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Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman Kindle Edition

by Lucy Worsley (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,901 ratings
Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs
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A new, fascinating account of the life of Agatha Christie from celebrated literary and cultural historian Lucy Worsley.

"Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was."

Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was “just” an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn’t?  Her life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passions and, as Lucy Worsley says, "She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern."  She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.

So why—despite all the evidence to the contrary—did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure? 

She was born in 1890 into a world that had its own rules about what women could and couldn’t do. Lucy Worsley’s biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.

With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley’s biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was—truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century.
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  1. Print length
    428 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pegasus Crime
  4. Publication date
    September 8, 2022
  5. File size
    26.0 MB
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  1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, is not only one of her very best books – it’s one of the greatest detective novels of all time.
    Highlighted by 116 Kindle readers
  2. Of the sixty-six detective novels she’d write, forty-one feature a murder, attempted murder or suicide achieved through poison.
    Highlighted by 109 Kindle readers
  3. A classic ‘Christie trick’ – and there’s a brilliant example in Styles – is the hiding of an object in plain sight.
    Highlighted by 94 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

Review



“Agatha Christie was a modernist, an iconoclast, and a groundbreaker, according to this excellent biography from historian Worsley. Worsley offers close readings of Christie’s work and presents a careful reframe of the novelist’s famous 1926 disappearance. Drawing on personal letters and modern criticism, Worsley manages to make her subject feel fresh and new. This is a must-read for Christie fans.” — Publishers Weekly, (starred review)

"With great affection, Worsley masterfully maneuvers her way through Christie’s life and prolific oeuvre." — Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"One brilliant woman writing about another: an irresistible combination." -- Antonia Fraser, New York Times bestselling author

"In the best biography of Agatha Christie ever written, Lucy Worsley gets to the soul—the complex, troubled, but big soul—of our greatest whodunnit writer with laser-like precision. There will not now need to be another biography of the queen of the detective story written for decades." -- Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

"This is a warm, intelligent book that does justice both to Agatha Christie's character and to her distinctive genius as a writer of plays and novels. Someone once said that the greatest character Agatha Christie ever invented was Agatha Christie herself. If that's true, she was waiting for the perfect biographer to bring her back to life, and she has found her in Dr. Lucy Worsley." -- A. N. Wilson

"Lucy Worsley brings Agatha Christie back to life, revealing a strong, pioneering, highly intelligent woman whose detective novels rank among the best ever written. Worsley shows us Christie's faults and flaws in the context of her time; she evokes her houses, clothes and the central mystery of her life in spritely sentences with a sharp ear for dialogue. Reading Worsley is as enjoyable as reading Christie herself." -- Ruth Scurr, author of A Life Told in Gardens and Shadows

"Lucy Worsley's biography of Agatha Christie is as unputdownable as any of the novels by the Queen of Crime herself. Gripping, revealing, and ultimately extremely moving, Agatha Christie is a wonderful tribute to one of the best-loved writers of the twentieth century." -- Amanda Foreman, New York Times bestseller author

About the Author

Lucy Worsley, PhD, is a historian, author, curator, and television presenter. She read ancient and modern history at New College, Oxford, and worked for English Heritage before becoming chief curator of historic royal palaces, based at Hampton Court. She also presents history programs for the BBC. Her bestselling books include A Very British Murder: The Curious Story of how Crime Was Turned into Art, If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, and Courtiers: the Secret History of the Georgian Court, and Cavalier: The Story of a 17th-Century Playboy.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09RX5DLMG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pegasus Crime (September 8, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 8, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 26.0 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 428 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,901 ratings

About the author

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Lucy Worsley

Lucy Worsley

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hello! I'm Lucy. For ages I was Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, now an ambassador for the charity. As well as writing history books, I present the (really excellent) crime history podcast LadyKillers on BBC Radio Four and BBC Sounds, and occasionally present history programmes for BBC Two and PBS. My most recent book, AGATHA CHRISTIE, A VERY ELUSIVE WOMAN was a Sunday Times number one bestseller in the UK, and I'm working now on a new secret project. I'm on lots of social media, and I have a weekly newsletter 'My Life in the Past'.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,901 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the thoughtful biography that provides context for Christie's life and career. Readers praise the author's research quality as good and informative. However, opinions vary on the narrative style - some find it charming and masterful, while others feel it becomes tedious at the end.

