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孝褟谐邪褉 谢褞斜芯胁褨
芦孝褟谐邪褉 谢褞斜芯胁褨禄 鈥� 芯褋褌邪薪薪褨泄 褕械写械胁褉 褑褜芯谐芯 卸邪薪褉褍 鈥� 褟胁谢褟褦 薪邪屑 褨褋褌芯褉褨褞 谢褞斜芯胁褨 胁 褩褩 薪邪泄谐谢懈斜懈薪薪褨褕懈褏 褨 薪邪泄褌芯薪褕懈褏 锌褉芯褟胁邪褏: 胁褨写 胁褋械锌芯谐谢懈薪邪褞褔芯褩 薪褨卸薪芯褋褌褨 褨 褌褍褉斜芯褌懈 写芯 褋谢褨锌芯褩 褋邪屑芯卸械褉褌芯胁薪芯褋褌褨, 胁褨写 薪邪褋薪邪谐懈 写芯 卸懈褌褌褟 写芯 薪械褋锌芯写褨胁邪薪芯褩 褋懈谢懈, 蟹写邪褌薪芯褩 褑械 卸懈褌褌褟 胁褖械薪褌 褋锌芯锌械谢懈褌懈. 袥芯褉邪 肖褉邪薪泻谢褨薪 蟹写邪褦褌褜褋褟 胁褋褨屑 写懈胁薪芯褞, 薪械蟹斜邪谐薪械薪薪芯褞 写懈褌懈薪芯褞. 袥懈褕械 褦写懈薪懈泄 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁 写褉褍谐, 屑褍写褉懈泄 屑褨褋褌械褉 袘芯谢写芯泻 褉芯蟹褍屑褨褦, 褟泻 胁芯薪邪 谐褨褉泻芯 褋褌褉邪卸写邪褦 褔械褉械蟹 斜褉邪泻 斜邪褌褜泻褨胁褋褜泻芯褩 褍胁邪谐懈. 袪械胁薪芯褖褨 写芯 薪芯胁芯薪邪褉芯写卸械薪芯褩 褋械褋褌褉懈褔泻懈 锌褉芯斜褍写卸褍褞褌褜 褍 写褨胁褔懈薪褑褨 斜邪卸邪薪薪褟 斜褍写褜-褖芯 锌芯蟹斜褍褌懈褋褟 薪械屑芯胁谢褟褌懈. 袙芯薪邪 薪邪胁褨褌褜 锌褉芯褋懈褌褜 褍 袘芯谐邪, 褖芯斜 褌芯泄 蟹邪斜褉邪胁 写懈褌懈薪褍 胁 袪邪泄. 袩褉芯褌械 芯写薪褨褦褩 写芯谢械薪芯褋薪芯褩 薪芯褔褨 胁褋械 泻邪褉写懈薪邪谢褜薪芯 蟹屑褨薪褞褦褌褜褋褟. 袣芯谢懈 斜谢邪谐邪薪薪褟 袧械斜械褋 蟹写邪褞褌褜褋褟 锌芯褔褍褌懈屑懈, 袥芯褉邪 褉褟褌褍褦 泻褉懈褏褨褌薪褍 楔懈褉谢褨 胁 锌芯卸械卸褨, 胁邪卸邪褔懈 胁谢邪褋薪懈屑 卸懈褌褌褟屑. 袟 褌芯谐芯 褔邪褋褍 褩褩 褦褋褌胁芯 锌械褉械锌芯胁薪褞褦 芯写械褉卸懈屑邪 谢褞斜芯胁, 锌邪谢泻邪, 邪卸 写芯 褋邪屑芯蟹褉械褔械薪薪褟, 锌芯褌褉械斜邪 锌褨泻谢褍胁邪褌懈褋褟 褋械褋褌褉芯褞. 袙芯薪邪 泄 褋邪屑邪 薪械 锌芯屑褨褔邪褦, 泻芯谢懈 褩褩 薪邪写屑褨褉薪邪 谢褞斜芯胁 褨 锌褨泻谢褍胁邪薪薪褟 褋褌邪褞褌褜 褌褟谐邪褉械屑 写谢褟 褉褨写薪芯褩 谢褞写懈薪懈, 褉褍泄薪褍褞褌褜 褩褩 写芯谢褞. 孝芯卸 褔懈 屑芯卸薪邪 锌褉芯卸懈褌懈 褔褍卸械 卸懈褌褌褟? 效懈 屑芯卸薪邪 芯褖邪褋谢懈胁懈褌懈 褨薪褕懈褏, 芯谐芯褉薪褍胁褕懈 褩褏 泻芯泻芯薪芯屑 斜谢邪谐芯锌芯谢褍褔褔褟, 胁褨写谐芯褉芯写懈胁褕懈 胁褨写 胁谢邪褋薪懈褏, 屑芯卸谢懈胁芯, 泄 芦薪械锌褉邪胁懈谢褜薪懈褏禄, 斜邪卸邪薪褜? 袩懈褋褜屑械薪薪懈褑褟 蟹 锌褉芯薪懈泻谢懈胁褨褋褌褞 薪邪写褌芯薪泻芯谐芯 锌褋懈褏芯谢芯谐邪 锌褨写胁芯写懈褌褜 薪邪褋 写芯 胁谢邪褋薪懈褏 胁懈褋薪芯胁泻褨胁, 褖芯 胁懈锌谢懈胁邪褞褌褜 蟹 卸懈褌褌褦胁懈褏 泻芯谢褨蟹褨泄 褩褩 锌械褉褋芯薪邪卸褨胁.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
58 people are currently reading
6,363 people want to read
About the author
Mary Westmacott
15听books632听followersPseudonym used by
Agatha Christie
to write her dramatic novels about relationships.
Associated Names:
袦褝褉懈 袙械褋褌屑邪泻芯褌褌 (Russian)
袦械褉褨 袙械褋褌屑邪泻芯褌褌 (Ukrainian)
Associated Names:
袦褝褉懈 袙械褋褌屑邪泻芯褌褌 (Russian)
袦械褉褨 袙械褋褌屑邪泻芯褌褌 (Ukrainian)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
July 20, 2019
Is love a burden? Is it better to love than to be loved? Those are some of the questions this book asks. Overall the first two parts were better than the second half but still a really good look at human nature.
February 4, 2019
The Burden is the first of the books written by Agatha Christie under her nom de plume that I've read, although it was the last one published. It was published in 1956, the same year she published and .
This is a very strange little book centered around Laura, the least-loved child in her family. Very early in the book, she has a younger, favored, brother who dies, and Laura hopes that her situation will change. Her younger sister, Shirley, is born, which puts her back in the position of being less.
She makes friends with a cranky local man who generally dislikes children, but sees something in Laura that is interesting. He remains a constant friend and fixture in her life. Initially, Laura's feelings about Shirley are decidedly negative - until she saves Shirley's life at significant risk to her own, when Shirley is around 2 years old. Laura becomes deeply protective of Shirley from that point on, and raises her once their parents die unexpectedly.
