Book: The Woman on the Orient Express
Author: Lindsay Jane Ashford
Pages: 332
Read on: Kindle {via Kindle Unlimited}
Read in: 3-4 hours
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Plot Summary: Hoping to make a clean break from a fractured marriage, Agatha Christie boards the Orient Express in disguise. But unlike her famous detective Hercule Poirot, she can’t neatly unravel the mysteries she encounters on this fateful journey.
Agatha isn’t the only passenger on board with secrets. Her cabinmate Katharine Keeling’s first marriage ended in tragedy, propelling her toward a second relationship mired in deceit.
Nancy Nelson—newly married but carrying another man’s child—is desperate to conceal the pregnancy and teeters on the brink of utter despair.
Each woman hides her past from the others, ferociously guarding her secrets. But as the train bound for the Middle East speeds down the track, the parallel courses of their lives shift to intersect—with lasting repercussions.
Things I Liked:
- If you know me at all, you will know that I have a deep and abiding love for all things Agatha Christie, so when I saw this book on Amazon Unlimited, and saw that the premise was inspired by Agatha Christie's travels to the Middle East around the time her first husband was getting re-married with some intrigue thrown in, I was hooked!
- This is such a nicely written book. I love books that are evocative but not overly descriptive and this one straddles the fine line just perfectly! I loved how the author brought the Orient Express to life and also showed us the inspiration of three of Agatha Christie's books, which were gleaned from events during her journey.
- The characters in the book are also interesting and well etched out. First, there is Agatha Christie herself, who we see as a vulnerable, self-doubting, slightly heartbroken young woman towards the beginning of the journey and who during the course of the journey makes friends, decides on a future course of action for her and even finds love! I loved seeing this side of Agatha Christie... I had always imagined her as this woman with a mischievous twinkle in her eye and who would be intrepid and full of chutzpah and in this book, Agatha Christie is almost sort-of like what I had imagined her to be.
- Then we have Katherine, who is full of chutzpah and, is clearly, hiding a big secret. She is an archaeologist and I found that so interesting because a woman archaeologist in the 1930s was a rare thing and poor Katherine was forced to marry a male colleague just because some conservative sponsor could keep funding their dig. She is a character who is so strong and brave and just utterly wonderful!
- Nancy is very likeable and you feel a lot of empathy for her situation! She is the glue that, finally, brings the three travel-mates together and binds them, in some ways, for life! In fact, it is Nancy, whose situation makes Agatha snap out of her morose-ness and self-pity and figure out a way to life her life as a single mother.
- The book has some beautiful descriptions and interesting history about Syria and Yemen. It also mentions the now-war ravaged town of Aleppo, which was a beautiful and flourishing sea-side holiday destination. It made me sad to read about what war and savagery can do to everyday lives of common people!
- The cataclysmic events, which bind the three friends in a life-long secret, also unfold in a gripping manner. The resolution of these events is surprisingly easy, given the person involved in them (not giving away any spoilers here), but it was not something I am complaining about!
Rating: 5/5
A fantastic book that is sort of rooted in true events and if you love Agatha Christie's works as much as I do, then what are you waiting for?! Go!! Get this book!
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