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Vernon Deyre is a sensitive and brilliant musician, even a genius. But there is a high price to be paid for his talent, especially by his family and the two women in his life. His sheltered childhood in the home he loves has not prepared Vernon for the harsh reality of his adult years, and in order to write the great masterpiece of his life, he has to make a crucial decision with no time left to count the cost…
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First published April 1, 1930
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About the author
Mary Westmacott
22 books671 followersPseudonym used by
Agatha Christie
to write her dramatic novels about relationships.
Associated Names:
Мэри Вестмакотт (Russian)
Мері Вестмакотт (Ukrainian)
Associated Names:
Мэри Вестмакотт (Russian)
Мері Вестмакотт (Ukrainian)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 342 reviews
January 4, 2013
In all honesty, the back of the book is a little misleading:
"Vernon Deyre is a sensitive and brilliant musician, even a genius. But there is a high price to be paid for his talent, especially by his family and the two women in his life. His sheltered childhood in the home he loves has not prepared Vernon for the harsh reality of his adult years, and in order to write the great masterpiece of his life, he has to make a crucial decision with no time left to count the cost..."
Misleading in the way that it doesn't become clear until the very end what sacrifices and crucial decision it's referring to and that those are only a small part of the story. Looking back, I feel the story is far more about Vernon's personal struggle with his talent and life in general. That said, the book is about sacrifice and about knowing yourself. In a sense, it's a journey of discovery undertaken by 5 very different characters who know themselves and each other to varying degrees.
Since the book plays before and during WWI and was written between the two wars, it also offers a great insight in the goings on of that period: opinions on the war, women's suffrage, the change in position between man and woman, modernization and other things. Now, I must admit I haven't read anything else by Agatha Christie (Mary Westmacott's 'real' identity), so I cannot compare. I can only parrot what it says on the back of the book, that this was Christie's first attempt at proving her writing was good enough on it's own merrit and didn't need her well established name as a mystery/crime writer to sell. I'd say she made her point, but I'm not unhappy to know that she went on proving this for several other books. One point I have to make: there's a twist in the plot that heavily hints towards mystery books anyway.
The book's read thread is the life of Vernon, followed from infancy to an unspecified age in adulthood. My best guess is forties. But throughout the 4 books that make up the story, we also follow part of other characters lives and in that way, see Vernon in a different light. The book features lots of unrequited love and relationship mistakes, but manages to steer clear of melodrama or soapy elements while doing so. It explores the influence and relationships with parents, friends, lovers and enemies and the outside influences that shape them. All the while moving steadily towards a conclusion, which keeps you turning the pages.
Westmacott (Christies) style is fluent and engaging, speckled with the occasional dusting of humor or drama to lighten or burden the mood in just the right places. I especially liked her portrayal as Vernon of a child: astute, honest and at times hilarious.
All in all Giant's Bread made for a very enjoyable book. Wonderful bath- or bedtime reading. The theme left me wondering however. How much of this struggle with talent was autobiographical?
"Vernon Deyre is a sensitive and brilliant musician, even a genius. But there is a high price to be paid for his talent, especially by his family and the two women in his life. His sheltered childhood in the home he loves has not prepared Vernon for the harsh reality of his adult years, and in order to write the great masterpiece of his life, he has to make a crucial decision with no time left to count the cost..."
Misleading in the way that it doesn't become clear until the very end what sacrifices and crucial decision it's referring to and that those are only a small part of the story. Looking back, I feel the story is far more about Vernon's personal struggle with his talent and life in general. That said, the book is about sacrifice and about knowing yourself. In a sense, it's a journey of discovery undertaken by 5 very different characters who know themselves and each other to varying degrees.
Since the book plays before and during WWI and was written between the two wars, it also offers a great insight in the goings on of that period: opinions on the war, women's suffrage, the change in position between man and woman, modernization and other things. Now, I must admit I haven't read anything else by Agatha Christie (Mary Westmacott's 'real' identity), so I cannot compare. I can only parrot what it says on the back of the book, that this was Christie's first attempt at proving her writing was good enough on it's own merrit and didn't need her well established name as a mystery/crime writer to sell. I'd say she made her point, but I'm not unhappy to know that she went on proving this for several other books. One point I have to make: there's a twist in the plot that heavily hints towards mystery books anyway.
The book's read thread is the life of Vernon, followed from infancy to an unspecified age in adulthood. My best guess is forties. But throughout the 4 books that make up the story, we also follow part of other characters lives and in that way, see Vernon in a different light. The book features lots of unrequited love and relationship mistakes, but manages to steer clear of melodrama or soapy elements while doing so. It explores the influence and relationships with parents, friends, lovers and enemies and the outside influences that shape them. All the while moving steadily towards a conclusion, which keeps you turning the pages.
Westmacott (Christies) style is fluent and engaging, speckled with the occasional dusting of humor or drama to lighten or burden the mood in just the right places. I especially liked her portrayal as Vernon of a child: astute, honest and at times hilarious.
All in all Giant's Bread made for a very enjoyable book. Wonderful bath- or bedtime reading. The theme left me wondering however. How much of this struggle with talent was autobiographical?
June 19, 2016
What did I think?
I thought it was elegant. Terrifying. Morbid. Haunting. Beautiful. Artistic. Human.
Something about this book always bothered me, even when I put the book down. I thought that the book was horrifying and the characters were so abstract and cruel. Then I realized that it was reality. Christie, Westmacott, had really captured the feelings and indecisions in a human life. That book was so accurate that it made me embarrassed to read. The characters were very...human. I think I've said that too many times already, but I can't explain the feeling well. To understand it, you should definitely read the book yourself. The characters were so indecisive and annoying, yet truthful and beautiful. But then they were stupid, which is exactly human.
Uhm, on a more analytical note, the characters and their stories were wonderfully woven throughout the book. In my mind, none of the characters were just created for the moment and then dropped (which I find happens in most books). Each character had some significance, though maybe briefly mentioned. As a young reader, I did not fully grasp what Christie was going at, and I struggled to find the connection to the prologue. But Agatha Christie is a genius and I can come up with my own speculations, however vague they may be.
I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy the psychological aspect of stories and the more analytical type of reading.
I thought it was elegant. Terrifying. Morbid. Haunting. Beautiful. Artistic. Human.
Something about this book always bothered me, even when I put the book down. I thought that the book was horrifying and the characters were so abstract and cruel. Then I realized that it was reality. Christie, Westmacott, had really captured the feelings and indecisions in a human life. That book was so accurate that it made me embarrassed to read. The characters were very...human. I think I've said that too many times already, but I can't explain the feeling well. To understand it, you should definitely read the book yourself. The characters were so indecisive and annoying, yet truthful and beautiful. But then they were stupid, which is exactly human.
Uhm, on a more analytical note, the characters and their stories were wonderfully woven throughout the book. In my mind, none of the characters were just created for the moment and then dropped (which I find happens in most books). Each character had some significance, though maybe briefly mentioned. As a young reader, I did not fully grasp what Christie was going at, and I struggled to find the connection to the prologue. But Agatha Christie is a genius and I can come up with my own speculations, however vague they may be.
I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy the psychological aspect of stories and the more analytical type of reading.
September 24, 2018
Ευτυχώς που η Αγκαθα Κρίστι έγινε Αγκαθα Κρίστι και το έριξε στα crime novels γιατί ως Mary Westmacott δε μπορώ να πω ότι το συγγραφικό στυλ που ακολουθεί με καλύπτει , ούτε ότι οι ιστορίες που διαλέγει να καταγράψει έχουν κάτι πραγματικά πολύ σπουδαίο για να πουν στον αναγνώστη. Είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς που διαβάζω και όπως και στην ανοιξιάτικη απουσία μπορείς να βρεις κάποια στοιχεία που θα χαρακτήριζαν την πλοκή και το όλο βιβλίο accurate που λένε και στο χωριό μου με τη διαφορά ότι το θηρίο στο πιάνο ελάχιστες φορές κατόρθωσε να μου δημιουργήσει έστω αυτή την εντύπωση. Για να είμαι ειλικρινής μέσα από την περίληψη του βιβλίου είχα λίγο φαντασιωθεί ότι θα διάβαζα ένα κάποιο ρομαντικό βιβλίο με κάποιες δόσεις μυστηρίου και εντάξει το να διαβάσεις κάτι άλλο και να ναι καλό προσπερνάς τις αρχικές σου προσδοκίες όμως το όλο στόρυ εξελίχθηκε σ’ ένα ατελείωτο μάδημα μαργαρίτας μ ‘αγαπάει δε μ’ αγαπάει, να τον παντρευτώ για να πάρω τον πλούσιο εισοδηματία το οποίο ειλικρινά με κούρασε. Το τέλος δε,με άφησε λίγο μαλάκα μετά συγχωρήσεως. Κατά το ήμισυ γιατί το μισό πλοτ τουιστ το είχα οραματιστεί κάπου στην 40η σελίδα αλλά η συγγραφέας είπε να το κάνει λίγο πιο δράμα για εφέ. Τυχεροί οι Βέρνον αυτού του κόσμου πάντως. Και πυρηνική καταστροφή να γίνει θα επιβιώσουν .
August 5, 2019
This is the first non-mystery novel written by Agatha Christie in 1930. She of course wrote under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. It is incorrect to classify the novel as a romantic novel. It is rather just a novel, in a fashion similar to Jeffrey Archer’s Cliffton Chronicles. What makes this an interesting read is the amazing versatility of Christie’s writings. On one hand she could write murder mysteries and yet at the same time she could write a completely different genre. The novel is an interesting study in people’s characters, their motivations and the influence of the environment. A dark but good read.
August 10, 2024
"At What Price a Soul?
In a classic love triangle, Agatha Christie told one of her most elegant and deepest stories of all. Vernon Deyre, a child musical genius, has his own inner struggles. Through the course of the book, his relationship within the circle of children he grew up with matures and develops deeply. But, he grows to care about two of the girls in different ways. A few sudden surprises pop up throughout, and Agatha keeps you on the edge until the last page. It is a story not to be forgotten.
This is one of her six novels, besides the 60+ mystery books and countless short mysteries. It was published in 1930, and you can see the experience of her writing mystery novels for the previous decade in this. The character development was excellent. It is something to be enjoyed by everyone.
