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An esteemed memoirist examines aging with the grace of Elegy for Iris and the wry irreverence of I Feel Bad About My Neck.
The old write to us from the past in language that seems to be clearer, less cluttered than our own. Think of V. S. Pritchett or Penelope Fitzgerald in their 80s, Patrick Leigh Fermor or P. G. Wodehouse nearing their 90s, all models still of accuracy and economy on the page. We should credit not their years, perhaps, but their time. Such writers inhabited a pre-electronic era when words were carefully expended and sentences retained a classical elegance. The opening of Wodehouse's 1935 novel The Luck of the Bodkins is a famous example: "Into the face of the young man who sat on the terrace of the Hotel Magnifique at Cannes there had crept a look of furtive shame, the shifty, hangdog look which announces that an Englishman is about to talk French."
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
James Keller
reviewed Somewhere Towards the End on April 18, 2009
Somewhere Towards the End
Diana Athill, a top British editor, wrote this short reflection on life and how it might end for her when she was 89. The writing is stunning, every sentence is perfectly-crafted and thoughful. Short as it is, however, its not short enough: the brilliance of the writing is not enough to overcome the tedium of the subject illuminated only occasionally by the witty recounting of stories and unusual characters. I don't often feel disappointed in myself if I didn't enjoy the book, but here I feel there is something in me that is lacking, that I should be able to appreciate this beautifully-written and poetic memoir more. But I didn't.
Edit I came across this piece by Diana Athill, now 96, written in 2010 when she made a decision to move into an Old Age Home. It is as beautifully-written as the memoir and I enjoyed reading it much more. So I've upped the rating to 3.5 stars from 2. And I wish her many more years of enjoying life.
Originally reviewed 14 April 2009
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