The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont promised to be a novel based around the time of Agatha’s disappearance in December 1926. The Christie Affair is narrated by the Archie Christie’s mistress except it isn’t. Agatha disappears and goes to Harrogate, as we know she did, except she doesn’t. I know that novels are made up, but when you choose such a well known story to base your novel on the embroidery needs to be light and credible. Nina de Gramont has not gone in with a crewel needle and fine thread but rather an embroidery needle with wool. I spent the whole time shouting that didn’t happen. That having said I did enjoy the book, despite spending most of it wandering what the whodunnit was.

i wasnt too keen on this one. I felt likei it wasnt what I was expecting from reading the description and it really didnt deliver.

When I saw The Christie Affair in my emails, I knew it was a book I had to read.

I have loved Agatha Christie's work since childhood with memories of me curled up on the couch with a drink, and a blanket watching Miss Marple and later Poiret as they worked out seemingly impossible to work out mysterious murders.

Her work at the time was unlike anything I had known, spoke of a world long since gone and I craved it worse than the best bar of chocolate I could get. That love for Christie's work never went away and I would happily read one of her books or watch a movie or TV adaptation so yes, without a doubt I wanted to read the fictional events of the Agatha Christie disappeared and all that went with it.

I wasn't disappointed.

I loved this book so much although despite it being a Christie Affair - it's more the story of Nan who is the main voice of Nina de Gramont's book. Whether some of the events in the book are completely fictional or not, I'm not sure but it is certainly one that makes you truly feel for the woman who fell in love with Colonel Archibald Christie and had an affair with that tore Agatha and his marriage apart.

Nan's life in The Christie Affair pulls on the heartstrings of the reader and of any woman who found themselves at the mercy of the Catholic Church. I shall leave you to imagine why because I'm aware that what I am implying can be triggering for many (including myself and I hadn't known the subject matter would be in this book). Nan is left broken and alone, her heartbroken but with a fierce determination to survive and whilst adultery isn't the best path to take, I cannot blame anyone for falling in love. You can't always predict where your heart will take you after all.

Both fictional Nan and the real Nancy Neele fell in love and it would be a love affair that was one to cause trouble for many. Agatha's approach is to disappear and you can practically feel the weight come off her shoulders through the page as she discovers she can live and be happy without Archie at her side. That Agatha Christie wasn't breakable nor broken and I like to think that was true in her real life too.

Especially having fun again as Agatha and not Mrs Archie Christie or being a mother. She was herself... even for a little bit.

This is a book that you will love if you love Agatha Christie and are curious about her even in the fictional sense. You will also love it purely as historical fiction because de Gramont's writing takes you away brilliantly to numerous times in history as Nan's lifestory is told.

Oh and if you're wondering? Yes Agatha Christie did disappear because Archie was a a** but I don't think she had quite the adventure as she did in this book but I'd like to think she did.

... and Nancy did get her happy ever after too, even if some may think such a scarlet woman shouldn't have.

This was a fantastic book based on the true events of the 11 days in which Agatha Christie disappeared. A story oozing mystery which was engaging and pulled you into the narrative and transported you to a completely different era.

This book was not exactly what I had expected.
By using Agatha Christie in the title and alluding to her infamous disappearance, I expected a fictionalised version of what happened to Agatha during this time. What I got however was the story of Nan O'Dea.
Nan's story was one of hard times, unfortunate circumstances and the suffocating judgment of women's conduct in the inter-war years. A "star-crossed" love affair and her sweetheart's illness change the course of her life, leaving her with a deep grief and an all encompassing obsession.
Nan's story was engaging and heart wrenching and would have stood on its own two feet without the inclusion of Agatha Christie.
Christie's disappearance feels somewhat shoe-horned in, as does the very briefly skimmed over murder mystery.
I think this is what didn't sit well with me - there was no need for Nan's story to be told through this medium.

I did like the relationships in the book: the friendships between the different women, the somewhat unsentimental view of marriage and the not so happy every after ending.