In a classic love triangle, Agatha Christie told one of her most elegant and deepest stories of all. Vernon Deyre, a child musical genius, has his own inner struggles. Through the course of the book, his relationship within the circle of children he grew up with matures and develops deeply. But, he grows to care about two of the girls in different ways. A few sudden surprises pop up throughout, and Agatha keeps you on the edge until the last page. It is a story not to be forgotten.
This is one of her six novels, besides the 60+ mystery books and countless short mysteries. It was published in 1930, and you can see the experience of her writing mystery novels for the previous decade in this. The character development was excellent. It is something to be enjoyed by everyone.
August 2, 2012
Mary Westmacott’s books are like a cup of good old strong English tea in the afternoon. And this is my sixth ‘cup’, I mean book! Several reviewers and many other readers believe that her books are mere love stories which are bittersweet; however I think that it is not an accurate description of these books. Westmacott’s books are a wonderful exploration of human relationships and offer us an insightful analysis of the way the human mind works. Reading this particular one, made me think that perhaps Freud has been overrated as a psychoanalyst, I feel that Westmacott would have done brilliantly as one as well, or maybe better. Her understanding of human nature just takes my breath away every time I read her books.
If you have read my earlier review of another one of Westmacott’s (The Burden) then you will perhaps know in detail why I wanted to read her books in the first place and what I think of the books in general. So, I will not repeat myself here but will say that I am happy that I have read all of Westmacott’s and this last one that I have read-Giant’s Bread is certainly one of her finest! Hitherto, I used to think that Absent In The Spring was the best among the six, but after reading Giant’s Bread, I would day both the books rank alongside as being the finest of her works- two masterpieces instead of one! What a marvelous writer!
Giant’s Bread is an extremely moving and real portrait of the human race. The characters are so neatly fleshed out and their inner life so deftly explored that the reader seems to at least indentify with one of the characters in the novel. The novel is a haunting portrayal of the difference between appearances and reality, of who we think we are and who we really are, so the battle between the unconscious and the conscious desire is very well played out by Westmacott in this novel. That is why as I earlier put it, I would hesitate to just call it a love story. It would really be a reductification (sic) of the powerful plot and characters that Westmacott weaves for us. The most beautiful thing about this novel is the plot and the characters; it keeps the readers hooked to know more about what happens on the next page and then the next. Though, I must add that a few descriptions and/or incidents seemed a little superfluous to the plotline of the novel, for example the whole nursing experience that Nell goes through and the prologue itself which could have been reduced to a large extent. Also, one would have liked to know a little more about Joe and what she was actually up to in the novel. I do understand that she was not a central character, however, her story is very importantly linked to Vernon’s and so it would have been nice if we could have had known a little more about her than just a sketchy detail about her life.
I need to mention a line or two about Vernon’s childhood. Westmacott surpassed her own excellence by giving us a marvelous account of Vernon’s childhood. The musings and experiences of a young boy are brilliantly captured by the writer and she does realize as a ‘psychoanalytical’ writer that our experiences as children shape our future selves. This is very true in the case of Vernon, who is always afraid of ‘The Beast’ and that determines what he becomes later on as a man. Having said that I must add here that Westmacott tends to over- dramatize the plot and the characters sometimes which borders on the incredulous and quite frankly on lines of a Bollywood movie, if I may. This is true of the Giant’s Bread as much as it is true for The Burden. However, this little ‘artistic license’ which I like to call it does not diminish your reading experience in any way and it is sometimes is shocking to the reader as well and can also enhance the reading experience of some readers.
Westmacott also deserves full marks for giving us an accurate description of England in the early half of the twentieth century. She shows us how the elite upper class and the bourgeois or the middle class was in England at the time and the only thing that disturbs me in her books is the thinly veiled racism that runs in almost all of her Westmacott books. The East is always seen as ‘Exotic’ and is the ‘Other’, the ‘mysterious unknown ‘, for that matter even Americans are not spared in this book. I have a feeling that most English writers have this queer sense of being ‘British’ and consequently ‘ superior’ in every way and that comes across in almost all the novels that you read which have been written by a British author. This is true of a Westmacott, Dahl or even an Ian McEwan book. I do realize that I am in the danger of generalizing and stereotyping, but one can’t but help notice these things. I must add though that I can forgive this in Westmacott as she is not a racist per se, unlike Dahl whose Going Solo ( refer to review ) still gives me the chills for its overt racism dripping from every page of the book.
If you have never read any of Westmacott’s, then this book is a good place to start and I promise you will want to read the rest of them as well, you are bound to find yourself in either Nell, Sebastian, Joe or in Vernon and Jane. Maybe we all can be divided very simply in to a Nell or a Jane. Think about it.
I, for one, am happy and satisfied that I have enjoyed all six cups of the brilliant ‘tea’ that Westmacott so lovingly made for her faithful readers. The heart is left wanting though and it yearns for one more ‘cup’ of the brilliant Westmacott ‘tea’.
If you have read my earlier review of another one of Westmacott’s (The Burden) then you will perhaps know in detail why I wanted to read her books in the first place and what I think of the books in general. So, I will not repeat myself here but will say that I am happy that I have read all of Westmacott’s and this last one that I have read-Giant’s Bread is certainly one of her finest! Hitherto, I used to think that Absent In The Spring was the best among the six, but after reading Giant’s Bread, I would day both the books rank alongside as being the finest of her works- two masterpieces instead of one! What a marvelous writer!
Giant’s Bread is an extremely moving and real portrait of the human race. The characters are so neatly fleshed out and their inner life so deftly explored that the reader seems to at least indentify with one of the characters in the novel. The novel is a haunting portrayal of the difference between appearances and reality, of who we think we are and who we really are, so the battle between the unconscious and the conscious desire is very well played out by Westmacott in this novel. That is why as I earlier put it, I would hesitate to just call it a love story. It would really be a reductification (sic) of the powerful plot and characters that Westmacott weaves for us. The most beautiful thing about this novel is the plot and the characters; it keeps the readers hooked to know more about what happens on the next page and then the next. Though, I must add that a few descriptions and/or incidents seemed a little superfluous to the plotline of the novel, for example the whole nursing experience that Nell goes through and the prologue itself which could have been reduced to a large extent. Also, one would have liked to know a little more about Joe and what she was actually up to in the novel. I do understand that she was not a central character, however, her story is very importantly linked to Vernon’s and so it would have been nice if we could have had known a little more about her than just a sketchy detail about her life.
I need to mention a line or two about Vernon’s childhood. Westmacott surpassed her own excellence by giving us a marvelous account of Vernon’s childhood. The musings and experiences of a young boy are brilliantly captured by the writer and she does realize as a ‘psychoanalytical’ writer that our experiences as children shape our future selves. This is very true in the case of Vernon, who is always afraid of ‘The Beast’ and that determines what he becomes later on as a man. Having said that I must add here that Westmacott tends to over- dramatize the plot and the characters sometimes which borders on the incredulous and quite frankly on lines of a Bollywood movie, if I may. This is true of the Giant’s Bread as much as it is true for The Burden. However, this little ‘artistic license’ which I like to call it does not diminish your reading experience in any way and it is sometimes is shocking to the reader as well and can also enhance the reading experience of some readers.
Westmacott also deserves full marks for giving us an accurate description of England in the early half of the twentieth century. She shows us how the elite upper class and the bourgeois or the middle class was in England at the time and the only thing that disturbs me in her books is the thinly veiled racism that runs in almost all of her Westmacott books. The East is always seen as ‘Exotic’ and is the ‘Other’, the ‘mysterious unknown ‘, for that matter even Americans are not spared in this book. I have a feeling that most English writers have this queer sense of being ‘British’ and consequently ‘ superior’ in every way and that comes across in almost all the novels that you read which have been written by a British author. This is true of a Westmacott, Dahl or even an Ian McEwan book. I do realize that I am in the danger of generalizing and stereotyping, but one can’t but help notice these things. I must add though that I can forgive this in Westmacott as she is not a racist per se, unlike Dahl whose Going Solo ( refer to review ) still gives me the chills for its overt racism dripping from every page of the book.
If you have never read any of Westmacott’s, then this book is a good place to start and I promise you will want to read the rest of them as well, you are bound to find yourself in either Nell, Sebastian, Joe or in Vernon and Jane. Maybe we all can be divided very simply in to a Nell or a Jane. Think about it.
I, for one, am happy and satisfied that I have enjoyed all six cups of the brilliant ‘tea’ that Westmacott so lovingly made for her faithful readers. The heart is left wanting though and it yearns for one more ‘cup’ of the brilliant Westmacott ‘tea’.
Read
July 19, 2019Read this as part of my "get obsessed with everything Agatha Christie wrote under her non-crime pen-name" which, as obsessions go, is nicely containable because she only wrote six books.
I didn't like this as much as I liked The Rose & the Yew Rose - but I still found it super fascinating. Something I'm starting to really appreciate about AC-as-MW, and perhaps this is a facile thing to say, is the fact she seems to write character as ... well .. mystery. Each of the two books of hers I've read have started with a situation, and then the novel tries to explore the interplay of factors, both personal and interactive, that brought the situation about. Basically in these books: psychology is its own mystery. Learning the hows and whys of the complex, not always sympathetic, characters that populate these novels is such a fucking treat. And unravels very similarly to the way we learn whodunnit in an AC narrative.
Giant's Bread is very concerned with ideas of art, love, redemption, and sacrifice. It asks us to think about the *worth* of things. And the cost of them. And how, or if, those two things are ever connected. The thing that surprised--and pleased--me most about the novel is the portrayal of Nell: she is the woman the, I can't say hero, protagonist, Vernon falls for, and wants to marry. But he is, by this point, obsessed with music and she just wants a comfortable life with a man who'll take care of her. Normally, this type of character gets fictionally reamed: I'm thinking, here, of Rosamond Vincy in Middlemarch or Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. Anyway, I was fully prepared for the book to encourage me to look down on Nell, especially because there are female characters in the book who make different choices (choices that are usually seen as more admirable and self-actualising, e.g. art, freedom etc. although notably in GB these do not actually seem to offer more opportunity for happiness than marrying a rich dude). But no. I found the book surprisingly sympathetic to Nell:
Of course, Jane (Nell's interlocutor here) is completely wonderful, and probably the best thing about the book.