Agatha Christie sets this up as a contrast between dark - Laura - and light - Shirley. Laura gets short shrift with her own life, dedicated essentially to caring for Shirley. Shirley falls hard for a pretty awful man, whom she later marries. This becomes a significant source of tension, when he ends up significantly disabled by polio. This does not improve him.
I read this book very quickly, partly to just get it over with, I think. I really didn't like it - the decisions being made by all of the characters were confounding. The ending was just weird.
Even in the context of this book, which is described as a "psychological romance," Agatha can't get away from crime. In addition, I don't think that I agree that this is a romance, as that genre identifier is generally applied today. I don't think that Laura is capable of an HEA, given the level of trauma that she sustained during her life (at least not without a lot of therapy). She is restrained to the point of isolation.
I'm not sorry I read it, because Agatha. But I am hopeful that it is the weakest of her Westmacott books, because it's hard for me to imagine that they could be worse.
This is a very strange little book centered around Laura, the least-loved child in her family. Very early in the book, she has a younger, favored, brother who dies, and Laura hopes that her situation will change. Her younger sister, Shirley, is born, which puts her back in the position of being less.
She makes friends with a cranky local man who generally dislikes children, but sees something in Laura that is interesting. He remains a constant friend and fixture in her life. Initially, Laura's feelings about Shirley are decidedly negative - until she saves Shirley's life at significant risk to her own, when Shirley is around 2 years old. Laura becomes deeply protective of Shirley from that point on, and raises her once their parents die unexpectedly.
Agatha Christie sets this up as a contrast between dark - Laura - and light - Shirley. Laura gets short shrift with her own life, dedicated essentially to caring for Shirley. Shirley falls hard for a pretty awful man, whom she later marries. This becomes a significant source of tension, when he ends up significantly disabled by polio. This does not improve him.
I read this book very quickly, partly to just get it over with, I think. I really didn't like it - the decisions being made by all of the characters were confounding. The ending was just weird.
Even in the context of this book, which is described as a "psychological romance," Agatha can't get away from crime. In addition, I don't think that I agree that this is a romance, as that genre identifier is generally applied today. I don't think that Laura is capable of an HEA, given the level of trauma that she sustained during her life (at least not without a lot of therapy). She is restrained to the point of isolation.
I'm not sorry I read it, because Agatha. But I am hopeful that it is the weakest of her Westmacott books, because it's hard for me to imagine that they could be worse.
October 25, 2019
2.5 stars for the strong first half
At first I was really getting into The Burden. The chapters with Laura's childhood were engaging and well-written, and so were the chapters up to about the time Shirley met Richard. But after that point, the story suddenly shifts to the viewpoint of an apparently unconnected character, a famous preacher named Llewellyn Knox. He ends up being connected to the two sisters in a strange way, but up until then his presence in the story seems superfluous. With the arrival of this character the story progression slows and is replaced by a series of religious discussions, culminating in the story's unusual but poorly explained theme, the titular "burden". The ending feels confusing and not wholly satisfying.
The Burden has an excellent first half, but was let down by the rest of the story. I didn't hate this book, but for me it was mediocre and took a completely different direction than the beginning seemed to indicate. I may try more of Agatha Christie's work under the Mary Westmacott pseudonym, so hopefully this book is not representative of all of them.
At first I was really getting into The Burden. The chapters with Laura's childhood were engaging and well-written, and so were the chapters up to about the time Shirley met Richard. But after that point, the story suddenly shifts to the viewpoint of an apparently unconnected character, a famous preacher named Llewellyn Knox. He ends up being connected to the two sisters in a strange way, but up until then his presence in the story seems superfluous. With the arrival of this character the story progression slows and is replaced by a series of religious discussions, culminating in the story's unusual but poorly explained theme, the titular "burden". The ending feels confusing and not wholly satisfying.
The Burden has an excellent first half, but was let down by the rest of the story. I didn't hate this book, but for me it was mediocre and took a completely different direction than the beginning seemed to indicate. I may try more of Agatha Christie's work under the Mary Westmacott pseudonym, so hopefully this book is not representative of all of them.
February 1, 2021
3.5*
鈥淔or my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Although not as excellent and earth-shattering as and , The Burden is another great psychological drama from Agatha Christie. Under the nom de plume Westmacott, she wrote six novels that were not crime mysteries, but stories where she could concentrate on analysing what made people 鈥榯ick鈥�, and topics that were of particular interest to her.
Once more, Christie portrays personalities at a crux in their lives while focusing on a theme, that of the 鈥榳eight鈥� of being loved. I must admit I thought she was going into a completely different road, that of Fate and how your actions have far-reaching consequences. It was subtler than that however. I wonder if this was due to having several narrators (not just the sisters), and indeed narratives, which somewhat joined at the end. Still, the result left me perplexed. The characters, although well portrayed, felt weakened by these shifts in focus, but then maybe the journey was more important.
This is still a great read, showing Christie鈥檚 amazing understanding of the human condition, and power to convey so many emotions, but I wouldn鈥檛 recommend it as a first Westmacott.
鈥淔or my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Although not as excellent and earth-shattering as and , The Burden is another great psychological drama from Agatha Christie. Under the nom de plume Westmacott, she wrote six novels that were not crime mysteries, but stories where she could concentrate on analysing what made people 鈥榯ick鈥�, and topics that were of particular interest to her.
Once more, Christie portrays personalities at a crux in their lives while focusing on a theme, that of the 鈥榳eight鈥� of being loved. I must admit I thought she was going into a completely different road, that of Fate and how your actions have far-reaching consequences. It was subtler than that however. I wonder if this was due to having several narrators (not just the sisters), and indeed narratives, which somewhat joined at the end. Still, the result left me perplexed. The characters, although well portrayed, felt weakened by these shifts in focus, but then maybe the journey was more important.
This is still a great read, showing Christie鈥檚 amazing understanding of the human condition, and power to convey so many emotions, but I wouldn鈥檛 recommend it as a first Westmacott.
February 2, 2022
I listened to this the first time in 2020 and gave it 3 stars. Recently I decided to give it another go and I was happy I did. If I hadn't known this was written by Christy I wouldn't have guessed it but as I knew it I could see settle similarities with her books under Mary Westmacott and her crime novels under her own name. The story was oddly compelling, can't really put a finger on why I enjoyed it more this time around.
January 28, 2021
A disappointment. I loved , , and . I recommend you spend your time reading those books rather than this one.
Oh! this book was dull. It starts ok showing us Laura鈥檚 childhood, then it picks up showing the lives and interactions between the sisters but, unfortunately, ends with some random guy, with whom I never connected, stepping into scene who somehow gets to know both sisters and then something happens here and there and the story ends. Blah....
