1. The introduction of Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie was born in Torquey， South West England in 1890 and died in 1976. She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language and a billion translation. Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time and she is known as the “Queen of Mystery”.

2.The content of this book

This book tells us about her childhood， her two marriages through two World Wars and her experiences both as a writer and an archaeologist. She also wrote down her passion of her career and her feelings about her abundant life.

3. My reaction of this book

3.1 My first impression

My first impression of this book is Agathas detailed words. A large amount of details were recorded. When I was reading， I felt like I was chatting with a passionate friend and I could imagine the scenes through her vivid words. I think Agathas excellent observation ability led to her dramatic novels. She explored many exciting moments which were often ignored by ordinary people and these moments became the inspirations of her works.

3.2 Agathas childhood

In my opinion， the chapters of her childhood are the most fascinating parts. Agatha led a free， lively life at her early age. She didnt go to school and she was educated by her mother and a governess for her parents didnt hope their child has to suffer the limitations.They taught her through games， stories and travels and they encouraged her to enjoy the pleasure of books and nature. She had lots of creative ideas when she was a young child.Her childhood imagines were reserved until she grew up. Her unlimited， adventurous characters can be seen in her novels.Nowadays many parents are strict with their kids. They dont give the young enough space to develop their own spirits.

3.3 Victorian age

Agathas early life was deeply affected by the features of Victorian age. On one hand， she could appreciate the elegant arts such as music， dance and drama. At that time， young people of middle class had good tastes in arts and they didnt worry about their financial conditions. On the other hand， people had to follow a series of tedious rules， especially women. They must have proper manners. The ladies were expected to get married early and become good mothers.

3.4 Agathas independence

Agatha was brave enough to make a breakthrough. During the World War l， she became a nurse to take care of wounded soldiers. She prepared for her examination to work as a commercial chemist. When she had marital problems， she got divorced without any hesitations.

It was rare for women to find a job and get divorced. As she once said： “it was true that in those days employment for women was in short supply. Women were daughters to be supported， or wives to be supported. They could be companions to old ladies or they could go as nursery governesses to children.” Most of the women at that time were lack of the awareness to be individuals. However， Agathas advanced awareness made her get rid of the limitations of the times.In modern society， many women are still suffering discriminations from their career life. Their rights are still being infringed. Women must be fight for their rights courageously to seek better life and more freedom.

3.5 Agathas life

Agathas own life was as splendid as her novels. Her fine， sensitive minds helped her find the enjoyment from arts. Agatha was also a traveller andarchaeologist. In the eyes of Agatha，“Going around the world was one of the most exciting things that ever happened to me”. The magnificent buildings， historical interests and natural landscapes made her find a wider world.

3.6 Times are changing

This book is not only an autobiography of Agatha Christie but also a biography of different times in Europe. In the twentieth century， two World Wars destroyed many traditions. The Europe became more modern， citizens life became convenient because of the development of industry and the construction of fundamental facilities. Agatha was very lucky because she lived in the twentieth century. Although two World Wars were cruel and destroyed peaceful life， she experienced enormous changes that people had never experienced before. Her abundant experiences made her novels realistic and attractive.

3.7 The theme of Agatha Christies autography

What is the main idea of her autobiography？ From this book， I can feel her dynamic personality. Her intelligence， humorous and brevity are her most charming features. In the foreword， she said，“I like living. I have sometimes been wildly despairing， acutely miserable， racked with sorrow， but through it I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.” These words reflect the main idea and her optimistic attitude towards life.

No matter how difficult our life will be， we must enjoy the process of overcoming the difficulties and explore joyful things for life is beautiful. We need to remember：To be alive is a grand thing.

【作者簡介】袁跃璐（1998.09-），哈尔滨工业大学外国语学院2017级英语系英语专业（1715101班），学生。