Further scattered thoughts: this is a lot more openly melodramatic than The Rose & The Yew Tree (there's legit amnesia at one point) and tragic to the point of irritating. Vernon--the main character--is also irredeemably a prick, but then I think he's probably supposed to be? It does lead to a slight emotional imbalance in the book as people consistently sacrifice them for this total prick but, then, I think that's supposed to be the point? That we each get to choose what matters to us, if it's people, or art, or money, or comfort, or whatever, and it's choice that's the important thing. Not the outcome.
I didn't like this as much as I liked The Rose & the Yew Rose - but I still found it super fascinating. Something I'm starting to really appreciate about AC-as-MW, and perhaps this is a facile thing to say, is the fact she seems to write character as ... well .. mystery. Each of the two books of hers I've read have started with a situation, and then the novel tries to explore the interplay of factors, both personal and interactive, that brought the situation about. Basically in these books: psychology is its own mystery. Learning the hows and whys of the complex, not always sympathetic, characters that populate these novels is such a fucking treat. And unravels very similarly to the way we learn whodunnit in an AC narrative.
Giant's Bread is very concerned with ideas of art, love, redemption, and sacrifice. It asks us to think about the *worth* of things. And the cost of them. And how, or if, those two things are ever connected. The thing that surprised--and pleased--me most about the novel is the portrayal of Nell: she is the woman the, I can't say hero, protagonist, Vernon falls for, and wants to marry. But he is, by this point, obsessed with music and she just wants a comfortable life with a man who'll take care of her. Normally, this type of character gets fictionally reamed: I'm thinking, here, of Rosamond Vincy in Middlemarch or Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby. Anyway, I was fully prepared for the book to encourage me to look down on Nell, especially because there are female characters in the book who make different choices (choices that are usually seen as more admirable and self-actualising, e.g. art, freedom etc. although notably in GB these do not actually seem to offer more opportunity for happiness than marrying a rich dude). But no. I found the book surprisingly sympathetic to Nell:
‘It’s a little hard on you. When you first met Vernon, you had no idea of this music business.’
‘I didn’t think it would be like this,’ said Nell bitterly.
‘Well, it’s no good going back to what you didn’t think, is it?’ ‘I suppose not.’ Nell felt vaguely annoyed at Jane’s tone. ‘Oh!’ she broke out. ‘You feel, of course, that everything ought to give way to his music—that he’s a genius—that I ought to be glad to make any sacrifice—’
‘No, I don’t,’ said Jane. ‘I don’t think any of those things. I don’t know what good geniuses are, or works of art either. Some people are born with a feeling that they matter more than anything else, and some people aren’t. It’s impossible to say who’s right. The best thing for you would be to persuade Vernon to give up music, sell Abbots Puissants, and settle down with you on the proceeds. But I do know this, that you haven’t an earthly chance of getting him to give up music. These things, genius, art, whatever you like to call it, are much stronger than you are. You might just as well be King Canute on the sea shore. You can’t turn back Vernon from music.’
‘What can I do?’ said Nell hopelessly.
‘Well, you can either marry this other man you were talking of and be reasonably happy, or you can marry Vernon and be actively unhappy with periods of bliss.’
Nell looked at her. ‘What would you do?’ she whispered.
‘Oh! I should marry Vernon and be unhappy, but then some of us like taking our pleasures sadly.’
Of course, Jane (Nell's interlocutor here) is completely wonderful, and probably the best thing about the book.
Further scattered thoughts: this is a lot more openly melodramatic than The Rose & The Yew Tree (there's legit amnesia at one point) and tragic to the point of irritating. Vernon--the main character--is also irredeemably a prick, but then I think he's probably supposed to be? It does lead to a slight emotional imbalance in the book as people consistently sacrifice them for this total prick but, then, I think that's supposed to be the point? That we each get to choose what matters to us, if it's people, or art, or money, or comfort, or whatever, and it's choice that's the important thing. Not the outcome.
November 21, 2021
3.5 star. I've known about Agatha Christie's other books that wasn't in the crime mystery genre for a while now but only read one beside this one. I decided to give this one a go. While this was a very different take on her writing (at least of what I've read so far) it's still have her unique author voice. It really shows her variety of her writing and I'm intrigued to read the others after this one. However I think I enjoy her crime novels a lot more then this but this book is still full of talent.
March 11, 2014
This is one of the titles written by Agatha Christie under the pen name Mary Westmacott. Being a big Christie fan, I was really looking forward to reading my first Westmacott novel.
I was aware that it wasn't in her usual genre of crime novel, however, I read lots of different genres so the difference just made me llook forward to reading it even more. However, I have to say I really didn't like it.
Under her own guise of Christie and her crime novels, it is accepted that she doesn't develop her characters, who we don't really get to know very well and who often appear to be shallow. Giant's Bread is a great departure from her plot driven novel and is all about growing up with the characters and getting to know them psychologically. Unfortunately, our author is a mistress of cariacaturising the human personality - here, she takes the ugliest facet of each character and accentuates it, despite the fact that our cast often behave in ways that prove they have more redeeming features. The upshot is that I didn't like any of the characters or care what happened to them - I would quite happily have killed the lot off!
That wasn't the only reason I disliked the book. There was a very strange take on the perception of music, I felt that our author was expressing a high-brow opinion without actually having any musical intelligence. Not knowing very much about Christie, I don't know if that is true but her concept of using instruments to create and replicate sounds - cold logic replacing human emotion - calling it revolutionary, and the 'music of the future' displayed almost a childish lack of understanding of music.
Finally, it was all very predictable - inevitable that the child who hated music was going to grow up to be the composer of the revolutionary opera and that the grown up characters would behave in the manner that they did, purely because it was inevitable that the unpleasant characteristics of our cast woud dominate over the redeeming features which were not allowed to develop.
I shan't be reading anymore Westmacott. Very disappointing.
I was aware that it wasn't in her usual genre of crime novel, however, I read lots of different genres so the difference just made me llook forward to reading it even more. However, I have to say I really didn't like it.
Under her own guise of Christie and her crime novels, it is accepted that she doesn't develop her characters, who we don't really get to know very well and who often appear to be shallow. Giant's Bread is a great departure from her plot driven novel and is all about growing up with the characters and getting to know them psychologically. Unfortunately, our author is a mistress of cariacaturising the human personality - here, she takes the ugliest facet of each character and accentuates it, despite the fact that our cast often behave in ways that prove they have more redeeming features. The upshot is that I didn't like any of the characters or care what happened to them - I would quite happily have killed the lot off!
That wasn't the only reason I disliked the book. There was a very strange take on the perception of music, I felt that our author was expressing a high-brow opinion without actually having any musical intelligence. Not knowing very much about Christie, I don't know if that is true but her concept of using instruments to create and replicate sounds - cold logic replacing human emotion - calling it revolutionary, and the 'music of the future' displayed almost a childish lack of understanding of music.
Finally, it was all very predictable - inevitable that the child who hated music was going to grow up to be the composer of the revolutionary opera and that the grown up characters would behave in the manner that they did, purely because it was inevitable that the unpleasant characteristics of our cast woud dominate over the redeeming features which were not allowed to develop.
I shan't be reading anymore Westmacott. Very disappointing.
July 9, 2022
Agatha Christie impresses with her emotional range and nuanced writing.
The book is publicized alternatively, I find it to be less about romantic obsession and more about artistic genius and what feeds it.
The characters are beautifully crafted, and well structured individually. It seems A.Christie showed off her skills to build a character up in this genre which she wasn't much able to do in her usual category.
The characters took the front-seat contrary to Mystery where she always prioritizes the plot.
A rather refreshing change really.
The Women, personally, stand out for me. The Enigmatic Jane, Rebellious Joe, and the Realist Nell each highlight a different part of being a woman and surviving in an overbearing society. Their struggles, POV, and decisions I find just as relevant today as they might've been in 1930's.
Reading the monologues of Jane & Nell transported me to the same safe space that Atwood has carved.
With many annotated paragraphs and dog-eared pages, A.Christie rouses admiration for her understanding of the human condition, making one wonder, why did she chose mystery as her primary genre at all?
The book is publicized alternatively, I find it to be less about romantic obsession and more about artistic genius and what feeds it.
The characters are beautifully crafted, and well structured individually. It seems A.Christie showed off her skills to build a character up in this genre which she wasn't much able to do in her usual category.
The characters took the front-seat contrary to Mystery where she always prioritizes the plot.
A rather refreshing change really.
The Women, personally, stand out for me. The Enigmatic Jane, Rebellious Joe, and the Realist Nell each highlight a different part of being a woman and surviving in an overbearing society. Their struggles, POV, and decisions I find just as relevant today as they might've been in 1930's.
Reading the monologues of Jane & Nell transported me to the same safe space that Atwood has carved.
With many annotated paragraphs and dog-eared pages, A.Christie rouses admiration for her understanding of the human condition, making one wonder, why did she chose mystery as her primary genre at all?
February 24, 2021
Хотілось би сказати, що я проковтнула її за два вечора, але це не так. Першу частину я колупала по-трошки, зате останніх 60% таки прочитала за вечір - просто не могла зупинитися, доки не дочитала і потім не перечитала ще раз пролог, щоб все розставити по місцях.
Так, пролог справді спочатку вводить в оману - якийсь оперний театр, прем'єра незрозумілої, надто сучасної, як на таку публіку, опери - і раптом автор занурюється в розповідь про 3-річну дитину і її спосіб дослідження світу. Зате потім всю книжку намагаєшся зрозуміти, як ця дитина причетна до тієї опери на початку :)
І в цьому прекрасність - ми проживаємо з головними героями весь шлях від їхнього дитинства, зближаємось з ними і не хочемо вірити, що вони гинуть, навіть коли це, здавалося б, очевидно.
Можна було б написати, що ця книжка про кохання, мистецтво і війну, але це буде неправдою. Можна - що вона про геніїв і тягар їхніх талантів, що буде вже ближче до суті, але все одно не повінстю. Для мене вона була про людську психологію, про пізнання себе і про такий знайомий - по книжках і фільмах - і водночас такий чужий уклад життя британців початку 20 століття.