Oh! this book was dull. It starts ok showing us Laura鈥檚 childhood, then it picks up showing the lives and interactions between the sisters but, unfortunately, ends with some random guy, with whom I never connected, stepping into scene who somehow gets to know both sisters and then something happens here and there and the story ends. Blah....
April 28, 2014
This has been sitting half finished on my e reader for a while, so I'm accepting that I may just not finish this (bizarrely, since I've had the e reader I've been finishing all sorts of dreck that I would have tossed aside if they had been in paperback form)
This book starts of as bleak & sinister, then turns into dull & mundane. Just couldn't work up the interest to keep reading & see if it goes back into sinister.
This book starts of as bleak & sinister, then turns into dull & mundane. Just couldn't work up the interest to keep reading & see if it goes back into sinister.
August 5, 2019
In this novel Agatha Christie, writing under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott looks at the complex relationship between two sisters. In many ways it is a psychological analysis of behavior and motivation of two protagonists- A doting but over bearing elder sister and her much younger care free sister. The end is quite un orthodox and you are left wondering if finally justice is delivered. Brilliant read.
July 17, 2014
Since I was introduced to the wonderful world of Mary Westmacott by my Best Friend, I have always enjoyed reading her books, which of course made me, determined and want to read all six of her works. What is extremely delightful is the fact that a writer who wrote such intelligent and thrilling crime novels could also write such lovely books on human relationships. Everyone usually talks about how amazing a writer Agatha Christie was and that she is even today considered the Queen of Crime Fiction but hardly anyone ever talks about her Mary Westmacott novels and more is the pity as the readers don鈥檛 know what they are missing out on.
Her Mary Westmacott novels display her deep understanding of human nature. I think she would put even Freud to shame! What is most amazing in her novels is the fact that everything is grey with a capital G. There is no black and there is certainly no white. Morality is a matter of interpretation, as are matters of right and wrong.
This particular book deals with love, the various shades of love and how sometimes too much of love can also be a burden. In Shirley and Laura鈥檚 relationship we see the burden of love that Shirley has to carry as her sister smothers her with too much of love. While Shirley is further burdened by Richard鈥檚 love and Llewellyn feels the burden of God鈥檚 love and finally Laura starts feeling the weight of love for the first time. It is interesting to also see how Westmacott also tries to grapple with the eternal question of 鈥楬ow much is too much?鈥� Is it alright for someone to 鈥榠nterfere鈥� in a loved one鈥檚 life to the point of changing the course of their life? How can someone be a bystander when one鈥檚 loved one is not taking the right decisions, but the question is what are the 鈥榬ight鈥� decisions? 鈥楻ight鈥� according to whom? Do we have the right to decide for the ones we love, what is right and wrong for them?
It is quite wonderful to see that Westmacott realizes that there are no easy answers to these questions and, that human relationships are extremely complicated and intricate and well, Grey. However, much as I enjoyed reading the novel and the questions it raised, I did not particularly enjoy a few things. The first being that I did not quite understand why she had to put in the character of Llewellyn in the novel. When the part on Llewellyn started, it seemed as if I was reading another book altogether, it seemed entirely disjunct and unnecessary from the rest of the novel. What was more unnecessary was to give a fairy tale ending to Laura. It seemed pretty melodramatic and soap- operatic (sic) to me. Sure, someone can have a 鈥榮econd sight 鈥榓nd have a clear vision as to who he/she loves but that does not mean the object of affection shall understand this kind of love or else respond in the first meeting itself. Suddenly the nun-like figure of Laura is transformed suddenly in to this lipstick wielding 鈥楩atal Apple鈥� Laura.
Another contention that I have with the novel is the fact that it becomes a little too 鈥榓ction-packed鈥� (for lack of a better word) after the first part of the novel. Mary Westmacott鈥檚 novels are supposed to be an interrogation inside the inner recesses of the mind and are a journey into the deeper psychological processes of humans, case in point being her novel 鈥� Absent in the Spring. This deeper interrogation of the human psyche, as it were, is missing in this novel to such an extent and that is a tad disappointing as this is the defining point of her Westmacott novels and to have it missing in this novel was a definite letdown. We get to know more about what the main protagonists of the novel 鈥� Shirley and Laura are 鈥榙oing鈥� rather than 鈥榯hinking鈥�. We don鈥檛 get a very clear picture of Laura and Shirley, as the novel is overcrowded with too many characters and that is why I have a particular grudge against the character of Llewellyn. Instead of giving us Llewellyn鈥檚 story etc. we as readers would have preferred to know more about the two sisters. Westmacott鈥檚 novels are always about the inner journey of the characters rather than their physical journeys which is sadly missing in this novel to a large extent.
A word here about the racism in the book. I love Mary Westmacott dearly and she has been and always will be one of my favourite authors, however, one cannot be blind to a writer鈥檚 faults. I never noticed her racism until I read this book. I quote (pgs. 133-136) 鈥業t had none of the exotic languor of the tropics.鈥� 鈥楾here would be poverty here, and pain, and the various ills of the flesh,鈥� 鈥楾he girls were beautiful with a proud dark beauty that would probably not outlast youth.鈥�
I guess it is some Caribbean island that Westmacott seems to have described in the book; however the way she has described not only the place but the natives gives her away. The island and the inhabitants are clearly the 鈥極ther鈥� and the 鈥楨ast鈥� with all the stereotypical trappings of being not only exotic and sensual but also lazy and poor. Well, that made me obviously angry and upset that I have finally realized that (one of) my favourite author can also be a 鈥榤ild鈥� racist, if ever there was a term for this. Food for thought.
If one casts that aside, then I must say it is an enjoyable read and it deserves four stars for it simply being a Mary Westmacott novel.p
Her Mary Westmacott novels display her deep understanding of human nature. I think she would put even Freud to shame! What is most amazing in her novels is the fact that everything is grey with a capital G. There is no black and there is certainly no white. Morality is a matter of interpretation, as are matters of right and wrong.
This particular book deals with love, the various shades of love and how sometimes too much of love can also be a burden. In Shirley and Laura鈥檚 relationship we see the burden of love that Shirley has to carry as her sister smothers her with too much of love. While Shirley is further burdened by Richard鈥檚 love and Llewellyn feels the burden of God鈥檚 love and finally Laura starts feeling the weight of love for the first time. It is interesting to also see how Westmacott also tries to grapple with the eternal question of 鈥楬ow much is too much?鈥� Is it alright for someone to 鈥榠nterfere鈥� in a loved one鈥檚 life to the point of changing the course of their life? How can someone be a bystander when one鈥檚 loved one is not taking the right decisions, but the question is what are the 鈥榬ight鈥� decisions? 鈥楻ight鈥� according to whom? Do we have the right to decide for the ones we love, what is right and wrong for them?
