I was never a great comic reader as a child. I didn’t know if you were supposed to read the speech bubbles first then look at the picture or the other way round. So when the graphic novels craze took off and were added to library shelves I ignored them. However deciding to push myself out of my comfort zone I recently read my very first graphic novel Madeleine L'Engle’s children’s novel A Wrinkle in Time. I was pleasantly surprised at how engaged I was in the story although I still struggled with what to read first; the speech bubbles, the written descriptions or look at the picture. After this moderate success it was now time to enter the wide world of adult graphic novels. Not one for super heroes (and there are a fair few graphic novels depicting super heroes) I picked up the fictional biography of crime writer Agatha Christie. Right from the first frame I was hooked. The story was fast moving and very descriptive considering the sparseness of words. The illustrations are true to the first half of the 20th century and although simple they have enough detail to add layers to the story.
The story starts in 1926 when Agatha Christie disappeared for ten days and her then husband Archie Christie is suspected of doing away with her. Flashback takes the reader back to Christie’s childhood before continuing on through her life. We experience two world wars through the eyes of Mrs Christie as well as the successes she had with fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. The novel ends with her death aged 85 in 1976.
There is no disputing that graphic novels are a quick read. However the blending of written text and illustrations make for a more complex read than you would think possible with just 100 pages. If you haven’t read a graphic novel give one ago. You too may be pleasantly surprised at just how good they are.
Posted by Miss Moneypenny
Catalogue link: Agatha: the real life of Agatha Christie
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