Місцями мені було забагато трагедій - особливо в другій половині, коли героїв кидало життям і світом, і коли в черговий раз ставалось щось "мелодараматичне" хотілось говорити "ну камон, не вірю". Але це все було так цікаво, що не було часу не вірити, хотілось знати, що там далі :)
Але навіть дочитавши до кінця, мені далі хочеться знати, що ж там далі :)
Так, пролог справді спочатку вводить в оману - якийсь оперний театр, прем'єра незрозумілої, надто сучасної, як на таку публіку, опери - і раптом автор занурюється в розповідь про 3-річну дитину і її спосіб дослідження світу. Зате потім всю книжку намагаєшся зрозуміти, як ця дитина причетна до тієї опери на початку :)
І в цьому прекрасність - ми проживаємо з головними героями весь шлях від їхнього дитинства, зближаємось з ними і не хочемо вірити, що вони гинуть, навіть коли це, здавалося б, очевидно.
Можна було б написати, що ця книжка про кохання, мистецтво і війну, але це буде неправдою. Можна - що вона про геніїв і тягар їхніх талантів, що буде вже ближче до суті, але все одно не повінстю. Для мене вона була про людську психологію, про пізнання себе і про такий знайомий - по книжках і фільмах - і водночас такий чужий уклад життя британців початку 20 століття.
Місцями мені було забагато трагедій - особливо в другій половині, коли героїв кидало життям і світом, і коли в черговий раз ставалось щось "мелодараматичне" хотілось говорити "ну камон, не вірю". Але це все було так цікаво, що не було часу не вірити, хотілось знати, що там далі :)
Але навіть дочитавши до кінця, мені далі хочеться знати, що ж там далі :)
June 13, 2021
Prva Agatina knjiga pisana pod pseudonimom Meri Vestmakot koji sam pročitala i poprilično prijatno sam iznenađena.
Likovi i događaji su poprilično realno opisani, nema ulepšavanja, vidimo onako kako stvari stoje. Uviđamo mane i vrline svih glavnih likova, pratimo njihovo odrastanje i sazrevanje, kao i razvijanje njihovih odnosa.
Odlična knjiga sa krajem koji me poprilično "dotukao" da mi jako dugo ostao u sećanju zbog kojeg mi je trebalo ovoliko vremena da barem nešto napišem o ovom romanu.
Mislim da slobodno mogu reći da joj je ova knjiga najbolja koju sam do sada pročitala, a napominjem da sam popriličan fan njenih krimića.
Likovi i događaji su poprilično realno opisani, nema ulepšavanja, vidimo onako kako stvari stoje. Uviđamo mane i vrline svih glavnih likova, pratimo njihovo odrastanje i sazrevanje, kao i razvijanje njihovih odnosa.
Odlična knjiga sa krajem koji me poprilično "dotukao" da mi jako dugo ostao u sećanju zbog kojeg mi je trebalo ovoliko vremena da barem nešto napišem o ovom romanu.
Mislim da slobodno mogu reći da joj je ova knjiga najbolja koju sam do sada pročitala, a napominjem da sam popriličan fan njenih krimića.
maybe
September 3, 2023*********************************
I highly recommend Agatha Christie: An Autobiography. This I gave a whopping five stars! Also Come, Tell Me How You Live, which I gave four stars. She writes under her husband's name in the latter, i.e. Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Mary Westmacott novels
*Absent in the Spring 4 stars
*Unfinished Portrait 3 stars
*Giant's Bread TBR
*A Daughter's a Daughter TBR
*The Burden TBR
*The Rose and the Yew Tree TBR
I highly recommend Agatha Christie: An Autobiography. This I gave a whopping five stars! Also Come, Tell Me How You Live, which I gave four stars. She writes under her husband's name in the latter, i.e. Agatha Christie Mallowan.
Mary Westmacott novels
*Absent in the Spring 4 stars
*Unfinished Portrait 3 stars
*Giant's Bread TBR
*A Daughter's a Daughter TBR
*The Burden TBR
*The Rose and the Yew Tree TBR
February 25, 2021
Елегантний і красивий психологічний роман з-під пера Агати Крісті (щоправда, під псевдонімом Мері Вестмакотт). Початок більш розмірений та повільний, це дає змогу глибше познайомитися з головними героями, а ось під кінець події розгортаються досить стрімко. Кожен з героїв має свою завершену сюжетну лінію і за це я аплодую Агаті (чи то пак Мері)!
Вернон - трохи загублений, боязкий постати перед реальністю, з дитячими мріями отримати все зі своїх бажань. Його вважають генієм, правда не свого часу а прийдешнього. Тільки чи він сам це усвідомлює?
Себастьян - впевнений та успішний, поціновувач мистецтва і краси, але найсамотніший чоловік на світі. Джо - бунтівниця, захисниця знедолених, радше йде проти правил і робить те, що їй забороняють. Джейн - богиня, вільна жінка, готова жертвувати собою, її було шкода найбільше.. і Нелл - та, що зможе пристосуватися до будь-яких умов.
Всі вони впродовж сторінок цього роману борються з різними почуттями, страхами і своєю справжньою суттю. Часом викликають співпереживання, часом дратують, але точно не залишають байдужими. В результаті, я замовила наступну книжку з цієї серії.
Чи був би Вернон значно щасливіший, якби залишився в незнанні? Чому в критичний момент він простягнув руку Нелл? Чи Себастьян таки кохав Джо чи ж радше Джейн? Цікаві питання для обговорення в нашому Thursdays reading club.
"Сто років тому я залишив мій палац і трон заради любові до тебе".
"Так. Але ти злякався і сховав золотий злиток у підкладку камзола, його сяйво засліпило тебе, і ми згубили одне одного. А зараз тобі належить цілий світ, і ми блукатимемо ним віднині і довіку."
Вернон - трохи загублений, боязкий постати перед реальністю, з дитячими мріями отримати все зі своїх бажань. Його вважають генієм, правда не свого часу а прийдешнього. Тільки чи він сам це усвідомлює?
Себастьян - впевнений та успішний, поціновувач мистецтва і краси, але найсамотніший чоловік на світі. Джо - бунтівниця, захисниця знедолених, радше йде проти правил і робить те, що їй забороняють. Джейн - богиня, вільна жінка, готова жертвувати собою, її було шкода найбільше.. і Нелл - та, що зможе пристосуватися до будь-яких умов.
Всі вони впродовж сторінок цього роману борються з різними почуттями, страхами і своєю справжньою суттю. Часом викликають співпереживання, часом дратують, але точно не залишають байдужими. В результаті, я замовила наступну книжку з цієї серії.
Чи був би Вернон значно щасливіший, якби залишився в незнанні? Чому в критичний момент він простягнув руку Нелл? Чи Себастьян таки кохав Джо чи ж радше Джейн? Цікаві питання для обговорення в нашому Thursdays reading club.
"Сто років тому я залишив мій палац і трон заради любові до тебе".
"Так. Але ти злякався і сховав золотий злиток у підкладку камзола, його сяйво засліпило тебе, і ми згубили одне одного. А зараз тобі належить цілий світ, і ми блукатимемо ним віднині і довіку."
December 15, 2009
Agatha Christie + high melodrama involving a world war and the art world = totally enjoyable if ridiculous. The writing is just fantastic, though; I loved loved loved the first part, which is from the perspective of a small child.
January 15, 2015
I think this book just broke my heart a bit.
October 19, 2025
*slow freaking clap*
I still have one more Mary Westmacott title to read but there's no way this isn't the best of the lot. This has just dethroned
!
I still have one more Mary Westmacott title to read but there's no way this isn't the best of the lot. This has just dethroned
!
February 25, 2021
“Звідки беруться ці Велети? Хто їх творить? Що їх породжує? Спадковість - лише різбярський інструмент, оточення шліфує і надає остаточної форми, секс пробуджує…Але є щось важливіше. Те, чим вони живляться.”
Це зовсім інша Агата Крісті, яка під псевдонімом Мері Вестмакотт написала 6 психологічних романів, Хліб Геніїв перший з них. Замість розслідування вбивств, Крісті тут досліждує закутки людської душі, розмірковує про людське покликання, пошуки себе і власне, що робить генія генієм? Чи цим велетом народжуються, чи це кліше до якого ми звикли? А якщо стають, то яку жертву потрібно принести своєму генію, щоб творити без перешкод та умовностей?
В центрі історії 5 персонажів. Головний з них Вернон, якого ми бачимо з дитинства, проведеного в компанії уявних друзів, постійно нових няньок і страху перед “чудовиськом” - роялем. У дорослого Вернона цей страх і ненависить до музики змінюється на одержимість. Але чи здатний він написати цей геніальний твір, яким марить?
Не менш важливі ролі відведені двом жінкам і житті Вернона - одній пустій, але здатній на глибокі вчинки, а інша - шляхетна, дещо саркастична і цілком жертовна у своїх почуттях. Його кузині Джо, ірраціональній у її бажанні робити все наперекір іншим. І врешті кращому другу Вернона - Себастіану, який місцями мені нагадував трагічнішу версію містера Дарсі, а часом здавалося, що Крісті запозичила його благородність з романів Ремарка.
В книжці найбільше мене вразили саме ці персонажі. Жоден з них не був ідельним. Крісті майстерно вдалося показати, як їх чесноти, так і темні сторони. Як і вреальному житті, ніщо неоднозначно, і під кінець кожен, у той, чи інший спосіб усвідомлює своє справжнє єство, а Верон нарешті розуміє, що йому довелося змолоти на хліб своєму генію, аби написати визначну оперу.
“Те, що у тебе перед очима, лякає не так сильно, як те, що за спиною. Памятай про це. Усе здається страшним, якщо воно позаду тебе і ти не можеш його побачити. Ось чому варто обернутися і подивитися - дуже часто виявляється, що там нічого немає.”
“Себастіан ураз зрозумів. Чому йому здавалося, що це не кохання? Це було кохання. Це пристрасне почуття безкорисливого жалю і ніжність - глибокі почуття, які тривали роками. Це в тисячу разів цінніше, ніж оті бурхливі або мляві захоплення, які виникали у нього з нудною регулярністю, розцяцьковуючи його життя, але ніколи не заторкуючи глибин.”
Це зовсім інша Агата Крісті, яка під псевдонімом Мері Вестмакотт написала 6 психологічних романів, Хліб Геніїв перший з них. Замість розслідування вбивств, Крісті тут досліждує закутки людської душі, розмірковує про людське покликання, пошуки себе і власне, що робить генія генієм? Чи цим велетом народжуються, чи це кліше до якого ми звикли? А якщо стають, то яку жертву потрібно принести своєму генію, щоб творити без перешкод та умовностей?
