Come Tell Me How You Live [Paperback]

Several times Agatha Christie accompanied her husband Max Mallowan on his archaeological expeditions to the Middle East. When friends kept on asking how she lived there, Agatha decided to write her adventures down in this book.

The title, in fact, is a pun on "tell," the Arabic word for hill or mound, which is used in the Middle East to describe the hill-like shapes of buried archaeological sites.

This book is probably the most humorous book the detective writer has ever written. She not only puts her own fame in perspective, but also acts as a keen observer of those little things that make humans such funny creatures. Although you never lose the impression that most of the characters in this non-fiction book are caricatures of real people, it still gives you a plausible impression of how life strolled on in the Middle East at that time.

Do not expect a serious treatise on archaeological excavations, because you won't find any scientific information in this book. What you can expect is a rather messy hodgepodge of all-day situations that may bring a smile on your face. And that's fine with me, because that's all Agatha intended it to be: an easily digested chronicle written with love.

It's great to know that this book is available again to delight new readers with Agatha's travel diary.
Married to an archeologist, who worked mainly at that part of the world once known as Mesopotamia, Agatha has participated in many expeditions with her husband and team. Her book is about her day life at the camp, trying to manage the servants, struggling to develop photos of the objects in a suffocating studio, fighting her own shyness when it comes to talk to the expedition's architect. Piece by piece, she take us back to this almost mysterious past with her talent and good sense of humor.
Mine is an old edition, but when I feel a little depressed or sad, I always go back to its pages. It heals my soul. Every time.

Agatha Christie was a prolific writer who churned out one or more books each year for decades. She was invariably on the Best Seller lists in several countries at any given moment, usually had at least one or more plays running in London and saw several films made from her novels. One would imagine her life as divided between writing her novels in some comfortable English country house or attending various events publicizing her latest work or supporting some worthy cause. Instead of this life in the public spotlight for many years she spent every winter 'season' accompanying her husband, Max Mallowan, on archaeological digs in the Middle East, usually living in primative conditions and assisting him with his work. This book is her description of that part of her life, where she was not Agatha Christie, the world famous writer but Mrs Mallowan, the boss's wife.

This chronicle, written and published against her agent's and publisher's advice was written shortly before WWII broke out and describes life on archaelogical digs in the Middle East. Christie gives us descriptions of areas that figure prominently in today's news, Beruit, Basura, Afghanistan. Events that shape present day headlines are recent events at this time, the Armenian massacres for example. While Christie mentions these larger events her focus is on the day to day lives of those around her, the interactions of Europeans, Arabs, Kurds and others. She describes a time when a twenty five mile trip into the nearest town could take two or more days, and where communication was almost nonexistent. In this exotic location she relates homey little tales of village life such as Miss Marple would know (though without the murders).

As another reviewer has already mentioned these memoirs are reminiscent of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody novels both in setting and wry tone. For fans of Christie it is a treat to get a glimpse into this very private woman's private life. From time to time a situation or person that has appeared in her stories can be seen here 'in real life'.