Giant's Bread

I am reading through Christie’s books in chronological order, and what has so far really surprised me is the great variety in her writing. She appears to be constantly reinventing herself, covering international adventures, domestic “thrillers”, and now something between a Bildungsroman and a sensationalist romance. I can’t say I really enjoyed this novel, but I can appreciate the craft of its writer.

Not sure that the writing rises to the heights but the story is fascinating, how the giant of genius, working through an essentially weak young man, grinds the bones of heredity, environment and sex/love to make the bread of a brilliant work of art (i.e. fee, fie, fo, fum...I'll grind his bones to make my bread) Helps if you have some knowledge of early 20th century arts and history - some of the more ridiculous sounding art in this book is taken from reality e.g. Tatlin's monument to the 3rd international - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatlin's_Tower An ambitious work chock full of ideas!
2026 re-read - after listening to the Westmapod podcast (and many epsodes of All About Agatha and The Swinging Christies) I revisited this first show more of the Westmacotts. This time I was more aware of the theme of choice - Vernon has to choose between money, his ancestral home, his love and his Art, he wants it all, but as Jane tells him, life doesn't work that way.
I was conscious also of the thematic parallels with Dorothy Sayer's 1937 "Gaudy night" and it's themes of intellectual and personal integrity. particularly Harriet's question "How is one to know which things are really of overmastering importance" and Miss de Vine's answer "We can only know that ... when they have overmastered us" as well as Peter and Harriet's discussion about her choosing to write about people, not puzzles and the following dialogue: "I'll think about that, it would hurt like hell" "What would that matter, if it made a good book". Again, the choice between happiness and integrity.
There's also the line at the beginning of "Busman's honeymoon" - "What's a poet? Something that can't go to bed without making a song about it" which sprang to mind with the final scene of Giant's Bread.
Without being too spoiler-y, this book also uses the theme of Enoch Arden, which Christie (writing under her own name) uses at least twice - in the short story "While the light lasts" and in the novel "Taken at the flood").
I was also drawn to the childhood scene (book 1, chapter 7 part 6) when Joe and Vernon decide to make friends with Sebastian, after all out war, and approach him under a white flag of truce - this was strongly reminiscent of the Swallows and the Amazons making peace in "Swallows and Amazons" and I was interested to notice that both Giants Bread and S&A were published three months apart in 1930 - so that type of imaginative play was not the invention of either Christie or Ransome!
Finally, the Dostoevsky quote (in part 4 of chapter 4 of book 4) "And we alone, we who guard the mystery, we alone shall be unhappy. There will be thousands of millions of happy children and only a hundred thousand martyrs who have taken on themselves the curse of good and evil." made me think of the recent Apple TV series "Pluribus" which I've heard about but not yet seen. A quick google suggests that that series is beholden to this idea in Dostoevsky.
So, though "Giant's Bread" is not a perfect book (perhaps a little melodramatic) it is very much a book that attempts to deal with big questions, a book of its time, but a book that remains relevant today. show less

Once I set aside the fact that this was authored by Agatha Christie and stopped expecting someone to stumble upon a body, I got into this story. It still has dramatic (sometimes melodramatic) twists and turns, and I really enjoy Christie's/Westmacott's exploration of character and of the prevailing ideas following WWI. I can't say that she sticks the landing, but overall this novel was a worthwhile read.

I don't know what I expected when I learned that Agatha Christie had written 6 romance novels earlier in her writing career using the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. All I knew for sure is that I had to purchase them and read them in the order in which they were written.

I have finished reading "Giant's Bread" and it was a truly incredible reading experience. Why? The author is very insightful and through the characters she creates not merely a love story but shares the complexities of human nature for childhood friends up through their adult years. There is a poignancy to the experiences through the years of WWI that bring an unexpected impact.

I am looking forward to reading the next romance titled, "Unfinished Portrait."

Don't miss reading show more more about the novels by Christie's daughter, Rosalind Hicks...
https://www.agathachristie.com/about-christie/family-memories/the-mary-westmacot... show less

This is the first of Christie's undertakings under the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. I find it rather refreshing from all of her mystery novels with Poirot, Marple, et.al. This really takes you into the mindset of the main characters and all their flawed thoughts. Its almost a psychological view of what some people will go through to either get what they want or to deny themselves what they want. I think she did quite well to begin this story with the childhood of several of the main characters, which sets the table to what will happen later on. Although I was a bit surprised at the end with which of the 2 women in his life he saved. I originally picked this up with some debate as to whether I would like it or not. It does seem to have show more a way of growing on you as you make your way through the book. show less

?????????????!?!!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was GOING to write something COHERENT and then the ending happened and now all i can think is "?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!"

Book 1: told from the point of view of a child. Vernon is a young boy. He hates music.