mo
LeahBergen @GlassAsDiamonds Yes! Trying to get a hat without a massive brim. 😆 1mo
mabell I think I would love this! 1mo
LeahBergen @mabell I think you would, too! 1mo
BookNAround I thoroughly enjoyed his book when I read it. I constantly suggest it to people to see a different side of Agatha Christie. 1mo
LeahBergen @BookNAround I can see why! I‘ll be recommending it, too. 👍 1mo
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review
Ruthiella
The Burden | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

#MaryWestmacottBuddyRead #LMWBR

A soft pick, it rehashes some of the themes from the other novels and I found its dual narrative structure a little weird. Still, an interesting psychological portrait of sorts.

Shirley has always felt the weight of her older sister‘s love for her until Shirley falls for a faithless lover and marries him. Llewellyn gives up a powerful career, based on faith in his visions. Eventually their stories converge.

CSeydel Oh my gosh, I totally spaced on this one! It‘s already the third Saturday! 1mo
Ruthiella Thanks to @CSeydel for making this buddy read happen! 😃 I might never have dusted off this bind-up of the Westmacott novels that I‘ve had for 20 years now. 1mo
quietjenn @CSeydel I pretty much forgot as well. Oops! 1mo
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BarbaraJean @CSeydel @quietjenn I‘m glad it‘s not just me!! I don‘t know how it‘s the third Saturday already! (edited) 1mo
Ruthiella @CSeydel @quietjenn @BarbaraJean Well then, I‘m glad I reviewed it (because sometimes I don‘t). Consider it a public service announcement. 😆 1mo
CSeydel Yes, thank you @Ruthiella for keeping us on track! @quietjenn @BarbaraJean it sounds like it wouldn‘t be the end of the world if I post discussion questions next Saturday instead 😆 1mo
BarbaraJean @CSeydel Since I haven't started reading it yet--posting questions next Saturday would definitely not be the end of the world 😁 @Ruthiella Thank you for the PSA!! 1mo
quietjenn @CSeydel @BarbaraJean more than ok 😅 Way to keep us honest @Ruthiella 🙂 1mo
67 likes8 comments
review
ImperfectCJ
They Came to Baghdad | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

I'm giving this a pick in spite of some silly aspects (like how hung up characters are about hair color) because it's just fun to read. I had to listen to the last couple of chapters three times and check out the ebook to figure out what exactly had happened, but aside from that, the twists and turns were fun. The characters in this one are especially interesting. I would like to read a whole novel about Anna Scheele.

54 likes1 stack add
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CSeydel
The Burden | writing as Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
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Happy February, #westmakittens! This month we read the sixth and final Mary Westmacott novel. I haven‘t read this one yet and I‘m looking forward to discussing it with you all. I‘ve really enjoyed reading everyone‘s reviews and the good discussions! Thank you for going on this journey with me.
#MaryWestmacottBuddyRead

Librarybelle Got my copy ready to go! 2mo
CSeydel @Librarybelle Awesome! 2mo
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Ruthiella The last one! 2mo
CSeydel I don‘t know what‘s going on with my tag list 🤔 At first it didn‘t work. Now it looks like it showed up twice? Smh 2mo
CSeydel @Ruthiella Woohoo! 2mo
willaful I don't think I have this one. :-( 2mo
rubyslippersreads Looking forward to this. I‘ve enjoyed them all so much, I‘m going to go back and read any I‘ve missed. 2mo
BarbaraJean Thank you for organizing and leading this! I have enjoyed all of these so much. Looking forward to this final read and discussion! 2mo
40 likes10 comments
review
Librarybelle
The Rose and the Yew Tree | Mary Westmacott
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Pickpick

I‘m a little behind on the monthly #LMWBR #MaryWestmacott #BuddyRead books, but at least managed to finish this month‘s read…a couple weeks late!

What I like about Agatha Christie‘s non-mystery titles are the slow buildup of action and almost a psychological analysis of characters and situations. They‘re cunning, smart, and a pure delight! In this one, I liked viewing things from Hugh‘s POV. It was a good read. #192025 #1947

kspenmoll In the Lucy Worsley‘ Agatha Christie biography there is a chapter(30) on her Westmacott books which makes me want to read them all! 3mo
Librarybelle @kspenmoll Awesome! It‘s been fun to see a different side of Christie! 3mo
56 likes2 comments