''The Rose and the Yew Tree'' is a tragedy novel written by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Heinemann Ltd in November 1948 and in the US by Farrar & Rinehart later in the same year. It is the fourth of six novels Christie published under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Mary Westmacott.

The novel's title

The title of the novel is taken from Section V of ''Little Gidding'' from

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

's '' Four Quartets''. The full line, as quoted in the epigraph to the novel, is: :"The moment of the rose and the moment of the yew-tree :Are of equal duration".

Plot summary

Hugh Norreys, crippled in a road accident, watches from his couch as John Gabriel runs for parliament in the small Cornish town of St. Loo. Hugh's invalid status seems to encourage his visitors to reveal their secrets and emotions. Hugh is mystified by Gabriel, an ugly little man who, nevertheless, is attractive to women. He is also intrigued by Isabella, a beautiful young woman from the castle down the road. So, Hugh and most of St. Loo are shocked when, shortly after Gabriel wins the election, he and Isabella run away together and Gabriel resigns as a member of parliament. The novel explores love, caring for others, redemption, and a gothic tragedy of one woman and the men who love her.

Literary significance and reception

'' The Times Literary Supplements review of 6 November 1948, by Sir Julian Henry Hall concluded, "Miss Westmacott writes crisply and is always lucid. The pattern of the book is too vague at one point – the later stages of the hero's career – but much material has been skilfully compressed within little more than 200 pages."''The Times Literary Supplement'' 6 November 1948 (Page 621)

Publication history

*1948 William Heinemann Ltd (London), November 1948, Hardback, 224 pp *1948 Farrar & Rinehart (New York), 1948, Hardback, 249 pp *1964 Dell Books, Paperback, 189 pp *1971

Arbor House Arbor House was an independent publishing house founded by Donald Fine in 1969. Specializing in hard cover publications, Arbor House published works by Hortense Calisher, Ken Follett, Cynthia Freeman, Elmore Leonard and Irwin Shaw before being ac ...

, Hardback, 249 pp *1974 Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp *1978 Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover, 358 pp The novel was first serialised in the US in '' Good Housekeeping'' in two abridged instalments, carried in the December 1947 and January 1948 issues.

References

External links

at the official Agatha Christie website {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose and the Yew Tree Novels by Agatha Christie 1948 British novels Works originally published in Good Housekeeping Novels first published in serial form Works published under a pseudonym Novels set in Cornwall Heinemann (publisher) books