В центрі історії 5 персонажів. Головний з них Вернон, якого ми бачимо з дитинства, проведеного в компанії уявних друзів, постійно нових няньок і страху перед “чудовиськом” - роялем. У дорослого Вернона цей страх і ненависить до музики змінюється на одержимість. Але чи здатний він написати цей геніальний твір, яким марить?
Не менш важливі ролі відведені двом жінкам і житті Вернона - одній пустій, але здатній на глибокі вчинки, а інша - шляхетна, дещо саркастична і цілком жертовна у своїх почуттях. Його кузині Джо, ірраціональній у її бажанні робити все наперекір іншим. І врешті кращому другу Вернона - Себастіану, який місцями мені нагадував трагічнішу версію містера Дарсі, а часом здавалося, що Крісті запозичила його благородність з романів Ремарка.
В книжці найбільше мене вразили саме ці персонажі. Жоден з них не був ідельним. Крісті майстерно вдалося показати, як їх чесноти, так і темні сторони. Як і вреальному житті, ніщо неоднозначно, і під кінець кожен, у той, чи інший спосіб усвідомлює своє справжнє єство, а Верон нарешті розуміє, що йому довелося змолоти на хліб своєму генію, аби написати визначну оперу.
“Те, що у тебе перед очима, лякає не так сильно, як те, що за спиною. Памятай про це. Усе здається страшним, якщо воно позаду тебе і ти не можеш його побачити. Ось чому варто обернутися і подивитися - дуже часто виявляється, що там нічого немає.”
“Себастіан ураз зрозумів. Чому йому здавалося, що це не кохання? Це було кохання. Це пристрасне почуття безкорисливого жалю і ніжність - глибокі почуття, які тривали роками. Це в тисячу разів цінніше, ніж оті бурхливі або мляві захоплення, які виникали у нього з нудною регулярністю, розцяцьковуючи його життя, але ніколи не заторкуючи глибин.”
February 25, 2021
Я люблю детективні романи Агати Крісті, часто вони для мене безпрограшний варіант, коли хочеться швидко щось прочитати після тривалої перерви і набрати темп читання. Їй завжди вдається мене чимось здивувати. Тому коли я дізналася, що у неї ще й є психологічні романи під всевдонімом Мері Вестмакотт, відразу стало цікаво, які ж вони.
“Хліб геніїв” була книжкою місяця у нашому книжковому клубі. Згідно з анотації, це книга про кохання, про пошук покликання, про мистецтво, про геніїв. Кохання тут багато, і воно дуже різне — розділене, нерозділене, жертовне, або й навіть комусь на зло. До кінця книги перипетії сюжету мені почали нагадувати якийсь аргентинський серіал. Проте, найбільше у цьому всьому чіпляють персонажі, а особливо Джейн, Нелл та Джо. Вони живі, неоднозначні, глибокі і хочеться їх розгадати, та якось класифікувати “позитивні-негативні”, але у романі вони такі ж люди, як і в житті — не біло-чорні, а змішані, вміють як здивувати, так і розчарувати.
Тема бажання творити нагадала мені “Джерело” Айн Ренд, проте там ця тема більш розвинена. Роман Агати ж більше зосереджений на темі пошуку себе, того, що принесе щастя в житті, а не на пошуках свого покликання і бажання творити усупереч життєвим обставинам. “Хліб геніїв” скоріше показує, що формує митця, чим потрібно пожертвувати і що віддати, для того, щоб з’явилося натхнення творити.
Зачепила фраза Джейн про те, що Вернон не зможе мати і Нелл, і свій маєток, і кар’єру одночасно. Адже так і в житті — завжди треба чимось жертвувати, чимось платити, від чогось відмовлятися, щоб мати те, що хочеш. Майже всіх персонажів твору спіткала така дилема — зрозуміти, що насправді принесе щастя, навіть якщо це банально і люди висміють, або навіть якщо це всупереч власним ідеалістичним уявленням, і мати сміливість обрати це і відмовитися від всього решта.
“Хліб геніїв” була книжкою місяця у нашому книжковому клубі. Згідно з анотації, це книга про кохання, про пошук покликання, про мистецтво, про геніїв. Кохання тут багато, і воно дуже різне — розділене, нерозділене, жертовне, або й навіть комусь на зло. До кінця книги перипетії сюжету мені почали нагадувати якийсь аргентинський серіал. Проте, найбільше у цьому всьому чіпляють персонажі, а особливо Джейн, Нелл та Джо. Вони живі, неоднозначні, глибокі і хочеться їх розгадати, та якось класифікувати “позитивні-негативні”, але у романі вони такі ж люди, як і в житті — не біло-чорні, а змішані, вміють як здивувати, так і розчарувати.
Тема бажання творити нагадала мені “Джерело” Айн Ренд, проте там ця тема більш розвинена. Роман Агати ж більше зосереджений на темі пошуку себе, того, що принесе щастя в житті, а не на пошуках свого покликання і бажання творити усупереч життєвим обставинам. “Хліб геніїв” скоріше показує, що формує митця, чим потрібно пожертвувати і що віддати, для того, щоб з’явилося натхнення творити.
Зачепила фраза Джейн про те, що Вернон не зможе мати і Нелл, і свій маєток, і кар’єру одночасно. Адже так і в житті — завжди треба чимось жертвувати, чимось платити, від чогось відмовлятися, щоб мати те, що хочеш. Майже всіх персонажів твору спіткала така дилема — зрозуміти, що насправді принесе щастя, навіть якщо це банально і люди висміють, або навіть якщо це всупереч власним ідеалістичним уявленням, і мати сміливість обрати це і відмовитися від всього решта.
August 8, 2020
Vernona Dejra upoznajemo kao dete. Njegovo, na prvi pogled, bezbrižno detinjstvo je sve samo ne to. Jedinu ljubav koju je spoznao je bila od rođake vršnjakinje Džoi i susedskog deteta, Sebastijana. Otac mu je brzo poginuo u Burskom ratu, a majka koja nije puno marila za Vernona, odjednom postaje opsednuta njime i guši ga svojom ljubavlju (koja to zapravo i nije, nego joj ništa drugo u životu nije preostalo).
Vernon, Džoi i Sebastijan odrastaju i svako kreće nekim svojim putem. Životi im se i dalje prepliću, ali nerazumevanja među njima rastu. Sebastijan tuguje jer ga Džoi ne želi za muža, da bi kasnije pobegla sa jednim umetnikom. Vernon je rastrzan između želje da povrati porodično imanje i da oženi devojku koju (misli da) voli. Na sve to još dolazi i njegova novootkrivena ljubav za komponovanjem i produženje studiranja, kao i nedostatak novca.
Naravno, da drama bude veća, pojavljuje se i Džejn. Pevačica-glumica koja se čini savršenom partnerkom za Sebastijana, zaluđuje Vernona. Stvari se komplikuju, a komplikuju ih sami likovi. Niko zapravo ne zna šta želi od života, a onda počinje Prvi svetski rat.
Da vam ne otkrivam dalje, Agata, kao i do sad, zadire bez ikakve zadrške u najintimnije misli ovih likova i daje nam ih na tacni. Naravno, dosta toga i sami moramo da zaključimo između redova. Osim što me je sama priča veoma zainteresovala (a maestralno napisan prvi deo bih posebno istakla), ni u jednom trenutku nisam imala utisak da je tempo priče posustao. Jedinu zamerku imam na Vernonova pomalo nekoherentna pisma na kraju, ali s obzirom da je zapao u stanje u kom je bio, u retrospekciji razumem zašto su me zamorila.
Ostaje još samo jedna stvar na koju nisam dobila odgovor, ali blagosloveni bili - izmisliše internet. Edit: u pitanju je Brumagem, pogrdan naziv za ljude iz Birmingema. The more you learn.
Takođe, ako niste sigurni da li biste čitali ovo "druge" romane Agate Kristi, bacite pogled na moj gostujući post kod Marijane: https://viewfrommyshelf.wordpress.com...
Na kraju mi još ostaje da pročitam Nezavršeni portret, a moja trenutna top lista MV romana izgleda ovako:
1. Absent in the Spring
2. Giant's Bread
3. The Rose and the Yew Tree
4. The Burden
5. A Daughter's a Daughter
Vernon, Džoi i Sebastijan odrastaju i svako kreće nekim svojim putem. Životi im se i dalje prepliću, ali nerazumevanja među njima rastu. Sebastijan tuguje jer ga Džoi ne želi za muža, da bi kasnije pobegla sa jednim umetnikom. Vernon je rastrzan između želje da povrati porodično imanje i da oženi devojku koju (misli da) voli. Na sve to još dolazi i njegova novootkrivena ljubav za komponovanjem i produženje studiranja, kao i nedostatak novca.
Naravno, da drama bude veća, pojavljuje se i Džejn. Pevačica-glumica koja se čini savršenom partnerkom za Sebastijana, zaluđuje Vernona. Stvari se komplikuju, a komplikuju ih sami likovi. Niko zapravo ne zna šta želi od života, a onda počinje Prvi svetski rat.
Da vam ne otkrivam dalje, Agata, kao i do sad, zadire bez ikakve zadrške u najintimnije misli ovih likova i daje nam ih na tacni. Naravno, dosta toga i sami moramo da zaključimo između redova. Osim što me je sama priča veoma zainteresovala (a maestralno napisan prvi deo bih posebno istakla), ni u jednom trenutku nisam imala utisak da je tempo priče posustao. Jedinu zamerku imam na Vernonova pomalo nekoherentna pisma na kraju, ali s obzirom da je zapao u stanje u kom je bio, u retrospekciji razumem zašto su me zamorila.
Ostaje još samo jedna stvar na koju nisam dobila odgovor, ali blagosloveni bili - izmisliše internet. Edit: u pitanju je Brumagem, pogrdan naziv za ljude iz Birmingema. The more you learn.
Takođe, ako niste sigurni da li biste čitali ovo "druge" romane Agate Kristi, bacite pogled na moj gostujući post kod Marijane: https://viewfrommyshelf.wordpress.com...
