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Come, Tell Me How You Live: An Archaeological Memoir

Come, Tell Me How You Live: An Archaeological Memoir

by Agatha Christie Mallowan

4.5 (801 ratings)
Travel

Published

April 10, 2012

Pages

245 pages

Language

English

Publisher

William Morrow Paperbacks

Available Formats & Prices

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Kindle

$3.99

Paperback

$11.99

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About This Book

Over the course of her long, prolific career, Agatha Christie gave the world a wealth of ingenious whodunits and page-turning locked-room mysteries featuring Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and a host of other unforgettable characters. She also gave us Come, Tell Me How You Live , a charming, fascinating, and wonderfully witty nonfiction account of her days on an archaeological dig in Syria with her husband, renowned archeologist Max Mallowan. Something completely different from arguably the best-selling author of all time, Come, Tell Me How You Live is an evocative journey to the fascinating Middle East of the 1930s that is sure to delight Dame Agatha’s millions of fans, as well as aficionados of Elizabeth Peters’s Amelia Peabody mysteries and eager armchair travelers everywhere.

Introduction

Agatha Christie is not only renowned as the Queen of Crime, but she also left an indelible mark on archaeology through her memoir. "Come, Tell Me How You Live" invites readers into her adventurous escapades during her travels in the Middle East. With her sharp wit and love for storytelling, Christie distills her profound experiences and personal anecdotes into a delightful narrative that goes beyond her penchant for mystery.

This memoir offers readers an unfiltered glimpse into her life as an archaeologist's wife, capturing moments of joy, challenge, and cultural discovery.

Key Takeaways

Agatha Christie's vivid storytelling brings the past to life in this unique memoir. The book encapsulates her personal experiences on archaeological expeditions. Christie's humor and insight provide a captivating look at Middle Eastern culture.

Detailed Description

In "Come Tell Me How You Live Agatha Christie transports readers to the exotic world of archaeological excavations in the Middle East. She chronicles her experiences alongside her husband Sir Max Mallowan showcasing the blend of ancient mysteries and humorous exploits. Her writings capture the fascinating scenes and diverse people she encountered during their expeditions.

This memoir is filled with Christie's amusing accounts of life in unpredictable conditions providing insight into the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of archaeological fieldwork. Her gifts of observation and wit offer readers a refreshing and entertaining perspective on an archaeologist's journey. With a narrative rich in vivid detail Christie's love for the region and its history shines through.

The book explores not only her interesting adventures but also the fascinating interplay between modernity and ancient cultures she experienced first-hand. The blend of personal reflection and historical context makes it a compelling read for any fan of Agatha Christie. Through her words Christie invites readers to see the world through her eyes—exploring the meld of past and present in the lands that fuel her imagination and passion.

This book remains a delightful escape into a world of discovery and historical narrative.

Standout Features

Agatha Christie's memoir stands out for its delightful combination of humor and history, providing a refreshing perspective on archaeological life that isn’t confined to academic confines The book captivates readers with its blend of personal anecdotes and detailed insights into Middle Eastern cultures, showcasing Christie's keen eye for capturing the essence of exploration Unlike traditional archaeological narratives, Christie's storytelling brings an element of warmth and charm, making her experiences feel genuine and accessible to readers from all walks of life.

Book Details

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Specifications

Pages:245 pages
Language:English
Published:April 10, 2012
Publisher:William Morrow Paperbacks
Authors:Agatha Christie Mallowan

Rating

4.5

Based on 801 ratings

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable

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LaVonne
November 7, 2022

Enjoyable read. Christie gives it straight about the conditions archaeologists worked in back then and now. She is such a good sport too. Could be home in luxury but wants to be with her husband pursuing his passion for the near east. Only criticism is that the map at the beginning has mislabeled the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Seems like someone would have noticed that before.

Wry and dry (humor, that is)

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Larry N. Stout
December 31, 2012

A nice retro insight into realities of earlier 20th-century desert expeditions in northern Mesopotamia with Christie's archaeologist-husband Max Mallowan. She walks the line of her physical and psychological limits (teetering from one side to the other), and ridicules the menagerie of backward locals, but gives credit where credit is due for remarkable physical and mental feats by the indigenes. You have to like someone who credits herself with finally closing an overpacked suitcase by dint of personal "avoir du poids", applied by sitting on the suitcase!

