Book Club

Mary Westmacotts

For fifteen years Agatha Christie managed to keep a secret from the world. The secret was that she also published six novels under the name Mary Westmacott. These were not crime novels - Christie described them as "straights novels".

Part romance, part autobiographical, they give a fascinating insight into another aspect of Christie's work and are well worth reading in their own right.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Burden

Jemma 28 Aug 09 at 10:18 a.m. GMT

This story encompasses more than just the tale of two sisters.  It’s also about love and how destructive an emotion it can become.  Laura loves her much younger sister Shirley probably more as a mother would but can she accept that Laura has to flee the nest and become her own person?  Laura’s choices in men may not be what Shirley would want for her but is it Shirley’s right to interfere?

This is an emotional story well told but as with several of the Westmacott stories defies being a pure romantic tale.  Was Christie right to let Laura become a victim?  Is it a little too fanciful to believe that Shirley’s life would have taken the course it did?

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CRIS_CH 21 Oct 10 at 4:39 p.m. GMT

Yes. I have recently reread it and found it more disturbing than I remembered. It is real. Some parents love their children differently. Even if they make it unconsciously. The differences exist. I don´t really like the end. It was a little superficial. Although I wanted Laura to be happy, she should have let her sister live her life as she wanted. The authentic victim was her I think.

carolina9 21 Apr 10 at 5:58 p.m. GMT

"...Your mother loves both of her children equally..."Cats don't", said Laura, reviewing in her mind a recent arrival of kittens..."

What a sadness this words convey...The bitter awareness of a child that understand that she isn't loved by her parents as much as her brother.

I've bought this book few months ago, simply pushed by curiosity but finally I could't stop reading...I was fascinated by the way Mrs. Christie managed to express this tangle of emotions.

I wish I had read it before....

Read more about this story: The Burden