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Rating: 
Summary: Come tell me how you live
Review: I stayed at the Hotel Baron in Aleppo in 1990 and 1992 where, many years earlier, Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan frequently sought respite from the Syrian desert. I mentioned to the Baron's owner, Krikor Mazmoumian, that Come Tell Me How You Live was my favorite book of hers. "Oh, mine too," he said. "I don't like mysteries. I once threw a party here at the hotel. Agatha was in the lobby and was a bit miffed when guests didn't realize who she was. She went all silent. But when I introduced her, and others recognized who she was she perked up and had a grand time."
Rating: 
Summary: An easily digested hodgepodge of funny episodes
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Elizabeth Peters / Amelia Peabody Fans Take Note
Review: This book has been my companion for a few nights now, just a little amusing reading while I prepare to drop off-- if only those dogs would move over and give me some room! Christie writes of a Middle East that few now can remember, and she is writing to entertain, not inform. There's a certain careless racism that caused me a little niggle of discomfort but, fear not, the Europeans come in for their fair share of ridicule as she skewers the members of the dig and their staff. Those who enjoy Elizabeth Peters' mysteries set in Egypt (at admittedly an earlier period) might also enjoy this glimpse into what a dig in the desert could be like. Just to put things in perspective, Mallowan (Christie's archaeologist husband) had begun his career digging with Leonard Woolley and Christie is writing oh so casually about events that underpin some of what is going on in that part of the world now. The massacre of Armenians and the differences between the Kurds and the Arabs are now writ large in our news reports.
Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Peters / Amelia Peabody Fans Take Note
Review: This book has been my companion for a few nights now, just a little amusing reading while I prepare to drop off-- if only those dogs would move over and give me some room! Christie writes of a Middle East that few now can remember, and she is writing to entertain, not inform. There's a certain careless racism that caused me a little niggle of discomfort but, fear not, the Europeans come in for their fair share of ridicule as she skewers the members of the dig and their staff. Those who enjoy Elizabeth Peters' mysteries set in Egypt (at admittedly an earlier period) might also enjoy this glimpse into what a dig in the desert could be like. Just to put things in perspective, Mallowan (Christie's archaeologist husband) had begun his career digging with Leonard Woolley and Christie is writing oh so casually about events that underpin some of what is going on in that part of the world now. The massacre of Armenians and the differences between the Kurds and the Arabs are now writ large in our news reports.
Rating:
Summary: Perfectly delightful
Review: This book is a must for dedicated Christie fans. In her well-written, fascinating and entertaining autobiography, Christie lets us in on the secrets of her exciting and interesting life. Her well-known gift of making you feel part of the action of her story is more powerful than ever, and the reader is transported to her world to witness her grow, learn, love and most importantly--write. One of the most enjoyable reads I've ever had.
Rating:
Summary: Come tell me how you live
Review: When reality surpasses fiction: Every near-eastern archaeologist will love to read over and over again this wonderful book. Almost every situation is still true today. Yallah Shebab!
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