Delightful Memoir

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Barbara I. Stern
February 28, 2011

Come Tell Me How You Live; An Archaeological Memoir is Pure delight. Agatha Christe's second husband was Max Mallowan an archeologist. This memoir was written in the early thirties before the second world war. However not published according to Agatha during the devastating war years. It is not a mystery nor a historical memoir of this period in her life.However it records the people in the expedition, the workers, their way of life,philosophy etc. It is difficult to imagine Agatha living in primitve rat-infested tents when you think about all of her stately homes in the UK. However she admits this period of her life exploring with Max the remains of thousands of years of relics one of her happiest. In fact one of the dialogues in her novel Cat Among Pigeons is almost verbatim with an actual conversation she had with a Turkish roomate on the Orient Express. Please don't miss this memoir both funny and poignant.

One of the best books on archaeology.

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wrentzu
May 13, 2019

I have read a lot of books on archaeology but for some reason I always bypassed this one, not sure why. But I finally opened it and I'm so glad that I did. It is very informative and the descriptions of the land and the people are wonderful. I was struck by how beautiful the writing was, I just always equated Agatha Christie with mysteries and I did her an injustice. But what is especially nice is that there are passages where I laughed out loud. Loudly enough that my roommate finally said " What the heck are you reading" ?

Delightful

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Christine Pratt
March 30, 2024

I wasn’t expecting much when I chose this book but found it fascinating and amusing. It was hard to put down.

which seem like an editing oversight

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Julie L. Stout
February 11, 2015

This is a memoir of Agatha Christie's adventures in the middle east with her second husband, archeologist Max Mallowan, in the early 1930s. She tells everything with a hint of humor and is able to laugh at herself and everyone else - the English archeologists and architects, the French government officials, and the local Arabs, Kurds, and Armenians. She gives fascinating insight into the cultures of that part of the world, and also into the world of archeology. There are some areas of repetition, which seem like an editing oversight. But overall, this is an excellent read. I read this at the same time I was reading "They Came To Baghdad" (also by Agatha Christie), and that made both books extra enjoyable.

The Most Readable Author Who Ever Wrote

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Molly
February 8, 2012

Agatha Christie said that people often asked her "how they lived" when she and her husband, archeologist Max Mallowan went east on digs, so she decided to write about it. This book is much like a daily journal, with much left out of course, of anecdotes of life in Syria over a span of several different expeditions. It took place in the 1930's before WWII, and she remarked at the end how good it was (for others, she didn't achieve it) to be able to live apart from and untouched by war. They had a house built with a central domed room and two additional rooms on each end; this house they lived in during the expeditions and gave to the local shiek at the end of last one. Of course, there was no electricity, no electronics, no running water, no modern conveniences of any kind. They had household servants as well as approximately 250 workman who actually performed the digs on the tells. They traveled by an old sedan and transported finds and furniture in an old lorry, both of which were given to breakdowns and being stuck in rain-flooded wadis. In this short book, the author includes many anecdotes including stories of injuries and accidental death on the digs, stories of how little concerned the native people were about death, about the beautiful and lively Kurkish women. It's a fascinating glimpse into the primitive daily lives on the people in that part of the world in the early part of the last century. Agatha Christie was a matchless writer with a way with words that has never been equalled. All her books are immensely readable and enjoyable.

Don't think anyone dies in this one

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DA
May 22, 2012

I bought this for my mother who is a long time Agatha Christie fan, and a lot of people she knows are as well. I thought it would be nice for her to get a taste of her life and personality outside of her books on crime. Now I may have to buy her one of the romance novels Agatha Christie wrote under a pseudonym just to experience that as well. She read this quickly and kept remarking with excitement through it about little points to me, and has told me that I ought to read it. There may be a few other people who would like to share once I am done as well. I have heard it's a great book, even though it's about a short period of her life it's still a nice snapshot of Mrs. Christie Mallowan. The historical value is also noteworthy, not only for the record of the time, people and place where the digs were, the same for the periods they were excavating, but also the world climate during her writing in the 1930s. Imagine the archaeologists of the future unearthing our WWII remains and trying to piece together what kind of people we were from the evidence.