It is quite wonderful to see that Westmacott realizes that there are no easy answers to these questions and, that human relationships are extremely complicated and intricate and well, Grey. However, much as I enjoyed reading the novel and the questions it raised, I did not particularly enjoy a few things. The first being that I did not quite understand why she had to put in the character of Llewellyn in the novel. When the part on Llewellyn started, it seemed as if I was reading another book altogether, it seemed entirely disjunct and unnecessary from the rest of the novel. What was more unnecessary was to give a fairy tale ending to Laura. It seemed pretty melodramatic and soap- operatic (sic) to me. Sure, someone can have a 鈥榮econd sight 鈥榓nd have a clear vision as to who he/she loves but that does not mean the object of affection shall understand this kind of love or else respond in the first meeting itself. Suddenly the nun-like figure of Laura is transformed suddenly in to this lipstick wielding 鈥楩atal Apple鈥� Laura.
Another contention that I have with the novel is the fact that it becomes a little too 鈥榓ction-packed鈥� (for lack of a better word) after the first part of the novel. Mary Westmacott鈥檚 novels are supposed to be an interrogation inside the inner recesses of the mind and are a journey into the deeper psychological processes of humans, case in point being her novel 鈥� Absent in the Spring. This deeper interrogation of the human psyche, as it were, is missing in this novel to such an extent and that is a tad disappointing as this is the defining point of her Westmacott novels and to have it missing in this novel was a definite letdown. We get to know more about what the main protagonists of the novel 鈥� Shirley and Laura are 鈥榙oing鈥� rather than 鈥榯hinking鈥�. We don鈥檛 get a very clear picture of Laura and Shirley, as the novel is overcrowded with too many characters and that is why I have a particular grudge against the character of Llewellyn. Instead of giving us Llewellyn鈥檚 story etc. we as readers would have preferred to know more about the two sisters. Westmacott鈥檚 novels are always about the inner journey of the characters rather than their physical journeys which is sadly missing in this novel to a large extent.
A word here about the racism in the book. I love Mary Westmacott dearly and she has been and always will be one of my favourite authors, however, one cannot be blind to a writer鈥檚 faults. I never noticed her racism until I read this book. I quote (pgs. 133-136) 鈥業t had none of the exotic languor of the tropics.鈥� 鈥楾here would be poverty here, and pain, and the various ills of the flesh,鈥� 鈥楾he girls were beautiful with a proud dark beauty that would probably not outlast youth.鈥�
I guess it is some Caribbean island that Westmacott seems to have described in the book; however the way she has described not only the place but the natives gives her away. The island and the inhabitants are clearly the 鈥極ther鈥� and the 鈥楨ast鈥� with all the stereotypical trappings of being not only exotic and sensual but also lazy and poor. Well, that made me obviously angry and upset that I have finally realized that (one of) my favourite author can also be a 鈥榤ild鈥� racist, if ever there was a term for this. Food for thought.
If one casts that aside, then I must say it is an enjoyable read and it deserves four stars for it simply being a Mary Westmacott novel.p
December 31, 2024
Possibly one of the weaker Westmacotts, but still compelling in spots.
February 22, 2017
The Burden deals with a really dark plot revolving around the bond of sisters. The book had me engrossed from the beginning till the end. The characters were so well drawn up that I had no trouble believing in them, flaws and all! They were real to me throughout the book.
October 22, 2019
"Self pity is practically a full time occupation".
July 23, 2017
Agatha Christies gro脽e Menschenkenntnis erkennt man an der Gestaltung der Charaktere.
Schon der Prolog hatte es in sich. Mir gef盲llt die kompakte, n眉chterne Art, wie alle beschrieben werden. Sie ist in ihrer Art zu schreiben ehrlich, unerbittlich und recht konsequent. In "Sp盲tes Gl眉ck" f眉hlt man die komprimierte Essenz dessen, was man sonst in ihren Krimis recht ausschweifend zu lesen bekommt. Trotzdem bleibt Raum f眉r Gedanken.
Schon der Prolog hatte es in sich. Mir gef盲llt die kompakte, n眉chterne Art, wie alle beschrieben werden. Sie ist in ihrer Art zu schreiben ehrlich, unerbittlich und recht konsequent. In "Sp盲tes Gl眉ck" f眉hlt man die komprimierte Essenz dessen, was man sonst in ihren Krimis recht ausschweifend zu lesen bekommt. Trotzdem bleibt Raum f眉r Gedanken.
November 6, 2019
This is my third Mary Westmacott novel (I've already read Absent In The Spring and Giant's Bread both of which I would recommend over this one) and sadly I have to say that if this had been my first encounter with Agatha Christie's psychological novels than I possibly wouldn't have bothered with reading any of the other five.
First of all: the synopsis for this book lies. If you are interested in the story about two sisters then it's better if you don't even start it, unless you want to be seriously disappointed. Secondly: it's very difficult to rate and review this book as a whole since most of its problems derive from the fact that it can be divided into two almost completely separate parts in the middle. The first part deals with the story of the two sisters: Laura and Shirley, and for this part I would gladly give four stars (maybe even five). The book starts in a surprisingly dark place and it has some of that raw and uncomfortable (yet not judging) sincerity that made me love Absent In The Spring so much. Towards the middle of the book the story gets a little bit too mundane but all-in-all I believe that if Christie had continued this story about the suffocating sisterly love, then we could have ended up with a very enjoyable read. If.
The second part of the novel (especially while considering the first part) for me is almost completely without merits. Out of the blue we are introduced to a completely new POW character who is not nearly as interesting or likeable as Laura or Shirley. The focus of the story is changed, so much so, that many significant events regarding the lives of the sisters happen between two chapters. The ending has very little to do with the issues presented at the beginning of the novel and it's soaked in that same cliche and unoriginal kitsch that makes me dislike the more metaphysical works of Christie so much.
I don't really understand what caused this sudden change of direction. I've read some other reviews who theorize that Christie intended the book to be much darker, similar to the opening chapters, but got scared of her own creation. While I believe that this is a possibility, I think that she may have intended the book to be an exploration of the different burden's of love: jelous love of a family member, self-distrtucting love for someone unworthy of it, the love of God etc. If this is the case then I think it would have been better if she told multiple plotlines parallel to each other with the sisters being in the center (similarly to how she did this in Giant's Bread) or if she wrote an anthology of short stories around the theme.
As a conclusion, I can't really recommend this book to anyone. As I said the first part is really good, but the second one is so insufferable that I admit, I had to skip some pages (something that I rarely do when I read something serious). It's like if someone took all of the strenghts and all of the weaknesses of the Mary Westmacott novels and placed it on the two trays of a scale. I hope the remaining three novels are better than this one.