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ReadabilityBiographyWriterResearch qualityNarrative style
28 customers mention "Readability"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They recommend it as a great read and say the author is good.

"...This book was a true pleasure to read. Now I must read Worsley's other books." Read more

"The first third of this biography is uncommonly sprightly and spunky, but the last two thirds settle into a more tedious narrative style...." Read more

"I love Lucy Worsley’s historical programs on PBS and this book was just as enjoyable...." Read more

"...This was a good read, and I learned a lot about Agatha and her family." Read more

26 customers mention "Biography"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the biography about Agatha Christie. They find it insightful and well-researched, providing a context for her life and career as an author. The book brings the reader into Christie's world and provides valuable insights from an experienced historian.

"...What a great person to guide you on this fascinating journey. Agatha defies expectations...." Read more

"...She cares about her subjects and she sheds new light on old stories. She is one of the very few historians who write so beautifully!..." Read more

"...She is a good popular historian who does not dumb down the material and provides context of the time around her subjects...." Read more

"...What an interesting life she lead! I enjoyed Lucy Worsley's book that delves into Agatha's life and was sad to reach the end...." Read more

24 customers mention "Writer"24 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the author's writing style. They find the book well-researched, easy to read, and engaging. The author is described as witty and brilliant.

"...in a biography, but the opposite is true here because it's the witty and brilliant Worsley...." Read more

"Lucy Worsley brings history to life like no other historian. She is clever, curious and sees things other experts miss...." Read more

"...The book was well written and as much a history of Christie's era as a biography of the author. Lucy Worsley adds a human side to facts and events." Read more

"This was a well-researched and well-written book on the life of Agatha Christie...." Read more

16 customers mention "Research quality"16 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's research quality. They find it well-researched, with interesting details about Agatha that readers may not have known. The author is knowledgeable in many areas and adds her personal insights to the book. Readers describe the book as a brilliant exposé that sheds light on aspects other experts miss.

"...She is clever, curious and sees things other experts miss. She cares about her subjects and she sheds new light on old stories...." Read more

"...Overall, informative and a fairly good read." Read more

"This was a well-researched and well-written book on the life of Agatha Christie...." Read more

"...Lucy Worsley has done a lot of research and written a book so well that you feel like you’ve known Agutha forever...." Read more

8 customers mention "Narrative style"4 positive4 negative

Customers have different views on the narrative style. Some find it engaging and charming, with lots of adventure and success. Others feel the last two thirds settle into a more tedious narrative style, with repetitive financial details. Overall, opinions are mixed about the narrative style.

"...I was spoiled by Agatha Christie's Autobiography which is a charming personal story that takes the reader into the world she grew up in." Read more

"...This could be intrusive or annoying in a biography, but the opposite is true here because it's the witty and brilliant Worsley...." Read more

"...Fun book. Lots of adventure and success to make up for the few valleys of sadness. After it all, I love Agatha even more." Read more

"...sprightly and spunky, but the last two thirds settle into a more tedious narrative style...." Read more

After reading this brilliant exposé I feel as if Agatha and I have always been close soul mates!
5 out of 5 stars
After reading this brilliant exposé I feel as if Agatha and I have always been close soul mates!
NOTHING!! I was held captive on each delicious page!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • DANA ISAACSON
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic biography about a brilliant writer by a brilliant writer
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have loved Lucy Worsley on BBC historical shows and didn't know she was an author. I was thrilled to learn she wrote a biography of Agatha Christie. There is something extraordinary about this book: the biographer's perspective and opinions can be found on many of its pages. This could be intrusive or annoying in a biography, but the opposite is true here because it's the witty and brilliant Worsley. What a great person to guide you on this fascinating journey.