Na kraju mi još ostaje da pročitam Nezavršeni portret, a moja trenutna top lista MV romana izgleda ovako:
1. Absent in the Spring
2. Giant's Bread
3. The Rose and the Yew Tree
4. The Burden
5. A Daughter's a Daughter
December 8, 2017
What I haven't seen in other reviews here, which surprises me, is that this book is very, very anti-Semitic. It is not its main cut-and-thrust, which perhaps is even more chilling, but its description of all Jewish characters and their motivations is frankly disgusting. It's an old book, written between the world wars, and as such the author's prejudice has, I suppose, its historical context (by the way there are also some incredibly racist words sprinkled into it for good measure). But I struggled with it nonetheless.
Apart from that, the story is utterly preposterous with not just one melodramatic plot twist but several. Despite that, there is a subtlety to the characters and if you assumed you knew where she was going with each one's journey, you were often proved wrong. Most of them are surprisingly nuanced. Christie as Westmacott is unforgiving of human nature and no one is a saint. I did enjoy her understanding of children's points of view.
So, I did take something away from the read. But I really did not love it, for the story itself or, as I have said, the blatant prejudice.
You come across the odd tinge of anti-Semitism in other Agatha Christie books, but here it is enmeshed, and it's horrible.
Apart from that, the story is utterly preposterous with not just one melodramatic plot twist but several. Despite that, there is a subtlety to the characters and if you assumed you knew where she was going with each one's journey, you were often proved wrong. Most of them are surprisingly nuanced. Christie as Westmacott is unforgiving of human nature and no one is a saint. I did enjoy her understanding of children's points of view.
So, I did take something away from the read. But I really did not love it, for the story itself or, as I have said, the blatant prejudice.
You come across the odd tinge of anti-Semitism in other Agatha Christie books, but here it is enmeshed, and it's horrible.
October 16, 2021
Giant’s Bread tells the story of Vernon Deyre a young composer reported dead in WWI, who reinvents his identity.
It tells the life story of Vernon Deyer as he follows his destiny to become a composer, and the choices he makes along the way.
Her description of a Victorian childhood was reminiscent of her autobiography, and was wonderfully told.
Though I like her mystery more than romance.
It tells the life story of Vernon Deyer as he follows his destiny to become a composer, and the choices he makes along the way.
Her description of a Victorian childhood was reminiscent of her autobiography, and was wonderfully told.
Though I like her mystery more than romance.
April 16, 2017
Book #13 for 2017/#6 for the Mt TBR Challenge
The Legendary Book Club of Habitica's Ultimate Reading Challenge Task: A book published before you were born
PopSugar's Ultimate Reading Challenge Prompts (max 3):
- A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long
- A book by an author who uses a pseudonym
- A book that's been mentioned in another book
Personal Reading Challenge Task: A book with a woman on the cover
Better World Books Challenge Prompt: A book by a female writer
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge Prompt: A book published between 1900 and 1950
I must say that I am not pleased with Dell's production quality for this book. For starters, the correct title is Giant's Bread -- singular possessive. All other editions got it right, and it's the only usage that makes any sense at all, as it is lifted straight from the prologue. And then the text itself is full of typos. "Titantic," really? And "lesé majestè"?? And those are just the interesting ones. There's a garden-variety oops on every other page, practically. FFS, Dell, were you all stoned when you slapped this thing together? Oh, wait, with that ugly-ass Binger cover, I don't even have to look to know this volume is a product of the sixties, so of course you were all stoned.
The story itself is a little harder to rate and review. I've been a fan of Christie's mysteries and nonfiction since I was a kid, and I have read many of her books at least twice. But I had no idea what to expect from her "romance" fiction. I'm not sure this qualifies as a romantic story, but I'm also not the right person to ask for that determination. I will just say it was an interesting departure from her mysteries. It opens with a prologue featuring a stunning new operatic composition, a work of musical genius, and then the rest of the book shows us how it came to be and what sacrifices were involved.
It's really quite a rambling soap opera at times, and it's not at all a quick, easy read. I got the distinct impression that Christie was working through a lot of her personal issues on the page, so while the insights were fascinating, there was also a weight of catharsis that made it slow going in spots. Actually, what I would love to see is the Downton Abbey crew tackle this and make a mini-series of it. They could easily even out the pacing, like where Christie spends way too long detouring into Nell's life as a nurse in WWI. (Like I said, interesting stuff, but dude, Nell's not the main character. Get back to Vernon!) And given how they handled the whole Aldridge wedding storyline, with some of Lady Sinderby's pointed comments not terribly unlike Mrs Levinne's, I think they could even deal with the story's potentially anti-Semitic tones.
The Levinne storyline is another thing that makes this book a bit of a puzzle. The anti-Semitism that runs rampant throughout Golden Age mysteries gets talked about a lot, but so far in my (re-)reading of the Christie oeuvre, I'm seeing a very different take on how she treats Jewish characters. The Levinnes, for example, are written as very sympathetic characters. Sebastian is Vernon's stalwart friend, whom Vernon's beloved cousin Josephine accepts readily. It's clear that Christie likes the Levinnes and is unhappy about the discrimination they are forced to suffer at the hands of less progressive characters. Yet Christie uses some really offensive stereotypes in describing the Levinnes and other Jewish characters. Some of them don't even make any sense. Like the lisping -- where did that come from? For now, I think I'm going to put down her seemingly anti-Semitic passages to a combination of naïveté and a too-subtle sense of irony.
Despite it being somewhat problematic and often depressing, I did enjoy Vernon's journey of self-discovery and fulfillment of his artistic vision. It's always a treat when Christie indulges her more artsy tendencies, and I often wonder what amazing works we would have if she'd never taken up writing and had instead unleashed her talent at a piano or an easel.
The Legendary Book Club of Habitica's Ultimate Reading Challenge Task: A book published before you were born
PopSugar's Ultimate Reading Challenge Prompts (max 3):
- A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long
- A book by an author who uses a pseudonym
- A book that's been mentioned in another book
Personal Reading Challenge Task: A book with a woman on the cover
Better World Books Challenge Prompt: A book by a female writer
Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge Prompt: A book published between 1900 and 1950
I must say that I am not pleased with Dell's production quality for this book. For starters, the correct title is Giant's Bread -- singular possessive. All other editions got it right, and it's the only usage that makes any sense at all, as it is lifted straight from the prologue. And then the text itself is full of typos. "Titantic," really? And "lesé majestè"?? And those are just the interesting ones. There's a garden-variety oops on every other page, practically. FFS, Dell, were you all stoned when you slapped this thing together? Oh, wait, with that ugly-ass Binger cover, I don't even have to look to know this volume is a product of the sixties, so of course you were all stoned.
The story itself is a little harder to rate and review. I've been a fan of Christie's mysteries and nonfiction since I was a kid, and I have read many of her books at least twice. But I had no idea what to expect from her "romance" fiction. I'm not sure this qualifies as a romantic story, but I'm also not the right person to ask for that determination. I will just say it was an interesting departure from her mysteries. It opens with a prologue featuring a stunning new operatic composition, a work of musical genius, and then the rest of the book shows us how it came to be and what sacrifices were involved.
It's really quite a rambling soap opera at times, and it's not at all a quick, easy read. I got the distinct impression that Christie was working through a lot of her personal issues on the page, so while the insights were fascinating, there was also a weight of catharsis that made it slow going in spots. Actually, what I would love to see is the Downton Abbey crew tackle this and make a mini-series of it. They could easily even out the pacing, like where Christie spends way too long detouring into Nell's life as a nurse in WWI. (Like I said, interesting stuff, but dude, Nell's not the main character. Get back to Vernon!) And given how they handled the whole Aldridge wedding storyline, with some of Lady Sinderby's pointed comments not terribly unlike Mrs Levinne's, I think they could even deal with the story's potentially anti-Semitic tones.
The Levinne storyline is another thing that makes this book a bit of a puzzle. The anti-Semitism that runs rampant throughout Golden Age mysteries gets talked about a lot, but so far in my (re-)reading of the Christie oeuvre, I'm seeing a very different take on how she treats Jewish characters. The Levinnes, for example, are written as very sympathetic characters. Sebastian is Vernon's stalwart friend, whom Vernon's beloved cousin Josephine accepts readily. It's clear that Christie likes the Levinnes and is unhappy about the discrimination they are forced to suffer at the hands of less progressive characters. Yet Christie uses some really offensive stereotypes in describing the Levinnes and other Jewish characters. Some of them don't even make any sense. Like the lisping -- where did that come from? For now, I think I'm going to put down her seemingly anti-Semitic passages to a combination of naïveté and a too-subtle sense of irony.
Despite it being somewhat problematic and often depressing, I did enjoy Vernon's journey of self-discovery and fulfillment of his artistic vision. It's always a treat when Christie indulges her more artsy tendencies, and I often wonder what amazing works we would have if she'd never taken up writing and had instead unleashed her talent at a piano or an easel.
June 26, 2018
Από το 1930 έως και το 1956, η αγαπημένη συγγραφέας του αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος, Agatha Christie, υπό το ψευδώνυμο Mary Westmacott, έγραψε κι εξέδωσε έξι κοινωνικά μυθιστορήματα, φανερώνοντας έτσι, μια άλλη πτυχή του εαυτού και της προσωπικότητάς της, μα και τις ιδιαιτερότητας της πένας της, μέσα από ιστορίες που παντρεύουν τον σκληρό ρεαλισμό με την ευαισθησία και την τρυφερότητα. Τα μυθιστορήματα αυτά, λοιπόν, έφεραν και στη χώρα μας οι εκδόσεις Διόπτρα, μέσα από μια εξαιρετικά προσεγμένη σειρά που, πραγματικά, αποτελεί κόσμημα για την βιβλιοθήκη, όχι μόνο όσων αγαπούν την Christie, αλλά και για όσους έχουν την ευκαιρία να την ανακαλύψουν για πρώτη φορά.
Διαβάζοντας "Το θηρίο στο πιάνο", έπιασε αρκετές φορές τον εαυτό μου να σκέφτεται πως πολλά απ' όσο συνέβαιναν σε αυτό ήταν ακραία, υπερβολικά βίαια, με τους χαρακτήρες να καταφεύγουν σε σχεδόν απάνθρωπες αποφάσεις και όλα αυτά, προκειμένου, κατά μία έννοια, να διατηρηθεί ζωντανό ένα όνειρο, να μείνει άσβεστη μία επιθυμία. Κάθε φορά, όμως, όσο γυρόφερνα όλα αυτά στο μυαλό μου, συνειδητοποιούσα πως η ακραία αυτή σκληρότητα που περιγράφει το εν λόγω βιβλίο, δεν είναι τόσο ξένη, τελικά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα αποτελεί απεικόνιση ενός μέρους της πραγματικής ζωής -πόσο μάλλον αν αναλογιστούμε την πραγματικότητα της εποχής στην οποία τοποθετείται η ιστορία μας- και αυτό είναι που την καθιστά ακόμα πιο τρομακτική, μα καθηλωτική συνάμα.
