The Burden
by Agatha Christie
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A superb novel of possessive love. Laura Franklin bitterly resented the arrival of her younger sister Shirley, an enchanting baby loved by all the family. But Laura's emotions towards her sister changed dramatically one night, when she vowed to protect her with all her strength and love. While Shirley longs for freedom and romance, Laura has to learn that loving can never be a one-sided affair, and the burden of her love for her sister has a dramatic effect on both their lives. A story of show more consequences when love turns to obsession... Famous for her ingenious crime books and plays, Agatha Christie also wrote about crimes of the heart, six bittersweet and very personal novels, as compelling and memorable as the best of her work. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
It was difficult to close the cover of this novel knowing that I had now finished reading the six (6) romances that Agatha Christie had published using the pseudonym of Mary Westmacott. I have always been a fan of Agatha Christie's mysteries and had only learned this winter of the romance titles. I couldn't wait to read each one! Each story was unique and yet true to the writing we anticipate with thoughtful expressions from the characters, humorous quips, and always the unexpected twists and turns in the plot to intrigue the reader through the very last chapter.
I rarely have a desire to read a novel again as there are so many novels waiting to be read at home and the titles continually added to the wish list. That said, I know I will show more not hesitate to read these novels again - not for the romance of the stories - but for some of the language which one can become absorbed in musing. I'm so glad that I didn't miss the experience of reading this aspect of Agatha Christie's writing. show less
I rarely have a desire to read a novel again as there are so many novels waiting to be read at home and the titles continually added to the wish list. That said, I know I will show more not hesitate to read these novels again - not for the romance of the stories - but for some of the language which one can become absorbed in musing. I'm so glad that I didn't miss the experience of reading this aspect of Agatha Christie's writing. show less
An interesting presentation of how a very protective love can be smothering to the loved one and keep him/her from developing into all they could be. Not much else of note.
It was a quick read and kind-of intriguing. The burdens of all the characters all tied together, and from that stand point, it was interesting.
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Agatha Christie
28 works; 3 members
Author Information
2,164+ Works 441,519 Members
One of the most successful and beloved writer of mystery stories, Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was born in 1890 in Torquay, County Devon, England. She wrote her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, in 1920, launching a literary career that spanned decades. In her lifetime, she authored 79 crime novels and a short story collection, 19 show more plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott. Her books have sold over a billion copies in the English language with another billion in 44 foreign languages. Some of her most famous titles include Murder on the Orient Express, Mystery of the Blue Train, And Then There Were None, 13 at Dinner and The Sittaford Mystery. Noted for clever and surprising twists of plot, many of Christie's mysteries feature two unconventional fictional detectives named Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. Poirot, in particular, plays the hero of many of her works, including the classic, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), and Curtain (1975), one of her last works in which the famed detective dies. Over the years, her travels took her to the Middle East where she met noted English archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan. They married in 1930. Christie accompanied Mallowan on annual expeditions to Iraq and Syria, which served as material for Murder in Mesopotamia (1930), Death on the Nile (1937), and Appointment with Death (1938). Christie's credits also include the plays, The Mousetrap and Witness for the Prosecution (1953; film 1957). Christie received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for 1954-1955 for Witness. She was also named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1971. Christie died in 1976. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Burden
- Original title
- The Burden
- Original publication date
- 1956
- People/Characters
- Laura Franklin; Shirley Franklin
- Original language
- English
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 376
- Popularity
- 83,528
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.37)
- Languages
- 15 — Czech, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 40
- ASINs
- 18