First of all: the synopsis for this book lies. If you are interested in the story about two sisters then it's better if you don't even start it, unless you want to be seriously disappointed. Secondly: it's very difficult to rate and review this book as a whole since most of its problems derive from the fact that it can be divided into two almost completely separate parts in the middle. The first part deals with the story of the two sisters: Laura and Shirley, and for this part I would gladly give four stars (maybe even five). The book starts in a surprisingly dark place and it has some of that raw and uncomfortable (yet not judging) sincerity that made me love Absent In The Spring so much. Towards the middle of the book the story gets a little bit too mundane but all-in-all I believe that if Christie had continued this story about the suffocating sisterly love, then we could have ended up with a very enjoyable read. If.
The second part of the novel (especially while considering the first part) for me is almost completely without merits. Out of the blue we are introduced to a completely new POW character who is not nearly as interesting or likeable as Laura or Shirley. The focus of the story is changed, so much so, that many significant events regarding the lives of the sisters happen between two chapters. The ending has very little to do with the issues presented at the beginning of the novel and it's soaked in that same cliche and unoriginal kitsch that makes me dislike the more metaphysical works of Christie so much.
I don't really understand what caused this sudden change of direction. I've read some other reviews who theorize that Christie intended the book to be much darker, similar to the opening chapters, but got scared of her own creation. While I believe that this is a possibility, I think that she may have intended the book to be an exploration of the different burden's of love: jelous love of a family member, self-distrtucting love for someone unworthy of it, the love of God etc. If this is the case then I think it would have been better if she told multiple plotlines parallel to each other with the sisters being in the center (similarly to how she did this in Giant's Bread) or if she wrote an anthology of short stories around the theme.
As a conclusion, I can't really recommend this book to anyone. As I said the first part is really good, but the second one is so insufferable that I admit, I had to skip some pages (something that I rarely do when I read something serious). It's like if someone took all of the strenghts and all of the weaknesses of the Mary Westmacott novels and placed it on the two trays of a scale. I hope the remaining three novels are better than this one.
November 16, 2020
First part brilliant. Second part I cant finish I've persevered and decided its not worth it. Very frustrating. Maybe its the way of the world now
Might try again at another time
Might try again at another time
October 5, 2019
韦慰 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺苇蟻伪蟽蔚 伪蟺蠈 2-3 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏维 蠂苇蟻喂伪 蟽蟿畏谓 慰喂魏慰纬苇谓蔚喂伪 蟺蟻喂谓 苇蟻胃蔚喂 蟽蟿伪 未喂魏维 渭慰蠀, 伪蟺慰蟻蟻喂蠁胃苇谓 伪蟺蠈 蠈位慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟺蟻慰畏纬慰蠉渭蔚谓慰蠀蟼.
螘渭苇谓伪 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚. 螠慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 蟺慰位蠉 伪蠀蟿萎 畏 蠄蠀蠂慰纬蟻伪蠁喂魏萎 蟺蟻慰蟽苇纬纬喂蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 螁纬魏伪胃伪, 蟽蔚 蟺喂慰 蔚尉慰渭慰位慰纬畏蟿喂魏蠈 魏伪喂 蟺蟻慰蟽蠅蟺喂魏蠈 蟿蠈谓慰, 委蟽蠅蟼 畏渭蔚蟻慰位慰纬喂伪魏蠈, 蟺蟻喂谓 魏伪蟿伪蟺喂伪蟽蟿蔚委 渭蔚 蟿慰 蔚委未慰蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蟿畏谓 伪谓苇未蔚喂尉蔚 蟽蔚 渭蔚蟿蟻.
巍蔚伪位喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 蔚渭蟺蔚蟻喂苇蠂蔚喂, 蠈渭蠅蟼, 蟺慰位位萎 蔚蠀伪喂蟽胃畏蟽委伪 魏伪喂 渭喂伪 纬蟻伪蠁萎 蟺慰蠀 未畏渭喂慰蠀蟻纬蔚委 蟽蠀谓伪喂蟽胃畏渭伪蟿喂魏维 蔚蠀蠁蠀蔚委蟼 魏伪喂, 蟽蔚位委未伪 蟽蟿畏 蟽蔚位委未伪, 蠋蟻喂渭慰蠀蟼 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼.
~螡喂蠋胃蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 胃苇位蔚喂蟼 谓伪 蟺维蟻蔚喂蟼 渭喂伪 伪纬魏伪位委蟿蟽伪 蟿慰蠀蟼 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼 魏伪喂 谓伪 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟺蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 蠈位伪 胃伪 蟺维谓蔚 魏伪位维
螘渭苇谓伪 渭慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚. 螠慰蠀 维蟻蔚蟽蔚 蟺慰位蠉 伪蠀蟿萎 畏 蠄蠀蠂慰纬蟻伪蠁喂魏萎 蟺蟻慰蟽苇纬纬喂蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 螁纬魏伪胃伪, 蟽蔚 蟺喂慰 蔚尉慰渭慰位慰纬畏蟿喂魏蠈 魏伪喂 蟺蟻慰蟽蠅蟺喂魏蠈 蟿蠈谓慰, 委蟽蠅蟼 畏渭蔚蟻慰位慰纬喂伪魏蠈, 蟺蟻喂谓 魏伪蟿伪蟺喂伪蟽蟿蔚委 渭蔚 蟿慰 蔚委未慰蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟿蔚位喂魏维 蟿畏谓 伪谓苇未蔚喂尉蔚 蟽蔚 渭蔚蟿蟻.
巍蔚伪位喂蟽渭蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 蔚渭蟺蔚蟻喂苇蠂蔚喂, 蠈渭蠅蟼, 蟺慰位位萎 蔚蠀伪喂蟽胃畏蟽委伪 魏伪喂 渭喂伪 纬蟻伪蠁萎 蟺慰蠀 未畏渭喂慰蠀蟻纬蔚委 蟽蠀谓伪喂蟽胃畏渭伪蟿喂魏维 蔚蠀蠁蠀蔚委蟼 魏伪喂, 蟽蔚位委未伪 蟽蟿畏 蟽蔚位委未伪, 蠋蟻喂渭慰蠀蟼 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼.
~螡喂蠋胃蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 胃苇位蔚喂蟼 谓伪 蟺维蟻蔚喂蟼 渭喂伪 伪纬魏伪位委蟿蟽伪 蟿慰蠀蟼 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼 魏伪喂 谓伪 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟺蔚喂蟼 蠈蟿喂 蠈位伪 胃伪 蟺维谓蔚 魏伪位维
May 25, 2022
Rating:I didn't liked it 馃槕
2022's ATY in 52 books: 31. A book published at least 10 years ago
This one started great, like a very interesting psychological thriller and then it became a snoozefest. Very disappointing.
2022's ATY in 52 books: 31. A book published at least 10 years ago
This one started great, like a very interesting psychological thriller and then it became a snoozefest. Very disappointing.