Το στοιχείο αυτό που είναι εξαιρετικά καλοδουλεμένο στην όλη ιστορία, δεν είναι άλλο από τα ψυχογραφήματα των εμπλεκόμενων σε αυτήν και πολύ περισσότερο του Βέρνον. Καθώς γινόμαστε μάρτυρες των παιδικών του χρόνων, και όλων των παραγόντων που επηρέασαν τον ίδιο και την προσωπικότητά του, μπορούμε να καταλάβουμε απόλυτα τη μελλοντική του εξέλιξη, έστω κι αν η συναίσθησή μας έρχεται σε κόντρα με τη λογική και την ηθική μας. Δεν θα έλεγα πως βρισκόμαστε ακριβώς σε δίλημμα, αλλά σε καμία των περιπτώσεων δεν μπορούμε να πούμε πως δεν καταλαβαίνουμε. Γιατί, καταλαβαίνουμε, και ερμηνεύουμε σωστά και βήμα βήμα όλη την πορεία της εξέλιξης της ιστορίας μας μέχρι το φινάλε της που, αν και το περιμένεις, είναι δοσμένο με τέτοιο τρόπο που σε αφήνει συναισθηματικά συγχυσμένο.
Η ιστορία του Βέρνον Ντέιρ, αν και κοινωνική στον πυρήνα της, προσφέροντας μπόλικη τροφή για σκέψη στον αναγνώστη, είναι, παράλληλα, και μια ιστορία θρίλερ, ένας προκάτοχος των ιστοριών που διαβάζουμε στο σήμερα και που στέλνουν ρίγη ανατριχίλας στη ραχοκοκαλιά μας, εμποτισμένη, πάντα, με τα νουάρ εκείνα στοιχεία που χαρακτηρίζουν, σ' ένα ευρύτερο πλαίσιο, τη γραφή της Christie. Νιώθω εξαιρετικά χαρούμενη, λοιπόν, που είχα την ευκαιρία να διαβάσω το βιβλίο αυτό, να ταξιδέψω σε μια αλλοτινή, σκληρή και σκοτεινή εποχή, μέσω μιας πένας άκρως παραστατικής και ζωντανής, και βιώνοντας, ταυτόχρονα, έντονα συναισθήματα και ένα εσωτερικό άγχος, τροφοδοτούμενο από την αγωνία και την ένταση που μόνο συγγραφείς όπως η Christie ξέρουν να χτίζουν.
Διαβάζοντας "Το θηρίο στο πιάνο", έπιασε αρκετές φορές τον εαυτό μου να σκέφτεται πως πολλά απ' όσο συνέβαιναν σε αυτό ήταν ακραία, υπερβολικά βίαια, με τους χαρακτήρες να καταφεύγουν σε σχεδόν απάνθρωπες αποφάσεις και όλα αυτά, προκειμένου, κατά μία έννοια, να διατηρηθεί ζωντανό ένα όνειρο, να μείνει άσβεστη μία επιθυμία. Κάθε φορά, όμως, όσο γυρόφερνα όλα αυτά στο μυαλό μου, συνειδητοποιούσα πως η ακραία αυτή σκληρότητα που περιγράφει το εν λόγω βιβλίο, δεν είναι τόσο ξένη, τελικά, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα αποτελεί απεικόνιση ενός μέρους της πραγματικής ζωής -πόσο μάλλον αν αναλογιστούμε την πραγματικότητα της εποχής στην οποία τοποθετείται η ιστορία μας- και αυτό είναι που την καθιστά ακόμα πιο τρομακτική, μα καθηλωτική συνάμα.
Το στοιχείο αυτό που είναι εξαιρετικά καλοδουλεμένο στην όλη ιστορία, δεν είναι άλλο από τα ψυχογραφήματα των εμπλεκόμενων σε αυτήν και πολύ περισσότερο του Βέρνον. Καθώς γινόμαστε μάρτυρες των παιδικών του χρόνων, και όλων των παραγόντων που επηρέασαν τον ίδιο και την προσωπικότητά του, μπορούμε να καταλάβουμε απόλυτα τη μελλοντική του εξέλιξη, έστω κι αν η συναίσθησή μας έρχεται σε κόντρα με τη λογική και την ηθική μας. Δεν θα έλεγα πως βρισκόμαστε ακριβώς σε δίλημμα, αλλά σε καμία των περιπτώσεων δεν μπορούμε να πούμε πως δεν καταλαβαίνουμε. Γιατί, καταλαβαίνουμε, και ερμηνεύουμε σωστά και βήμα βήμα όλη την πορεία της εξέλιξης της ιστορίας μας μέχρι το φινάλε της που, αν και το περιμένεις, είναι δοσμένο με τέτοιο τρόπο που σε αφήνει συναισθηματικά συγχυσμένο.
Η ιστορία του Βέρνον Ντέιρ, αν και κοινωνική στον πυρήνα της, προσφέροντας μπόλικη τροφή για σκέψη στον αναγνώστη, είναι, παράλληλα, και μια ιστορία θρίλερ, ένας προκάτοχος των ιστοριών που διαβάζουμε στο σήμερα και που στέλνουν ρίγη ανατριχίλας στη ραχοκοκαλιά μας, εμποτισμένη, πάντα, με τα νουάρ εκείνα στοιχεία που χαρακτηρίζουν, σ' ένα ευρύτερο πλαίσιο, τη γραφή της Christie. Νιώθω εξαιρετικά χαρούμενη, λοιπόν, που είχα την ευκαιρία να διαβάσω το βιβλίο αυτό, να ταξιδέψω σε μια αλλοτινή, σκληρή και σκοτεινή εποχή, μέσω μιας πένας άκρως παραστατικής και ζωντανής, και βιώνοντας, ταυτόχρονα, έντονα συναισθήματα και ένα εσωτερικό άγχος, τροφοδοτούμενο από την αγωνία και την ένταση που μόνο συγγραφείς όπως η Christie ξέρουν να χτίζουν.
August 11, 2017
I had previously heard the Mary Westmacott novels described as bittersweet romances. The cover of this edition of Giants' Bread calls it a "novel of romance and suspense". I find both of these misleading. This is not a romance novel. It's also not terribly suspenseful, or bittersweet. While there is a lot of emphasis on various romantic relationships, they're really not the point of the book. They're also fairly uninteresting.
This is a hard read because you are following a cast of characters who are not inherently likeable and whom you are not sure if you are supposed to root for or not. Vernon is "a genius", but are we supposed to applaud his sacrifice of all in favor of music? And actually he himself doesn't sacrifice very much, a lot of those decisions are more or less made for him. Sebastion is a respectable character in that he lives his life how he wants to live it, regardless of what anybody else thinks, but he's terribly lonely. Joe is an insufferable little git, but she's often little more than a side character. We don't really get to know that much about her inner life, beyond how she's perceived by other characters. Jane is insufferable as well, but the book frequently attempts to make us feel sorry for her.
And of course then there's Nell. There may be a cultural gap between myself, the author, and the setting of the book. I'm not sure, but I feel like the author wants the reader to not like Nell, to be against her. However, I felt fairly sympathetic to Nell. She could have had quite a nice life if only people would stop trying to make her believe that infatuation is the same thing as true love and that true love is the only way to achieve true happiness. Everyone (minus of course her mother and George Chetwynd) is always trying to get her to sacrifice the kind of life she knows she wants to have in favor of being with her "true love", and then calling her heartless for not wanting to make that sacrifice. Perhaps I'm in the wrong genre or perhaps I'm from the wrong time period, but that's stupid. There's no reason why Nell shouldn't be allowed to pursue the life she wants, whether or not that includes any one particular man.
All in all it's hard to know what the author's message is in this book. Obviously, it is about the human sacrifices involved in a man's genius coming to fruition, but are we meant to nod sagely and say that's just the way it is? Are we supposed to condemn Vernon for the way he treats the people in his life? Is the music really worth it? Or would it have been better if well enough had been let alone?
This is a hard read because you are following a cast of characters who are not inherently likeable and whom you are not sure if you are supposed to root for or not. Vernon is "a genius", but are we supposed to applaud his sacrifice of all in favor of music? And actually he himself doesn't sacrifice very much, a lot of those decisions are more or less made for him. Sebastion is a respectable character in that he lives his life how he wants to live it, regardless of what anybody else thinks, but he's terribly lonely. Joe is an insufferable little git, but she's often little more than a side character. We don't really get to know that much about her inner life, beyond how she's perceived by other characters. Jane is insufferable as well, but the book frequently attempts to make us feel sorry for her.
And of course then there's Nell. There may be a cultural gap between myself, the author, and the setting of the book. I'm not sure, but I feel like the author wants the reader to not like Nell, to be against her. However, I felt fairly sympathetic to Nell. She could have had quite a nice life if only people would stop trying to make her believe that infatuation is the same thing as true love and that true love is the only way to achieve true happiness. Everyone (minus of course her mother and George Chetwynd) is always trying to get her to sacrifice the kind of life she knows she wants to have in favor of being with her "true love", and then calling her heartless for not wanting to make that sacrifice. Perhaps I'm in the wrong genre or perhaps I'm from the wrong time period, but that's stupid. There's no reason why Nell shouldn't be allowed to pursue the life she wants, whether or not that includes any one particular man.
All in all it's hard to know what the author's message is in this book. Obviously, it is about the human sacrifices involved in a man's genius coming to fruition, but are we meant to nod sagely and say that's just the way it is? Are we supposed to condemn Vernon for the way he treats the people in his life? Is the music really worth it? Or would it have been better if well enough had been let alone?
September 12, 2020
The first of her novels published under the nom-de-plume “Mary Westmacott”, Agatha Christie’s romantic tragedy is spectacular and elegantly written. This book is an experiment for both author and reader: Agatha wanted to see if her novel would survive on its own merit without the hype of the famous name, while I as a reader was interested to see if her writing style - which works so well in the murder mystery genre - would still stand strong in the romance genre.