    Agatha defies expectations. She is modest but not, a self-described housewife who was often found on archeological digs in Iraq, a writer of uneven quality who also produced major works. The elderly woman in our mind was once a lovely debutante, a lover of swimming in the sea and a woman who made some bad choices with major consequences. Yet she also led what you might think of as a rather normal family life, with typical tears and joys.

    This book was a true pleasure to read. Now I must read Worsley's other books.
    26 people found this helpful
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  • Planetmarcel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Lucy Worsley brings history to life like no other historian. She is clever, curious and sees things other experts miss. She cares about her subjects and she sheds new light on old stories. She is one of the very few historians who write so beautifully!

    Even if you've read other Christie biographies and her autobiography, you will learn more about this woman who was as fascinating as any of her brilliant stories.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Nonfiction author
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sets the record straight in many ways
    Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The first third of this biography is uncommonly sprightly and spunky, but the last two thirds settle into a more tedious narrative style.

    I found the author's emphasis on Christie's unusual success as a woman author convincing. Likewise her sympathetic portrayal of the reasons for Christie's famous 11-day disappearance in 1926.

    Overall, informative and a fairly good read.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ken
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Purchased for wife who likes Agatha Christie mysteries. Read by me because I am a fan and respecter of Lucy Worsley's presentations, books and lectures. She is a good popular historian who does not dumb down the material and provides context of the time around her subjects. The book was well written and as much a history of Christie's era as a biography of the author. Lucy Worsley adds a human side to facts and events.
    Helpful
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  • Sharong812
    5.0 out of 5 stars great for Agatha Christie fans
    Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I love Lucy Worsley’s historical programs on PBS and this book was just as enjoyable. I will keep this description of Agatha in mind when I continue to read her books. Thanks for the research and writing Lucy!!
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Research
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This was a well-researched and well-written book on the life of Agatha Christie. This was a good read, and I learned a lot about Agatha and her family.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • E. Meeks
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    If you are an Agatha Christie fan or just curious about her, you need to read this book. Lucy Worsley has done a lot of research and written a book so well that you feel like you’ve known Agutha forever. There were a lot of things I didn’t know about Agatha. She was quite an individual in her time. I strongly suggest you read this book. It is a great one!
    11 people found this helpful
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  • A. Lattanze
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I knew next to nothing about Agatha Christie the person - only that she was the author of many detective novels that I watched as movies and TV shows. What an interesting life she lead! I enjoyed Lucy Worsley's book that delves into Agatha's life and was sad to reach the end. Now on to read some of Agatha's actual books!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Don Marsh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
    Reviewed in Canada on April 30, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent biography of the greatest crime writer ever. Enjoyed it immensely.
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  • Thomé Madeira
    5.0 out of 5 stars Even now , she is elusive
    Reviewed in Brazil on June 5, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    A well written biography, resourceful and take us from beginning to end, and not only the writer, but also the woman, a figure of a time in constant changing, a style immortal by its own right; is quite possible find people like M. Poirot or with the calm curiosity of Miss Marple, or even incisive and daring couples like Tommy and Tuppence; we just need to read her ...
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  • kindteacher
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lucy Worsley does it again!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great Biography. Lucy Worsley certainly knows how to keep the reader entertained.
    If you love Agatha Christie's novels, this is a book for you.
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  • Atulya Sinha
    5.0 out of 5 stars ELOQUENT LUCY MEETS ELUSIVE AGATHA
    Reviewed in India on April 27, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Readers might have visualized Agatha Christie as a wealthy Englishwoman dressed in tweeds, who had inherited a country estate full of gardeners and gamekeepers, along with a manor staffed by several maids and a butler. Perhaps they also imagined that she had a team of assistants lurking in a cottage, who helped her in churning out her bestsellers – even as she spent her weekends riding with her husband and handing out buttered scones to her numerous grandchildren.

