Absent in the Spring--stranded at a train station between Iraq and Turkey, a self-satisfied English woman confronts the mistakes in her marriage and motherhood. Giant's Bread--a man doesn't realize his true love until he has lost her and his best friend. His cowardice in relationships has destroyed everything and left him with only his musical gifts. The Rose and the Yew Tree--when he loses the woman he loves a crass man is forced to become a saint. These three novels allow Christie a depth of characterization that is denied her in her better known mystery novels.

Joan Scudamore is returning home from Baghdad where she had rushed to help her daughter. She finds herself stranded at a rest house in the desert as her train is delayed a number of days. With time on her hands, she finds herself thinking of various occasions in her life which cause her to re-assess her relationships with her husband, children and friends.

So, all the Agatha Christie plot devices are here - except, of course, a murder:
The train journey from Baghdad to England including the Orient Express, the chance meeting of an old acquaintance, the captive characters, the carefully thought through characterisation, the beautifully observed manners and mannerisms of the time and the final twist "will she or won't she" act on her realisations and what will be the repercussions.

Really glad I read this, a beautiful, thoughtful book that shows there's more to Agatha Christie than Poirot & Marple and showcases her talents as an author and storyteller. ( )