 Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition | |
| Author | Mary Westmacott (pseudonym ofAgatha Christie) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Tragedy |
| Published | 1952 (Heinemann) |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 200 pp |
| Preceded by | They Do It with Mirrors |
| Followed by | After the Funeral |
A Daughter's a Daughter is a novel written byAgatha Christie and first published in the UK by Heinemann on 24 November 1952. Initially unpublished in the US, it was later issued as a paperback byDell Publishing in September 1963. It was the fifth of six novels Christie wrote under thenom-de-plumeMary Westmacott. Initially a play written by Christie in the late 1930s, the plot tells of a daughter's opposition to her mother's plan to remarry.
Christie tried to interestPeter Saunders, later the producer ofThe Mousetrap, in the play in 1950. He suggested amendments to update some of the references, which were now twenty years old, and tried the play out at theTheatre Royal, Bath where it opened on 9 July 1956[1] and ran for one week and eight performances. It was billed under theWestmacott name, but Westmacott's true identity had been public knowledge since 1949, and the publicity surrounding a new Agatha Christie play resulted in good attendance figures. Saunders however felt it would not survive in the West End and Christie didn't pursue the matter further.[2]
Following Christie's death, the copyright for the play was owned by her daughter,Rosalind Hicks, who was unenthusiastic about the play as it was believed that the main character was based on her.[3] Following Hicks' death in 2004, a new production of the play, starringJenny Seagrove andHoneysuckle Weeks and produced byBill Kenwright, was to open in London's West End on 14 December 2009. Kenwright described the play as "brutal and incredibly honest" and "It's a good enough play to stand up without the Christie brand. It's quite a tough play. It is a substantial night at the theatre."[3]