March 23, 2024
The books Agatha Christie published under her pseudonym, Mary Westmacott, are very different from her mysteries. In The Burden, she tells the story of Laura Franklin and her complicated relationship with her younger sister, Shirley. The story opens when Laura is just a child and spans decades in the lives of these two women, chronicling their relationships along the way.
As is typical of Christie, the writing is fantastic. However, I could connect to any of the characters in the story and found them to be flatter than I would have expected. There was also a very skewed view of Christianity throughout the story, from the viewpoint of multiple characters. I had a glimmer of hope towards the end, but even a character who was once a prominent evangelist did not proclaim the true Gospel, but rather diminished the sacrifice of Christ by replacing it with a humanity-centric message.
I don't expect to see the Gospel in secular fiction by any means, but if this content is to be included, I would hope it would be accurate and point readers to Christ instead of themselves.
Format: Physical Book, Owned
Rating: 3 stars
Book 52 of 2024
As is typical of Christie, the writing is fantastic. However, I could connect to any of the characters in the story and found them to be flatter than I would have expected. There was also a very skewed view of Christianity throughout the story, from the viewpoint of multiple characters. I had a glimmer of hope towards the end, but even a character who was once a prominent evangelist did not proclaim the true Gospel, but rather diminished the sacrifice of Christ by replacing it with a humanity-centric message.
I don't expect to see the Gospel in secular fiction by any means, but if this content is to be included, I would hope it would be accurate and point readers to Christ instead of themselves.
Format: Physical Book, Owned
Rating: 3 stars
Book 52 of 2024
September 23, 2021
Rekla bih da joj je ova najslabija knjiga koju je napisala pod pseudonimom.
Prvi deo mi bio zanimljiv, drugi deo dosadan i kao da je autorka pogubila konce.
U prvom delu dosta je akcenat na Lauri koja je kao dete bila ve膷ito u senci brata (koji je kasnije umro), pa onda mla膽e sestre. U po膷etku se nada pa啪nji roditelja, a kasnije prihvata da tako stoje stvari i odlu膷uje da ona treba da se posveti svojoj sestri 艩irli. Zatim, tu sledi prikaz njihovog odnosa, a onda se prebacujemo na 艩irlin 啪ivot u braku sa Henrijem. I taj deo mi je bio okej, iako mi se ve膰 tu 膷inilo kao udaljavanje od samog prikaza odnosa sestara i kako njihove odluke uti膷u na onu drugu.
Drugi deo je poprili膷no, po meni, nebitan i poprili膷no nejasno napisano. Sa sestara se prebacujemo najvi拧e na novog lika, Luelina, koji je po meni, ne toliko bitan da mu se toliko posveti. Pritom, jo拧 vi拧e izostaje odnosa sestara. Tek na kraju dobijamo kao neko razja拧njenje stvari, ali mi nekako ispalo to traljavo i jako nedore膷eno.
Sve u svemu, o膷ekivala sam da 膰e biti vi拧e i detaljnije opisan odnos sestara i kakve posledice njihovi postupci ostavljaju jedna na drugu. A s pojavom Luelina, o膷ekivala sam da 膰e on imati neku ve膰u ulogu od one koju je dobio u knjizi. Iako smo dobili jasne naznake kakve uloge u knjizi ima, mislim da nije sasvim to i prikazano.
Uglavnom, solidna knjiga i kao 拧to rekoh na po膷etku, njena najslabija do sada. Ostale su, po meni, bile mnogo bolje i razra膽enije.
Prvi deo mi bio zanimljiv, drugi deo dosadan i kao da je autorka pogubila konce.
U prvom delu dosta je akcenat na Lauri koja je kao dete bila ve膷ito u senci brata (koji je kasnije umro), pa onda mla膽e sestre. U po膷etku se nada pa啪nji roditelja, a kasnije prihvata da tako stoje stvari i odlu膷uje da ona treba da se posveti svojoj sestri 艩irli. Zatim, tu sledi prikaz njihovog odnosa, a onda se prebacujemo na 艩irlin 啪ivot u braku sa Henrijem. I taj deo mi je bio okej, iako mi se ve膰 tu 膷inilo kao udaljavanje od samog prikaza odnosa sestara i kako njihove odluke uti膷u na onu drugu.
Drugi deo je poprili膷no, po meni, nebitan i poprili膷no nejasno napisano. Sa sestara se prebacujemo najvi拧e na novog lika, Luelina, koji je po meni, ne toliko bitan da mu se toliko posveti. Pritom, jo拧 vi拧e izostaje odnosa sestara. Tek na kraju dobijamo kao neko razja拧njenje stvari, ali mi nekako ispalo to traljavo i jako nedore膷eno.
Sve u svemu, o膷ekivala sam da 膰e biti vi拧e i detaljnije opisan odnos sestara i kakve posledice njihovi postupci ostavljaju jedna na drugu. A s pojavom Luelina, o膷ekivala sam da 膰e on imati neku ve膰u ulogu od one koju je dobio u knjizi. Iako smo dobili jasne naznake kakve uloge u knjizi ima, mislim da nije sasvim to i prikazano.
Uglavnom, solidna knjiga i kao 拧to rekoh na po膷etku, njena najslabija do sada. Ostale su, po meni, bile mnogo bolje i razra膽enije.
July 26, 2020
The Burden (1956) by Mary Westmacott is a wonderful romance with a touch of mystery and drama and a lot of family dynamics.
The novel follows the protagonist Laura Franklin who is unhappy when her younger sister Shirley is born. She can鈥檛 stand the new addition to the family but one night a fire breaks out in the house and she saves her younger sister鈥檚 life. After that, Laura becomes very protective to Shirley but finds that the love she has for her sister is obsessive and detrimental to the both of their growths and happiness. Then a man becomes interested in Laura. Can she throw herself into this relationship and give herself and her sister the freedom they need in their lives to find their own ways?
You probably gathered that this book is very psychological and it is. It is a portrait of human emotion and the elements that can make people react how they do. It鈥檚 a book about fear of yourself and the world wrapped in a family dynamic and romance story. It shows that being overprotective is not healthy for either but I love the backstory of why Laura is so overprotective of her sister. Everything in this book fits very well and there is no loopholes by the end. There is a touch of mystery to it where not everything is quite as it seems and I thought that was great. I didn鈥檛 see that coming at all. I think the pacing and build-up of everything is done very well. I think Westmacott managed to get across both the love between the sisters and the unhealthiness of Laura鈥檚 overprotective ways. Finding that balance I can imagine was a tough job and I think she done it very well. The romance element is there but it does very much play a secondary role to the relationship between the sisters.
I also love how there is a lot of debates and sections which are philosophical and deal with morals, religion, emotions and all sorts of issues. That was absolutely fantastic.
This is a great book, a must-read. And if you don鈥檛 know it already, Mary Westmacott is the pseudonym of the amazing Agatha Christie who wrote six romance novels under this pseudonym. I think maybe doing this gave her an opportunity to show other sides of her that she couldn鈥檛 as Agatha Christie and I鈥檓 very glad she did get that chance to because I love these sides of her just as much as her mystery writing.
