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Review
‘Miss Westmacott shows narrative talent - I should expect her books to be very popular.' Observer
Product Description
A newly reissued edition of Agatha Christie’s ‘Mary Westmacott’ novel, a Crime of the Heart novel about a mother who comes to resent her daughter’s success.
'These books are dramatic, and concentrate on the solution to situations which arise out of the high tensions in life.' Max Mallowan
Ann Prentice falls in love with Richard Cauldfield and hopes for new happiness. Her only child, Sarah, cannot contemplate the idea of her mother marrying again and wrecks any chance of her remarriage. Resentment and jealousy corrode their relationship as each seeks relief in different directions. Are mother and daughter destined to be enemies for life or will their underlying love for each other finally win through?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The mysteries of the human heart AND soul are probed in this
collection of novels. With astonishing attention to detail,
Mary Westmacott seeks to understand what motivates man to make
the decisions he makes, and proves that it is often his heart
which moves him, and not his intellect. The novels show how
flexible people are - how impulsive they can be, how hard they
can fall when they are proven to be fallible, how frightened
they are to look at themselves because of what they think they
will find, but, also, how they find forgiveness for themselves
and for each other, and how they have no choice but to move
forward.
These novels may not be the greatest ever written, but that also
depends on one's definition of greatness. When I read a novel,
I just don't want to enjoy it, which would be simple enough. I
also look for what can be called an undefinable element, for
example, what makes me want to read it again and again. The
stories may be "nice", which is such a trite overused word.
More than that, though, they distract me by making me think, by
opening up my mind to issues which I might otherwise not want
to confront. If I find that I have already confronted these
issues, then I can say that the novel has given me comfort, which
is a whole lot more than mere entertainment. I believe I can
still apply all these things to Mary Westmacott's novels.
collection of novels. With astonishing attention to detail,
Mary Westmacott seeks to understand what motivates man to make
the decisions he makes, and proves that it is often his heart
which moves him, and not his intellect. The novels show how
flexible people are - how impulsive they can be, how hard they
can fall when they are proven to be fallible, how frightened
they are to look at themselves because of what they think they
will find, but, also, how they find forgiveness for themselves
and for each other, and how they have no choice but to move
forward.
These novels may not be the greatest ever written, but that also
depends on one's definition of greatness. When I read a novel,
I just don't want to enjoy it, which would be simple enough. I
also look for what can be called an undefinable element, for
example, what makes me want to read it again and again. The
stories may be "nice", which is such a trite overused word.
More than that, though, they distract me by making me think, by
opening up my mind to issues which I might otherwise not want
to confront. If I find that I have already confronted these
issues, then I can say that the novel has given me comfort, which
is a whole lot more than mere entertainment. I believe I can
still apply all these things to Mary Westmacott's novels.
0 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book as a gift for the mother-in-law. Good service no problems at all. Cannot comment on the book!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Thoughtful, Offbeat novels
21 Jan 2002
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of three novels by Agatha Christie under her pen name Mary Westmacott. The novels are well-written and easily accessible. They stories involve families with problems; daughter and mother conflict; child who needs to grow up; and daughter who is not loved by parents. All three books trace the main character through a long period of time. The books are somewhat sad. Things do not go well for these people. In the end the main character learns and grows and finds a solution to the problem. The daughter and mother resolve their conflict. The child who does not grow up learns to grow up the hard way and the daughter who is not loved learns to accept the love of her husband.
These books get to the heart of the conflicts between people and that is valuable. They are high quality and do not resemble the murder mystery format that the author was famous for. These books are not high-brow and they are not targeted towards snooty intellectuals. I recommend them to anyone who wants to see how a good author creates characters and resolves conflicts between characters.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
"Unfinished Portrait" tells the story
7 Oct 2002
Format:Paperback
Want to know more about Agatha Christie's famous "disappearance" many years ago? "Unfinished Portrait" is very autobiographical and explains her breakdown.
The other two novels are almost as interesting. The other trilogy of Mary Westmacott novels is excellent. "Giant's Bread" is superb.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Emotional Blackmail Heightens Mother/Daughter Conflict
4 Jun 2011
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"A Daughter's A Daughter" is one of six novels Agatha Christie wrote under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. Though decidedly different from her more famous mysteries, Christie brings her sharp observations of human nature into play in this tale of a widowed mother and her irrepressible daughter. After years of living together in devoted admiration, Ann Prentice and her daughter Sarah find themselves in conflict when a man falls in love with the mother and threatens to destroy the life they have grown accustomed to. Sarah does everything in her power to drive the man away, but at what price?
Following the pair over the course of several years, the author details the fall-out of the daughter's action, the mother's revenge, and the values which allow them to find a happy conclusion. Edith, the wise housekeeper for the two women, recalls the old adage, "A son is your son till he takes a wife, but a daughter's a daughter all of her life."
Though often dated in its depiction of women and the male/female roles (originally published in 1952) the analysis of the mother/daughter relationship and the forces which drive women to do less than admirable things will no doubt be satisfying for devotees of women's fiction.
Following the pair over the course of several years, the author details the fall-out of the daughter's action, the mother's revenge, and the values which allow them to find a happy conclusion. Edith, the wise housekeeper for the two women, recalls the old adage, "A son is your son till he takes a wife, but a daughter's a daughter all of her life."
Though often dated in its depiction of women and the male/female roles (originally published in 1952) the analysis of the mother/daughter relationship and the forces which drive women to do less than admirable things will no doubt be satisfying for devotees of women's fiction.
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