Category Archives: Nina de Gramont

Review: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Title: The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Historical (20s), Mystery
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Why would the world’s most famous mystery writer disappear for eleven days? What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman’s marriage? How deeply can a person crave revenge?

In 1925, Miss Nan O’Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life––first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan’s plot didn’t begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.

It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together––until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.

What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont’s brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.

Review:

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is a clever historical mystery that reimagines Agatha Christie’s unexplained eleven-day disappearance in 1926.

Famed mystery writer Agatha Christie leaves home one evening and seemingly vanishes into thin air. Police quickly located her prize automobile and the car’s location raises questions about suicide. When this theory is disproven, large search parties begin looking for the missing author. The newspapers feverishly cover the story, other mystery authors try to solve the mystery and people who dabble in the paranormal attempt to find her.  The publicity pays off when someone recognizes her and calls the police to reveal her whereabouts: a spa hotel in Harrogate.  In The Christie Affair, Nina de Gramont offers an imaginative scenario for Agatha Christie’s still puzzling disappearance.

Agatha is married to Colonel Archie Christie and they are the parents of a darling seven-year-old daughter. He is a businessman and Agatha’s star is rising as a successful mystery author.  The night  she vanishes coincides with Archie informing her of his plans to divorce her. He is having an affair with Nan O’Dea and he plans to marry her after their divorce is final. After dropping the bombshell news on Agatha, Archie and Nan depart for a  weekend party at a friend’s home. Meanwhile, later that evening, Agatha leaves and vanishes for eleven days.

Nan is in her twenties and through a series of intriguing flashbacks, her sweet yet ultimately doomed romance with Irishman Finnbarr Mahoney is revealed. Nan lives in England but her father is from Ireland and it is while visiting her uncle that she meets Finnbarr.  Their budding romance is interrupted by World War I and after his return, Finnbarr’s bout with the Spanish Flu.

Inspector Frank Chilton, who is also a WWI veteran, is called out of retirement to help look for Agatha. He is a kind man who is also struggling with the aftermath of the war. By sheer coincidence, Frank stays at the same hotel where Nan is staying. A bit of drama interrupts his search when a newly married couple dies under suspicious circumstances while honeymooning at the hotel.

The Christie Affair is a captivating historical mystery with an ingenious plot. The characters are well-rounded with relatable strengths and weaknesses. The story unfolds from Nan’s perspective and she is a surprisingly sympathetic character. The storyline weaves back and forth in time and after a bit of a slow start, the pacing gradually picks up steam. With truly jaw-dropping revelations and stunning plot twists, Nina de Gramont brings this brilliant novel to a superb conclusion.

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Filed under Historical, Historical (20s), Mystery, Nina de Gramont, Rated B, Review, St Martin's Press, The Christie Affair

Review: The Boy I Love by Nina de Gramont

boy i loveTitle: The Boy I Love by Nina de Gramont
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult
Length: 288
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

When the boy you love asks you to keep his greatest secret, do you? A thought-provoking, achingly complex novel about prejudice and the many meanings of love from Nina de Gramont, author of Meet Me at the River, which Kirkus Reviews called a “must-read.”

Fifteen-year-old Wren has been content to stay in her best friend Allie’s shadow. It doesn’t bother her that Ally gets the cutest guys, the cutest clothes, and even a modeling gig—Wren is happy hanging with the horses on her family’s farm and avoiding the jealousy of other girls. But when Tim, the most intriguing guy in school, starts hanging out with Ally and Wren, jealousy is unavoidable, but not the kind Wren expects. Because even though Ally is wayyy into him and Wren hasn’t flirted, not one little bit, it becomes increasingly clear that Tim prefers Wren’s company above anyone else’s.

Tim’s unexpected devotion comes at the exact time Wren’s home life is about to be turned upside down. Her parents have just found out that the family horse farm is on land that was once a slave plantation and are struggling with whether to sell it. Wren aches at the thought of losing her horses and leaving town, but at least there is Tim…always a gentleman on their dates. Such a gentleman. Too much of a gentleman, even, and Wren begins to wish he’d be a wee bit less gentlemanly. And as Tim’s church becomes actively homophobic, his pressuring parents don’t understand why he won’t help “spread the word,” and he’s now a wreck. Then he tells Wren his biggest secret, and Wren must decide what she’ll really do for love.

The Review:

The Boy I Love by Nina de Gramont is a thought-provoking novel of friendship that touches on a number of relevant social issues. In many ways, it is a typical coming of age story with all of the usual teenage angst and drama. However, through the adroit first person narration of sixteen year old Wren Piner, this ordinary novel becomes an extraordinary tale of friendship and courage that is heartfelt and compelling.

Wren has been best friends with Allie Hackett for most of their lives, but their transition to a new school suddenly strains their close bond. Wren has been content to live in the shadow of her beautiful and popular friend, but when surprising events put Wren in the limelight, she is stunned by Allie’s unhappy reaction. But it is Allie’s jealousy over Wren’s new friendship with Tim Greenlaw that drives a wedge between the girls and they begin to drift apart. While Wren’s feelings for Tim take an unexpectedly romantic turn, he divulges a closely held secret that ultimately brings them closer together.

Wren is very comfortable in her skin and she has a surprising amount of confidence for a teenager. She has a strong moral compass, she stands up for what she believes in and she does not hesitate to voice her opinions. Wren is kind, compassionate and steadfastly loyal with an admirable capacity for forgiveness.  She is dismayed by the situation with Allie, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, she seizes the opportunity to seek out her own interests. Wren is very honest with herself about her own bouts of jealousy and the hopelessness of unrequited love but she never lets either get in the way of her friendships.

Allie is self-centered and since she has had very little disappointment in her life, she is stunned when things don’t go her way. She is unreasonable in her expectations where Tim is concerned and her immaturity over his relationship with Wren leads to the disintegration of their friendship. Allie rebuffs Wren’s attempts to smooth over their disagreement and she begins to make self-destructive decisions.

Tim is an all American boy who is much admired by his peers. Popular and well-liked, this new school year marks a change in his life as he gives up sports to explore his interest in theater. His growing distress over a change is his church’s policy is the driving force in confessing both his secret and the conflicting feelings that go with it. Tim takes comfort in Wren’s easy acceptance of his admission and their friendship easily weathers the difficulties they eventually face.

There are really no surprises about what is going to happen in The Boy I Love. The book summary pretty much lays out the storyline, but the execution of the plot and the depth of the characters are what makes it an outstanding and unpredictable read. Nina de Gramont introduces sensitive topics in a straightforward manner and the characters reactions to the various situations are realistic. While the novel’s target audience is teenagers, I highly recommend The Boy I Love readers of all ages.  It is a meaningful novel with a powerful message of love and acceptance that everyone can relate to.

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Filed under Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Contemporary, Nina de Gramont, Rated A, Review, The Boy I Love, Young Adult