The narrative style was unsettling . The story is told through Nan's voice as if she were an omniscient narrator, whereas she recognises herself that she isn't. Her asides throughout drew me out of the story somewhat and it was occasionally hard to keep track.

The ultimate question surrounding Teddy remains essentially unanswered and I wasn't a fan of that ambiguity. I felt the reader needed a definite resolution to know whether Nan's ploys and sacrifices had been worth it.

So if you want a story about how young, pregnant, unmarried women were treated in the inter war years (in Ireland in particular) and the lengths they may go to for revenge and resolution, than this the book for you.
If you want a story about Agatha Christie and her disappearance then ... not so much.

I was so excited to have the opportunity to read this novel. I love Christie's work and frequently visit her Devon home which is now owned by the National Trust. I love historical novels and was intrigued by the premise of this novel which is set during the 11 days of Christie's disappearance in 1926. It is narrated in the first person by Nan O'Dea , the fictional mistress of Christie's husband Arthur who describes her own back story as well as the events during Christie's disappearance. Sadly for me the novel didn't flow well, I found the prose awkward at times and thought Nan was an unlikeable character. This meant that I had little interest in her history and wanted to feel more connected with Christie and her world. I also felt the novel had too many strands which the author tried to weave together unsuccessfully. A good premise and a beautiful cover but sadly this novel didn't work for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

Is it terrible to admit that I have never read a book by Agatha Christie, I have heard of her and I have seen tv shows and movies about or inspired by her books but I have not yet managed to get around to reading one. When I read the blurb for this book though, I was so intrigued, I didn’t know that Agatha Christie had gone missing for eleven days and I thought it sounded like a brilliant premise for a story, especially being told by her husband’s mistress. I should mention that I decided to go into this book with the knowledge that I already had of Mrs Christie and just see where the story would take me, rather than look it up beforehand.

This made the style of the book quite interesting, as I mentioned the story is told from the perspective of Nan O’Dea, Mr Christie’s mistress of whom Agatha is aware, but it is a retrospective of this time and frequently refers to situations that are in the future and some that are clearly far passed where this story will end. I can imagine that if you already knew a lot about Agatha’s life then these references wouldn’t have too much impact on the story but I found them at times fascinating, as it made me wonder about the twists and turns the story would take, but also at times a little bit frustrating as certain hopes for characters were dashed before getting to experience it through the narrative.

I did find Nan’s backstory compelling and at times heartbreaking, there is another theme in this part of the story that took the book in a direction I didn’t expect but added depth and really played on my emotions. However, I did often wonder whilst reading what the relevance of these sections were. Obviously, they were in part to paint a broader picture of Nan so that she wasn’t thought of entirely negatively, but there is so much time and detail spent on Nan that I knew it was something more. As I got further into the story I started to understand the relevance and a lot of the puzzle pieces clicked together, but I do feel that if I had picked up on that sooner into the story then I would have savoured them a bit more rather than hoping to get through them to get back to the disappearance.

There is also a bit of a locked room mystery element to the story which I enjoyed because I felt like it was a nod to Christie’s work, it was a bit unexpected and again there were points that I wondered why it was relevant but the reveal was enthralling and very clever. I feel like there were a lot of threads to pull together by the end of this story and whilst I did finish wondering whether a few had been dropped along the way; the structure has a lot of chop and change at points, keeps things snappy; in the end, I was glad that the ending was a little more open and imaginative.

The Christie Affair is an imaginative telling of not only Agatha’s missing days but also the life of Archie’s mistress ‘Nan O’Dea’ and a pair of mysterious deaths that could have been plucked straight from one of Dame Christie’s novels. Told from Nan’s POV, I initially was annoyed with Nan (I mean, she IS the other woman!) but found a soft spot for her by the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects, specifically the Magdalene Laundries - Roman Catholic institutions in Ireland where “fallen women” were housed. With well-developed characters and clever plot twists, The Christie Affair is a brilliantly creative story that will hold your attention from beginning to end and maybe make you wish that you could spend a few days in a posh British spa-town. Excellent to see some book recommendations in the Acknowledgments at the end which I’ve added to my TBR.