The novel follows the protagonist Laura Franklin who is unhappy when her younger sister Shirley is born. She can鈥檛 stand the new addition to the family but one night a fire breaks out in the house and she saves her younger sister鈥檚 life. After that, Laura becomes very protective to Shirley but finds that the love she has for her sister is obsessive and detrimental to the both of their growths and happiness. Then a man becomes interested in Laura. Can she throw herself into this relationship and give herself and her sister the freedom they need in their lives to find their own ways?
You probably gathered that this book is very psychological and it is. It is a portrait of human emotion and the elements that can make people react how they do. It鈥檚 a book about fear of yourself and the world wrapped in a family dynamic and romance story. It shows that being overprotective is not healthy for either but I love the backstory of why Laura is so overprotective of her sister. Everything in this book fits very well and there is no loopholes by the end. There is a touch of mystery to it where not everything is quite as it seems and I thought that was great. I didn鈥檛 see that coming at all. I think the pacing and build-up of everything is done very well. I think Westmacott managed to get across both the love between the sisters and the unhealthiness of Laura鈥檚 overprotective ways. Finding that balance I can imagine was a tough job and I think she done it very well. The romance element is there but it does very much play a secondary role to the relationship between the sisters.
I also love how there is a lot of debates and sections which are philosophical and deal with morals, religion, emotions and all sorts of issues. That was absolutely fantastic.
This is a great book, a must-read. And if you don鈥檛 know it already, Mary Westmacott is the pseudonym of the amazing Agatha Christie who wrote six romance novels under this pseudonym. I think maybe doing this gave her an opportunity to show other sides of her that she couldn鈥檛 as Agatha Christie and I鈥檓 very glad she did get that chance to because I love these sides of her just as much as her mystery writing.
January 6, 2020
This book is rather sad. But I thought it was a wonderful study of how humans express love, and when we think we鈥檙e helping, we鈥檙e often doing the opposite.
January 27, 2020
Loved it !!
October 17, 2020
Christie鈥檚 non-mystery novel started off good but then totally cut itself while introducing a brand new character out of theme with the rest.
January 17, 2021
This 1956 novel was Christie鈥檚 last offering as Mary Westmacott and, in my opinion, the most difficult to appreciate. In all of her previous works of 鈥榮erious literature鈥�, there had been penetrating psychological explorations of fundamental moral issues of personal integrity and honesty in interpersonal interactions. Her undoubted expertise as a writer in characterization had stood her in good stead throughout these works, but somehow seemed to let her down in this book. Possibly because she shifts focus through at least three major characters, none of them seemed to be presented with that depth of real personal angst, I had difficulty feeling I was vicariously experiencing something real.
Certainly, the stories were somewhat gripping: a daughter fights for attention from parents who love her older brother more. She later turns from jealousy against a younger sister to an almost total degree of self-abnegation in concern for her. An elderly scholar with a vitriolic dislike of almost all of humanity shows a surprising tenderness to the fate of a young girl, who proves herself incapable of looking out for her own happiness. A teenager goes against familial advice and marries the man of her dreams only to find herself still incapable of not loving him when his true fecklessness of character is revealed to her in several painful ways. A religious leader seeks solitude and an almost complete lack of volition on a tropical island after some unexplained professional trauma. An adventurous world traveller has an enthusiastic and impulsive nature when it comes to helping others, but a real and often fatal weakness in judging the moral worth of others.
The overarching theme Christie seems to have been trying to show was how fundamentally ineffectual are all human efforts to help other people. In character after character, fate seems to have been foreordained to severely limit any sense of palpable return on emotional investments in and for others. As the cynical Baldock observes to Laura: 鈥榊ou worry too much about happiness and unhappiness鈥�. After all, one鈥檚 ultimate emotional fate seems to be beyond one鈥檚 individual control.
Though it was not until the concluding encounter between Llewelyn and Laura that I felt the novel鈥檚 variant threads come together into a cohesive thematic whole, this was done in such a satisfying way that the seemingly directionless developments which had previously occurred finally had a valid reason.
It is a shame that this was Christie鈥檚 last outing as Westmacott; her murder mysteries are, of course, very, very good, but these psychological analyses showed she was capable of so much more than a good whodunit.
Recommended.
Certainly, the stories were somewhat gripping: a daughter fights for attention from parents who love her older brother more. She later turns from jealousy against a younger sister to an almost total degree of self-abnegation in concern for her. An elderly scholar with a vitriolic dislike of almost all of humanity shows a surprising tenderness to the fate of a young girl, who proves herself incapable of looking out for her own happiness. A teenager goes against familial advice and marries the man of her dreams only to find herself still incapable of not loving him when his true fecklessness of character is revealed to her in several painful ways. A religious leader seeks solitude and an almost complete lack of volition on a tropical island after some unexplained professional trauma. An adventurous world traveller has an enthusiastic and impulsive nature when it comes to helping others, but a real and often fatal weakness in judging the moral worth of others.
The overarching theme Christie seems to have been trying to show was how fundamentally ineffectual are all human efforts to help other people. In character after character, fate seems to have been foreordained to severely limit any sense of palpable return on emotional investments in and for others. As the cynical Baldock observes to Laura: 鈥榊ou worry too much about happiness and unhappiness鈥�. After all, one鈥檚 ultimate emotional fate seems to be beyond one鈥檚 individual control.
Though it was not until the concluding encounter between Llewelyn and Laura that I felt the novel鈥檚 variant threads come together into a cohesive thematic whole, this was done in such a satisfying way that the seemingly directionless developments which had previously occurred finally had a valid reason.
It is a shame that this was Christie鈥檚 last outing as Westmacott; her murder mysteries are, of course, very, very good, but these psychological analyses showed she was capable of so much more than a good whodunit.
Recommended.
February 7, 2024
袧邪 芯写薪芯屑褍 写懈褏邪薪薪褨. 孝邪泻 锌褉芯褋褌芯 锌褉芯 褌邪泻械 褋泻谢邪写薪械. 袦械薪褨 褖械 斜褍写械 锌芯褌褉褨斜薪懈泄 写械褟泻懈泄 褔邪褋, 褖芯斜 芯谐芯胁褌邪褌懈褋褟 胁褨写 褑褨褦褩 泻薪懈谐懈.
April 14, 2018
3.5
This book started out quite strong and good for me. In a style, with themes I am really drawn to: human fates, psychology, depicting dysfunctional families, emotions, personal relationships... and I really enjoyed the novel up to 2/3 of it. I loved the parts about Laura's childhood and her trying to realize the world around her, how to handle the fact that her parents clearly love her belated brother more, how to handle the birth of a new sibling, how to find someone to confide in. I also loved the parts about Shirley's teen years and getting in contact with young men and how her decision on whom to get cozy with is affecting her life and happiness.
