The Woman on the Orient Express

I selected this because I love Agatha Christie. I fell in love with her writing as a teenager and was excited to read a fictionalized account of her tumultuous life.   The Woman on the Orient Express doesn’t disappoint. It is based on several high-profile aspects of Christie’s life, such as her failed first marriage and her subsequent trip to Baghdad on the Orient Express.  Despite being fiction, it manages to fill in gaps that are not only believable but seem authentic.

As noted by Ashford, these events simply form a frame for the book. The author’s take at recreating the experiences Christie had on her trip and the people she encountered are frighteningly believable.   Agatha is still reeling from her failed marriage and the reality of her ex-husband moving on so quickly to start a new family.  Her two-month trek is meant to give her a boost in moving forward; she goes as far as to travel under an assumed name to do so.  An unexpected bunk-make, Katherine, has her own secrets as she mourns the death of her husband and she takes on a new one.  The trio is completed when they cross paths with Nancy, a fellow traveler who is hiding a pregnancy while she flees a controlling husband.   While reading, I was constantly questioning who this Nancy was and whether she had closer ties to Agatha than initially shared. Nonetheless, reading each of their stories and seeing their lives intertwine kept me engaged.

There is a great deal of emotion in this book, not simply from the plot but also in how Ashford presents it to the reader. Agatha’s grief is near-palpable, and Nancy’s guilt and anxiety is always apparent.  Katherine seems less bogged down, and often comes off as more together than the other two.  A great driver of the story is the baby Nancy carries, from who its father is to how it will be raised.

As with most Christie books, I was fascinated with the descriptions of Agatha’s travels. The distant locales are presented with rich descriptions.  Everything from the meals to clothing are given vivid detail that make you forget the time period is nearly 90 years in the past. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the imagery of being abroad, but it serves to provide definition to a great story.

I definitely recommend this book. It’s not chock-full of drama at every turn, but that’s the beauty of it. The subtle ways new details are presented or the nuanced ways aspects of the story piece together are a big part of why I enjoyed reading. It’s lengthy, but worth the time.