I am fascinated by Agatha Christie and the story of her disappearance is a particularly interesting mystery so I was really looking forward to this book.
This is the story of Agatha’s disappearance set in the wider context of the life of her husband’s mistress, Nan. Nan narrates a good part of the story relating events she says she has been part of or has put together from things she has heard from others. The story begins with the disappearance and ends with Agatha’s discovery.
I think this is a story I didn’t expect ..I thought this might feel more historical, and more focused on Agatha rather than Nan. I couldn’t really separate myself from the feeling of being in another story and the fact I didn’t like Nan which detracted from the read. I also felt a little uneasy at the appropriation of Christie herself. I enjoyed the settings most of all and early scenes with Agatha and Archie at Styles.
This did however inspire me to go and read more about Agatha and discover more about her life.
With grateful thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for a digital copy of this book.

Twists and turns all the way. Historical details and love stories entwined in unimaginable ways. Brilliant.

I am a massive Agatha Christie fan. Every few years I go back and reread loads of her novels (I normally never reread novels, so this is a BIG THING for me!).

I judge every crime novel I read in comparison to Agatha Christie. She was and remains the Queen of Crime Fiction.

So her own personal mystery has always intrigued me. This novel takes that mystery, the days when Agatha disappeared, and brings it to life.

I absolutely devoured it. I want to believe that every word is actually true, all these people lived, these things happened, and this is the true story of Agatha's heretofore unexplained absence.

Nina de Gramont doesn't strike a false note in the entire telling. It's convincing, compelling and wonderfully written. A total winner and a joy for AC fans. It's a contemporary novel in that it's more layered and intricate than Christie's novels, its characters are more unique, but it has the right 'feel' about it. It just works. You really feel you are reading about the woman who lived and wrote the books we all know (and love).

Highly recommended.

Agatha Christie’s famous eleven day disappearance just days after she discovered her husband was having an affair in 1926 has been the subject of much speculation and although this reimagining keeps to the officially known basic facts I soon encountered problems. First off, this entire tale is told from the point of view not of Colonel Archie Christie’s actual mistress (Nancy Neele), but a fictional character by the name of Nan O’Dea. Secondly Nan narrates everything in the first-person, even scenes at which she was never present, ascribing all sorts of feelings and thoughts to Agatha and plenty of others that she can obviously never have known. At times this can make for a jarring read with the narrative switching awkwardly between ‘Nan’ and ‘my’ in the space of two paragraphs and it also has the potential to confuse.

Despite being called The Christie Affair, this is primarily the story of fictional Nan O’Dea however after an opening line that discloses she once nearly killed a woman, her unnecessarily long-winded backstory is laboriously dribbled between the ensuing manhunt for Agatha. As Archie deals with his wife's disappearance, Nan takes a holiday of her own to a spa hotel in North Yorkshire. A (fictional) retired inspector, Frank Chilton, is sent to Harrogate as part of nearly a thousand police assigned to the case and hunting for Agatha, but with a double murder at the hotel he and Nan both find themselves staying at, he soon gets more than he bargained for..

Part of the driver for Nan’s story is the difference between the privileged world and social standing of Agatha and her own working-class background and misfortune, however the Agatha portrayed in the book seems remarkably down to earth as opposed to social climber Nan, who I found to be an alienating cold fish! Although I felt the novel gathered momentum at around 70% when readers learn the motivation behind Nan’s desire to marry Colonel Christie, by then the story had become so unwieldy as it lurched between components as well as in rather poor taste, that it was too late to muster much enthusiasm.

I was sceptical as to how much of what is known of the real Agatha’s character de Gramont incorporated into this story as for me Agatha felt little more than a convenient hook and this was first and foremost fictional Nan’s story. Overall I would have rather read an article on what is known of the actual events as opposed to an overstuffed story with a sluggish narrative that definitely didn’t work as a thriller for me. In fact I think this story might have worked better if it hadn’t made the fanciful claim of having anything to do with the real Agatha Christie!

