Joan
Scudamore travels from Iraq back to England. In Iraq she helped her youngest
daughter who just had a baby, but now she is on her way back to her husband.
Joan is
quite pleased with her life and how things turned out. Her husband Roddy is a
country solicitor, and both her daughters and her son are married and happy.
She herself has a lovely life.
But when
the train she is supposed to take is not able to be on time due to the rains,
Joan finds herself stuck in a hotel in the middle of the desert. She read both
her books and has no paper to write letters and no needlework. She had nothing
to do but think.
And
gradually she realizes that her life may not be so perfect as she thinks. Her
husband is not happy, and her children were also not happy in her house. Joan
always decided what was best for them, without giving any thought to what they
wanted or liked. More and more she realizes she needs to change things,
beginning the moment she will arrive home with Rodney.
This book
was written by Agatha Christie, but under her penname Mary Westmacott. This is not a detective, but a novel, and I had no
idea what to expect from it. But I can tell you that I really enjoyed it. The
writing is very good, like we know Agatha Christie could write, with good
observations and natural dialogues.
I liked how
Joan first does not want to acknowledge what she knows deep in her heart, and
how she tries to find excuses for all the little incidents that happened in the
past, telling her how her view differs from that of everybody else. But
gradually, in the hot sun and with no company or distraction giving her a way
out she must accept that her life is not as perfect as she wants it to be.
And I also
loved the ending. I will not tell more, because I do not want to spoil it, but
I thought it was realistic and true.
Absent in the Spring is a perfect little novel, and I am glad I
also have the other books by Mary
Westmacott, because I think I will enjoy those as well.
Published
in 1944
What a great review! I can see I'm going to have to expand my Agatha Christie reading list to include her novels, too. :)
ReplyDeleteHow's your summer break going?
Yes, I think you will like this book as well1 I hoped I would like it, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.
DeleteAnd the Summer vacation is going great, in fact, leaving for Paris in just a few hours!
Kind regards, Bettina
Have a great time!!!
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