Then it went downhill really fast when the character Llewellyn was introduced.
I am a non-religious person, and I am rarely into any plotlines in novels regarding religious philosophizing and how deeds of people are seen from a religious point of view. In this case, I found it done in a really boring way. I also was not a fan of the dialogues from 2/3 of the book... I don't mind moralizing and philosophizing as long as they can keep my interest sparked, but I got so bored so quickly.
I also did not find the ending justified on a lot of levels. I was intrigued by Laura's and Llewellyn's moral debates about how Laura's past deeds played a role in what happened later to people in her surroundings... but in this case, I sort of expect me, the reader, to have an "uh-huh!" sort of revelation moment, when I start thinking that "OK, from what I read about this and this person, this theory MAKES SENSE"... but here, I did not have that. I felt that either something is missing from the theory or the characterization of some characters in the beginning was not done effectively enough. I also found Laura's decision about how to live her life after what happened quite abrupt and uncalled for. Like, Llewellyn told her "you should do this" and she was like "Oh, OK, cool!".
(the cover is freaking stunning, though)
This book started out quite strong and good for me. In a style, with themes I am really drawn to: human fates, psychology, depicting dysfunctional families, emotions, personal relationships... and I really enjoyed the novel up to 2/3 of it. I loved the parts about Laura's childhood and her trying to realize the world around her, how to handle the fact that her parents clearly love her belated brother more, how to handle the birth of a new sibling, how to find someone to confide in. I also loved the parts about Shirley's teen years and getting in contact with young men and how her decision on whom to get cozy with is affecting her life and happiness.
Then it went downhill really fast when the character Llewellyn was introduced.
I am a non-religious person, and I am rarely into any plotlines in novels regarding religious philosophizing and how deeds of people are seen from a religious point of view. In this case, I found it done in a really boring way. I also was not a fan of the dialogues from 2/3 of the book... I don't mind moralizing and philosophizing as long as they can keep my interest sparked, but I got so bored so quickly.
I also did not find the ending justified on a lot of levels. I was intrigued by Laura's and Llewellyn's moral debates about how Laura's past deeds played a role in what happened later to people in her surroundings... but in this case, I sort of expect me, the reader, to have an "uh-huh!" sort of revelation moment, when I start thinking that "OK, from what I read about this and this person, this theory MAKES SENSE"... but here, I did not have that. I felt that either something is missing from the theory or the characterization of some characters in the beginning was not done effectively enough. I also found Laura's decision about how to live her life after what happened quite abrupt and uncalled for. Like, Llewellyn told her "you should do this" and she was like "Oh, OK, cool!".
(the cover is freaking stunning, though)
Shelved as 'wishlist-f'
June 7, 2023***
I highly recommend . This I gave a whopping five stars! Also , which I gave four stars. She writes under her husband's name in the latter, i.e. .
Mary Westmacott novels
* 4 stars
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
I highly recommend . This I gave a whopping five stars! Also , which I gave four stars. She writes under her husband's name in the latter, i.e. .
Mary Westmacott novels
* 4 stars
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
* TBR
January 20, 2023
The sixth and final novel that author Agatha Christie published under her Mary Westmacott pseudonym is unfortunately also the weakest. It starts off alright, tracing the childhood of a girl whose mother and father both resent her for living when her older brother dies of polio, and how she initially hates her younger sister in turn before eventually saving her from a fire and then stepping up to raise her when the parents are killed in a plane crash. But all that death speeds by rather quickly, and just when it seems like the narrative is going to slow down and focus on the two surviving characters as adults, we switch to an entirely different protagonist who then spends most of the rest of the book philosophizing about religion until his story finally reconnects with that of the young women. It's overall a bit of a mess, with multiple proclamations of love and marriage proposals following after an acquaintanceship of mere weeks, and what feels intended to be a shocking reveal in the last few pages is built up so poorly that it barely even registers.
Generally I think that the psychological Westmacott titles are unfairly overlooked amid the writer's more famous mystery career, but this one, like the earlier Unfinished Portrait, absolutely deserves the modern obscurity.
[Content warning for racism, sexism, and alcohol abuse.]
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Generally I think that the psychological Westmacott titles are unfairly overlooked amid the writer's more famous mystery career, but this one, like the earlier Unfinished Portrait, absolutely deserves the modern obscurity.
[Content warning for racism, sexism, and alcohol abuse.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
--Follow along on 欧宝娱乐 here!
/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
February 3, 2021
Povara este unul din cele 6 romane publicate de Agatha Christie sub pseudonimul Mary Westmacott. Nu sunt romane politiste, asa cum ne-a obi葯nuit Regina Crimei, ci romane clasice, de dragoste.. Am mai citit "Frica de adev膬r ",iar acum "Povara" si sunt de parere ca acest stil nu a prins-o deloc pe Agatha. Totusi, cartea asta mi-a placut mai mult decat as fi crezut.
鈽�
In copilarie, Laura isi dorea sa fie unicul copil, sa fie iubit膬. Dupa moartea fratelui sau, Charles, preferatul parintilor ei, Laura si-a 卯ndeplinit o parte din Scopul ei, dar la scurt timp a aparut pe lume Shirley, surioara ei, pe care o detesta.
Un incendiu care a fost la un pas de a lua viata bebelusului a facut-o pe Laura sa isi iubeasca surioara si sa ii poarte de grija (chiar riscandu-si via葲a pentru a o salva pe cea a bebelusului), ceea ce pe parcursul vietii a devenit noul Scop al Laurei. Sa o apere pe Shirley.
A fost o lectur膬 pl膬cut膬, u葯oar膬, numai bun膬 de sustinut in zilele toride de vara sau in zilele ploioase. Recomand cu c膬ldur膬 aceast膬 carte. Sunt multe secrete ascunse intre cele dou膬 coperti....
鈽�
In copilarie, Laura isi dorea sa fie unicul copil, sa fie iubit膬. Dupa moartea fratelui sau, Charles, preferatul parintilor ei, Laura si-a 卯ndeplinit o parte din Scopul ei, dar la scurt timp a aparut pe lume Shirley, surioara ei, pe care o detesta.
Un incendiu care a fost la un pas de a lua viata bebelusului a facut-o pe Laura sa isi iubeasca surioara si sa ii poarte de grija (chiar riscandu-si via葲a pentru a o salva pe cea a bebelusului), ceea ce pe parcursul vietii a devenit noul Scop al Laurei. Sa o apere pe Shirley.
A fost o lectur膬 pl膬cut膬, u葯oar膬, numai bun膬 de sustinut in zilele toride de vara sau in zilele ploioase. Recomand cu c膬ldur膬 aceast膬 carte. Sunt multe secrete ascunse intre cele dou膬 coperti....
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