Being an avid Christie fan I was both excited and apprehensive about reading this book. I have always been intrigued by the fact that no one could solve Agatha’s own mysterious disappearance. The author showed empathy and sympathy for both Christie and her ‘rival’ and was even handed in her portrayal of both. The references to Christie’s books and her writing showed evidence of good research which added to my enjoyment of the book.
There were a few elements of the plot line which definitely stretched credibility but the flow and style of the writing still made it a very enjoyable read and the direct appeal from Nan to the readers in the last section when she said it was her story and she could give some form of happiness to all her characters was both humorous and heartwarming.
I liked the red herrings and the twists which were much in keeping with a typical Christie book and the characters were well drawn and realistically flawed. Nan’s story and experiences in Ireland were moving and sadly, all too believable and added a poignant element to the book.
I would recommend this book, in particular but not solely, to Christie fans.

I love when fictional books are set around actual historical events and this is an excellent example.

It’s a joy to read and the characters are really well developed and thought out.

I so enjoyed this! I loved Agatha Christie’s books when I was younger and read dozens of them. I’ve also visited Greenway so will admit to being a bit of a fan!

Her disappearance is obviously a bit of a mystery due to her silence on the subject so although I realise this book is primarily conjecture, I really enjoyed the story. I’d agree with other reviewers that early sections of the book seem a little too weighted to Nan’s past, but the context becomes clearer as the novel continues. Cleverly woven together I thought, with characters like Archie Christie and Chilton feeling as though they were straight out of one of Christie’s own novels.

Interesting as well to read modern fiction but with a different perspective and historical setting than anything I’ve read in a while so that was another factor that made this refreshing. One I’d definitely recommend.

I was so excited read this book, I thought the premise was so interesting.

I did enjoy it, there were parts of the story that hooked me.

But the book had multiple timelines and I was so confused. I thought maybe it was just me, so I listened to the audiobook with my husband and he was confused too. I have heard lots of other people say they had no issues with the timelines though so it's possibly an us thing😂

I loved the idea of hearing the story from the perspective of Nan O'Dea, Agatha's husband's mistress. We hear a lot of her story from her youth to her "present day" in the book. However, I picked up the book to hear more about Agatha Christie's disappearance & felt this played a secondary role.

I felt it was difficult to distinguish between what was actually happening in the book & when Nan was just filling in the gaps.

I do still recommend this book because for the right people, this book will be so enjoyable. I did still enjoy it myself, as even though I found it hard to follow the story, it was really well fleshed out.

I gave this 3 stars⭐

Thank you to Nina De Gramont, Pan Macmillan & NetGalley for an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ive always been intrigued by Agatha Christies disappearance and refusal to say where she was and what happened whilst she was away. In the Christie Affair - which is such a clever title with so many different meanings and its very authentic Christie-like sound - the story is told from the perspective of Nan O'Dea, who we quickly learn is having an affair with Christie's husband. The two are planning on running away together and at the start, we witness the moment where Agatha first confronts Nan, and then has her heart broken by her husband. It is shortly after this moment that Agatha disappears without a word.

The story goes back to Nan's childhood and adolescence, painting an idyllic scene of pre-war life in rural Ireland and the innocence in the air. Moving back and forward to the days of Agatha's disappearance and Nan's own tragic story that has led her to her current course of action, it is full of Christie-style flourishes and twists and her signature style.

I read it over a weekend and was desperate to find out what happened next to all characters.

Thanks for the chance to read it

I've always loved Agatha Christie's novels but only knew the basics of her as an author so I loved this novel that went beyond and explored her mysterious disappearance during those few days. Very intriguing novel!

Really enjoyed this book. I had seen a dramatization of this but because it was written from the perspective of the mistress it added depth.
Most enjoyable

I am no longer interested in reviewing this book. I can see that this will be a good book but unfortunately it is no longer for me.