The Lonely God by Agatha Christie

This book is considered a Mystery. 

It is also considered somewhat of a Romance Novel and Mystery Thriller. It is a short story and considered a Classic because of its author.

"Dear little God help me, please help me."

The description of this short story in most places is pretty short and simple. "An unlikely couple find themselves drawn together by their mutual fascination for a sinister little stone idol high on a shelf in the British Museum in London" (Goodreads). 

Oakland Library has a bit better description: "In the quiet halls of the British Museum, a forgotten stone idol sits unnoticed on a high shelf - its features eroded by time, its purpose long lost. But for Frank Oliver, a lonely man recently returned to England, the little god becomes something more: a symbol of connection in a world that has passed him by. When Frank notices a young woman visiting the same statue, day after day, something begins to shift. In their quiet devotion to a nameless figure, two strangers begin to find the possibility of something else - companionship, perhaps even love."

The Review

This is one of the few Agatha Christie books I have not read yet. It was a short story, but it was pretty good. It was quite different from the typical crime stories Agatha Christie usually writes. I think even though it isn't what we usually think of when we think Agatha Christie, it still has a nod to her writing style. If that makes any sense. 

The story really pulls you in, and you can start to feel for Frank, his isolation, his loneliness. The sadness that he experiences. And the beacon that calls to him. I think we can all say that we have been there at one time or another. And that's what makes the story so good and relatable. 

SPOILER ALERT

I think we can all identify with falling in love with someone who breaks our heart. Someone that feels like "the one", like the sun rises and sets with them. And then when they are gone, it feels like the world is ending. Thankfully, Frank takes these emotions and this sadness and puts them into his creativity. He uses the lonely lady as inspiration and starts to paint. 

In the end, the story of the lonely Princess inspires Frank to paint her. And when the lonely lady sees the photo, she goes to the Museum to tell him that she is the Princess and that is why she left. 

I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App. 

Rating and Recommendation

A little confusing at the end. But I think this short story was great. It really makes you think. And for a moment you have to replay what you just read (or hear) to really understand the ending but once you do, it is a great story. While it is considered a mystery, I think a better description would be "Fate-based love story". But I don't think Goodreads has a tag for that! I absolutely recommend anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie's quirkiness to read this, and anyone who likes just a nice clean book with a happy ending.

I honestly don't think you can buy a physical copy of this book. I searched, and the best I can find is that it is part of a collection of short stories, "While The Light Lasts and Other Stories," as well as "The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories." You can however, find it on Amazon as an e-book and probably find it at your library.

Conclusion

If you are a Christie fan or you just enjoy quick little romance stories. This is the book for you. Hell, even if you just enjoy short books. It is twenty-six minutes as an audiobook. Worst to worst, you have wasted less than half an hour of your life. But I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Just keep in mind this isn't a typical Agatha Christie mystery. It is more romance.  

You can find The Lonely God in its respective mediums below: 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).

* Knife Photo via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.

The Gift by Freida McFadden

This book is considered a Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, etc. 

It is also a Christmas Short Story. 

Trigger Warning: 

This book deals with murder, poverty, and manipulation.

"You don't know what it's like to meet the man of your dreams, then meet his beautiful wife."

It is Christmas Eve, and Stella Hansen is dead on her feet. Despite working two jobs to help support herself and her husband, they are barely making ends meet. Stella is devastated by the thought of their first Christmas as a married couple being so pitiful. 

As Stella and her coworker close the dinner, a mysterious woman is sitting at a back booth. No one saw her come, and neither of them waited on her. The mysterious woman is a storekeeper; she owns a pawn shop. And she insists that Stella stop by her store on her way home. 

But what does Stella have to trade? She can't afford anything from the woman's shop, and all she has is her beautiful hair. 

The Review

This book is a dark twist on the classic, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry. Unfortunately, it felt very flat for me. If you aren't familiar with The Gift of the Magi, it is a beautiful tale about true love. Della nd Jim have fallen on tough times; they can barely afford their new apartment, their car has broken down, and life is just one big expense after another. In order to buy each other Christmas gifts, Della chops off her hair to get Jim a chain for his pocket watch. Jim sells his pocket watch to get Della a comb for her beautiful hair. In the end, they both laugh it off and realise the most important thing about Christmas is being together. 

This story is not like that. It has a "Freida McFadden twist". Which could have been interesting, but unfortunately, I didn't find it very unique. I read one comment on GoodReads saying it felt like a creative writing course assignment, and I have to agree.  

SPOILER ALERT

When Stella gives her husband her gift, he is a bit underwhelmed. It seems like he doesn't really understand her gift. Stella tells him it is a chain for his watch, but it seems like a necklace in this story, and the husband doesn't really understand why she would buy that for him. The husband didn't buy Stella anything. Instead, he tried to make homemade brownies for her because they were her favourite. He ended up making a mess and burning the brownies. Which set Stella off. 

She felt he was being too cheap and didn't even consider her. She cut off all her hair for him, and he burnt brownies! Stella noticed the suitcase in the hall closet, and she knew after his rant that her husband was planning on leaving her. So she stabbed him. 

I borrowed the audiobook from the library through the Libby App. 

Rating and Recommendation

If you have never read The Gift of the Magi, please read that first. It is such a beautiful story and a classic. If you have never read a Freida McFadden novel, please read any of her other novels (I recommend The Housemaid). This would definitely put most people off Freida McFadden, I think, and that would be a shame. If you are a fan, prepare yourself. This is not the type of writing you are used to. If you treat it as a little short story to get the creative juices flowing, you will probably enjoy the little story as a palate cleanser before going on to something else. But don't expect a masterpiece here. 

I wouldn't buy this book. It really isn't worth it in my opinion. And quite frankly, if it had been longer than an hour (audiobook format), I wouldn't even recommend listening to it. 

Conclusion

I am not really sure what to conclude about this book. I guess the best thing I can say is, if your library has it, check it out. The worst case, you waste an hour of your life. If you like it, buy it. If not, cure me and move on to something better. 

You can find The Gift in its respective mediums below: 

* Book cover image retrieved from GoodReads. All rights belong to the author and/or publisher. 
* All the "stickers" in this blog were provided by Bookish (presented by NetGalley).

* Knife Photo via Pixabay, and used under the Pixabay Content License
* Links in this blog may be generated through the Amazon Associates Program. By using this link, I may make a small profit (at no cost to you) from your purchase.