It does. Her writing never ceases to amaze; she could churn out those books by the dozen and each one would be a brilliant piece of art, even if she was experimenting in different genres. Her fairly plain and straightforward prose works well for a murder mystery because there’s no need for flowery writing: we get our payoff from the plot. In a romance, that style of writing brings with it a borderline Dahlesque eeriness pervading the story.
This story, predominantly about Vernon (a product of a sheltered childhood), focuses on love, music as an art form, marrying for security vs marrying solely for love, war, the unexpected ways our lives can pan out, and - the one theme present throughout all books by Agatha Christie - a sensitive study of what makes us all human. Her ‘Westmacott’ novels are renowned to be semi-autobiographical, and when I got to the part which was clearly based on a very famous event in Christie’s life, it sent chills down my spine. It was almost like something out of Tales of the Unexpected. Even if you didn’t know it was based on something in Christie’s life, expect chills. It is a powerful and very creepy moment.
Do not expect this ‘love story’ (term used in the loosest possible way) to be uplifting. The aftertaste this book leaves you isn’t so much ‘romantic’ as bitter and cold, even unpleasant. Agatha Christie meets Thomas Hardy, to an extent!
Minor criticisms include small plotpoints lacking in development, and one event towards the end which just overstepped the mark of plausibility.
But overall, this is a highly enjoyable book - what more would one expect from Agatha Christie? - and I will very much look forward to reading my next ‘Mary Westmacott’ outing.
It does. Her writing never ceases to amaze; she could churn out those books by the dozen and each one would be a brilliant piece of art, even if she was experimenting in different genres. Her fairly plain and straightforward prose works well for a murder mystery because there’s no need for flowery writing: we get our payoff from the plot. In a romance, that style of writing brings with it a borderline Dahlesque eeriness pervading the story.
This story, predominantly about Vernon (a product of a sheltered childhood), focuses on love, music as an art form, marrying for security vs marrying solely for love, war, the unexpected ways our lives can pan out, and - the one theme present throughout all books by Agatha Christie - a sensitive study of what makes us all human. Her ‘Westmacott’ novels are renowned to be semi-autobiographical, and when I got to the part which was clearly based on a very famous event in Christie’s life, it sent chills down my spine. It was almost like something out of Tales of the Unexpected. Even if you didn’t know it was based on something in Christie’s life, expect chills. It is a powerful and very creepy moment.
Do not expect this ‘love story’ (term used in the loosest possible way) to be uplifting. The aftertaste this book leaves you isn’t so much ‘romantic’ as bitter and cold, even unpleasant. Agatha Christie meets Thomas Hardy, to an extent!
Minor criticisms include small plotpoints lacking in development, and one event towards the end which just overstepped the mark of plausibility.
But overall, this is a highly enjoyable book - what more would one expect from Agatha Christie? - and I will very much look forward to reading my next ‘Mary Westmacott’ outing.
January 7, 2023
Giant’s Bread is a novel by Mary Westmacott, the pseudonym used by Agatha Christie under which she wrote six books, bittersweet romantic stories. Agatha was able to keep her authorship of these stories secret for almost twenty years. Giant’s Bread is no mystery novel, there is no Hercule Poirot, no Miss Marple and indeed no crime to solve. Here we follow a group of children growing up at the beginning of the 20th Century in England. The story is centred on Vernon, his friendships and love interests. Will he marry? Will he write music? Who does he love? These are the questions that the book circles round. We start with a new-born Vernon in his cot being looked after by nurses, and we see through his young eyes that his father is paying too much attention to the maids, and not enough to his wife. To me the book is a complete muddle of ideas, we have Einstein, relativity, music, curved space, love, mathematics, the Titanic all cobbled together in the most unconvincing way. The book has the audacity to spend the first hundred pages on the first seven years of Vernon’s life. Somehow these childhood experiences will determine Vernon’s views on music and love and women. On top of this we have unbelievable coincidences, such as later in life Vernon is on a sinking boat that like the Titanic has hit an iceberg, and by some remarkable set of events the two loves of his life literally slide past him into the water, and he has to agonisingly choose which woman he grabs and saves. How these two women were together, when up to that point they didn’t know they were both on the same boat, and somehow end up slipping down the deck of the sinking boat together is not explained. Perhaps Agatha should stick to the murder mystery stories after all.
October 27, 2021
З захопленням прочитала книгу!
Багато аналізувала і роздумувала про героїв та їхні життя опісля. Своїм запалом і незворушністю роман нагадав «Джерело» Айн Ренд.
На мене всі герої справили величезне враження, кожен був дуже сильно розкритий. Тут не лише про геніїв та їхній хліб, а й про ціну жертви та жертовність, про прийняття себе із своїми недоліками, визнання помилок і вміння прохати про допомогу, вірність своїм ідеям, та про кохання і дружбу крізь роки.
Надмірний трагізм в кінці книги частково притих мій захват, та все ж книга варта вашої уваги.
Якщо будете читати - перечитайте в кінці ще раз пролог!)
4,5/5
Багато аналізувала і роздумувала про героїв та їхні життя опісля. Своїм запалом і незворушністю роман нагадав «Джерело» Айн Ренд.
На мене всі герої справили величезне враження, кожен був дуже сильно розкритий. Тут не лише про геніїв та їхній хліб, а й про ціну жертви та жертовність, про прийняття себе із своїми недоліками, визнання помилок і вміння прохати про допомогу, вірність своїм ідеям, та про кохання і дружбу крізь роки.
Надмірний трагізм в кінці книги частково притих мій захват, та все ж книга варта вашої уваги.
Якщо будете читати - перечитайте в кінці ще раз пролог!)
4,5/5
May 6, 2018
Όλο το βιβλίο ήταν
ΧΩΡΙΣ ΔΕΚΑΡΑ ΠΩΣ ΘΑ ΠΑΝΤΡΕΥΤΟΥΜΕ ΜΑΝΩΛΙΟ ΜΟΥ ;
ΧΩΡΙΣ ΔΕΚΑΡΑ ΠΩΣ ΘΑ ΠΑΝΤΡΕΥΤΟΥΜΕ ΜΑΝΩΛΙΟ ΜΟΥ ;
August 17, 2025
4.5
Published in 1930, 'Giant's Bread' has at its center a triumvirate of characters who - being a closely bonded theatrical producer, a composer and an artist cheerleader - seem to anticipate the main ("we believe in each other") characters who would appear in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's 1934 play 'Merrily We Roll Along' - which years later became a Sondheim musical.
As it happens, Sondheim would go on (in 'Sunday in the Park with George') to echo the protagonist Vernon Deyre, an artist who (like Seurat) becomes obsessed with creating the kind of new form that intentionally runs against the grain of what is easily accepted in artistic circles.
It seems I enjoyed this novel almost as much as 'Absent in the Spring' - even if I had mild misgivings about its conclusion as it unfolded; that didn't detract from my reaction as a whole. This may be the longest Westmacott novel but, for the most part, it's consistently engaging - and compelling as a multiple character study.
Vernon's character is followed from childhood (during which time he forms his bond with lifelong friends Sebastian and Josephine). As expected (from the way she handled childhood in other works), Christie is singularly adept at capturing a child's POV, in the throes of constant adjustment and readjustment.
In the section in which Vernon experiences young love, Christie - through the character of Nell - vividly details for us the experience she personally had as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse during WWI.
It's at this point that things gradually become more complicated - involving individual vs. family and society, the shifting of societal norms, wealth vs. poverty. Christie ends up upending the entire situation when she introduces a bout of amnesia (a well-executed narrative shift) that signals the beginning of a sort of end.
What impresses most is the character work - esp. the believable way that certain characters are not on to (and contradict) themselves - and the way that certain other characters are able to harness their sense of loyalty. There are more than a few marvelously written scenes of character illumination.
Christie doesn't need to be held to account for dipping into sentimentality occasionally. This is a commendable work that should be of interest to fans of the author who are deeply curious about how deeply she understood humans.
I believe there is some part of us that *does* know the future, that is always intimately aware of it.This completes my reading of the 6 'Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott' novels - overall, an interesting departure from the author's 'day job' of mysteries. Two of them ('Unfinished Portrait' and 'A Daughter's a Daughter'), alas, are sort of meh. Three ('The Burden', 'The Rose and the Yew Tree' & 'Giant's Bread') are rather satisfying. My favorite of them is 'Absent in the Spring' (the only one I might want to re-read at some point.)
Published in 1930, 'Giant's Bread' has at its center a triumvirate of characters who - being a closely bonded theatrical producer, a composer and an artist cheerleader - seem to anticipate the main ("we believe in each other") characters who would appear in George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's 1934 play 'Merrily We Roll Along' - which years later became a Sondheim musical.
As it happens, Sondheim would go on (in 'Sunday in the Park with George') to echo the protagonist Vernon Deyre, an artist who (like Seurat) becomes obsessed with creating the kind of new form that intentionally runs against the grain of what is easily accepted in artistic circles.
It seems I enjoyed this novel almost as much as 'Absent in the Spring' - even if I had mild misgivings about its conclusion as it unfolded; that didn't detract from my reaction as a whole. This may be the longest Westmacott novel but, for the most part, it's consistently engaging - and compelling as a multiple character study.
Vernon's character is followed from childhood (during which time he forms his bond with lifelong friends Sebastian and Josephine). As expected (from the way she handled childhood in other works), Christie is singularly adept at capturing a child's POV, in the throes of constant adjustment and readjustment.
In the section in which Vernon experiences young love, Christie - through the character of Nell - vividly details for us the experience she personally had as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse during WWI.
It's at this point that things gradually become more complicated - involving individual vs. family and society, the shifting of societal norms, wealth vs. poverty. Christie ends up upending the entire situation when she introduces a bout of amnesia (a well-executed narrative shift) that signals the beginning of a sort of end.
What impresses most is the character work - esp. the believable way that certain characters are not on to (and contradict) themselves - and the way that certain other characters are able to harness their sense of loyalty. There are more than a few marvelously written scenes of character illumination.
Christie doesn't need to be held to account for dipping into sentimentality occasionally. This is a commendable work that should be of interest to fans of the author who are deeply curious about how deeply she understood humans.
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