    Lucy Worsley’s new book ‘Agatha Christie: A Very Elusive Woman’ shows that such notions are quite wrong. While Agatha appears quintessentially English, her father Frederick Miller was an American who chose to settle at the small seaside resort of Torquay in England. Agatha’s mother Clara Boehmer had been born in Dublin to an English mother and a German father. To add to the complexity, the family tree given in the beginning of this book reveals that Clara’s mother was the younger sister of Frederick’s stepmother. “The complicated families often found in Agatha’s fiction,” remarks Worsley, “began life close to home.”

    Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) might have been born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth. In the author’s words, “Little Agatha seems to have wanted for nothing that an overstuffed, over-furnished, overconfident high-Victorian household could offer.” Sadly, her idyllic childhood ended at the tender age of eleven, when her indulgent father died and her family’s income declined. Rather than give her a formal schooling, Agatha’s mother preferred that she should learn “music, French, conversation and ‘character.’”

    As the First World War broke out in 1914, Agatha volunteered to work as a nurse (and she famously picked up a detailed knowledge of various types of poisons). The same year she got married to army officer Archibald Christie, whose name she bore throughout her life. In 1919, Agatha gave birth to Rosalind, her only child. A few years later, Agatha’s first marriage ended in a divorce and she went on to marry archaeologist Max Mallowan, who was fourteen years younger than her. She frequently travelled with Max and his team to excavation sites in Iraq and Syria – and many of her stories were inspired by her journeys and experiences during such expeditions…

    This book consists of 41 chapters divided into ten sections, roughly corresponding to the decades and important events in Agatha’s long life. There is an evocative black and white photograph of Agatha at the start of each section, besides two sets of colour plates containing more photos of Agatha along with her family and friends. Some of the sections and chapters are named after Christie’s works, e.g. the chapter which talks about her relationship with her daughter Rosalind is titled “A Daughter’s A Daughter.” The very last chapter is poignantly titled “After the Funeral.”

    Author Lucy Worsley – who is a historian by profession – has made extraordinary efforts to gather information from a variety of sources, ranging from books and newspapers to church registers and asylum records. She has also accessed archival material and private correspondence, apart from holding personal conversations with a handful of individuals who can recall interacting with Christie prior to her death in 1976. The author has taken pains to organize and present the fruits of her research in a highly readable manner. Lady Antonia Fraser (undoubtedly a brilliant woman herself), rightly describes this book as “one brilliant woman writing about another…”

    “Max once described his wife as combining ‘outer diffidence with a massive inner confidence’, and there are sometimes hints that her public ‘shyness’ was less a genuine character trait than a weapon.” Worsley shares many insights into Agatha’s personal life, which impacted her work. “Despite the fact that she’s had just the one child…she still managed to create a large, complicated family of which she was the centre.”

    The author has covered not just Christie’s life, but also her works, in her magnificent sweep – for instance, she describes ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ as “one of the greatest detective novels of all time” and quotes copiously from several Christie books. She probes into minute details of celebrated detectives like Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple as well as a host of minor characters, to build up her story (though she does let out a spoiler or two). She also identifies numerous “tricks” employed by Christie in her books, including what she calls recycling of a good plot; “the reader simply can’t believe that she might be playing the same game twice.”

    The only flaw I have found in this book is on page 44, where the author says that Archibald Christie was “born on 30 September 1889 in Peshawar, then in Bengal, India, now in Pakistan.” I am sure that neither Poirot nor Marple, much less Christie herself, could have found Peshawar in Bengal, since it lies in north-west Pakistan east of the Khyber Pass!

    In conclusion, let me say that the Eloquent Lucy turns out to be a perfect match for the Elusive Agatha. By the time you finish reading this book, your wish list will be swelling as you will have a strong urge to read or re-read most, if not all, of Agatha Christie’s books.
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The queen of fiction
    Reviewed in Germany on September 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    What a wonderful expose of the life of one of the worlds finest writers. You reall get the intermacy from the wonderful writing of the Author about Agatha.
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