- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (3 Aug 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140177353
- ISBN-13: 978-0140177350
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 845,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A second volume of autobiography following on from "Clinging to the Wreckage". Extending the story, Mortimer tells of his court work and his breakthrough to fame with Rumpole and "Brideshead". Portraits of Tony Hillerman, David Niven, John Geilgud, Harold Wilson and others are included.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
The second of John Mortimer's three autobiographies, this installment covers his life from the 1960s through 1980s, when he retired from the law following a case which took him to Singapore. The son of a barrister who specialized in divorces and contested wills, Mortimer, who was extremely close to his father, shared his father's practice, eventually taking over when his father, blind, retired from the bar. During all this time, Mortimer also wrote plays, novels, screenplays, and stories, and in 1963, he admits, he almost left the law, in favor of writing.
When he became a QC, he began accepting cases which were not purely domestic, and he tried his first murder case, a case which found its way into his immensely popular Rumpole series, which he began writing in 1975. He had already written A Voyage Round My Father, which had become a successful stage play, and he memorialized his father once again as the model for Rumpole, the irascible and iconoclastic barrister who delights in challenging the status quo. According to Mortimer, the two characters are so similar that he has difficulty remembering which of Rumpole's characteristics, if any, are purely Rumpole's and which are his father's.
A supporter of the Socialists and Labor, and an atheist who says he nevertheless respects Christianity as the basis of British culture, Mortimer devotes considerable time here to describing political movements and Thatcherism during this period. His friendships with David Niven, Sir John Gielgud, Harold Pinter, and other literary and theatrical lights are fully described, and his experiences in Russia, when he and a group tried to film Shakespeare there are memorable. The final section of the book involves an extended trip to South Africa to meet his father's family and explore his roots.
Lovers of Mortimer's novels and of the Rumpole series will find Mortimer's own life fascinating, especially when real cases are described and the reader recognizes how these are used in the Rumpole series. The book is like a travelogue, however, moving from point to point with no real sense of thematic unity or direction. Mortimer himself addresses this issue in his conclusion, saying that to impose a theme, which would provide unity and coherence, would be the equivalent of inventing a myth to impose order on life. While this is a fine sentiment, it does lead to a somewhat disjointed book--amusing and interesting, but lacking conclusions which might make it more meaningful for the reader. Mary Whipple
When he became a QC, he began accepting cases which were not purely domestic, and he tried his first murder case, a case which found its way into his immensely popular Rumpole series, which he began writing in 1975. He had already written A Voyage Round My Father, which had become a successful stage play, and he memorialized his father once again as the model for Rumpole, the irascible and iconoclastic barrister who delights in challenging the status quo. According to Mortimer, the two characters are so similar that he has difficulty remembering which of Rumpole's characteristics, if any, are purely Rumpole's and which are his father's.
A supporter of the Socialists and Labor, and an atheist who says he nevertheless respects Christianity as the basis of British culture, Mortimer devotes considerable time here to describing political movements and Thatcherism during this period. His friendships with David Niven, Sir John Gielgud, Harold Pinter, and other literary and theatrical lights are fully described, and his experiences in Russia, when he and a group tried to film Shakespeare there are memorable. The final section of the book involves an extended trip to South Africa to meet his father's family and explore his roots.
Lovers of Mortimer's novels and of the Rumpole series will find Mortimer's own life fascinating, especially when real cases are described and the reader recognizes how these are used in the Rumpole series. The book is like a travelogue, however, moving from point to point with no real sense of thematic unity or direction. Mortimer himself addresses this issue in his conclusion, saying that to impose a theme, which would provide unity and coherence, would be the equivalent of inventing a myth to impose order on life. While this is a fine sentiment, it does lead to a somewhat disjointed book--amusing and interesting, but lacking conclusions which might make it more meaningful for the reader. Mary Whipple
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
"All fiction, plays...parables, myths, and religion are our attempt to provide an explanation for haphazard events in our lives"
1 April 2008
Format:Paperback
The second of John Mortimer's three autobiographies, this installment covers his life from the 1960s through 1980s, when he retired from the law following a case which took him to Singapore. The son of a barrister who specialized in divorces and contested wills, Mortimer, who was extremely close to his father, shared his father's practice, eventually taking over when his father, blind, retired from the bar. During all this time, Mortimer also wrote plays, novels, screenplays, and stories, and in 1963, he admits, he almost left the law, in favor of writing.
When he became a QC, he began accepting cases which were not purely domestic, and he tried his first murder case, a case which found its way into his immensely popular "Rumpole for the Defense" series, which he began writing in 1975. He had already written A Voyage Round My Father, which had become a successful stage play, and he memorialized his father once again as the model for Rumpole, the irascible and iconoclastic barrister who delights in challenging the status quo. According to Mortimer, the two characters are so similar that he has difficulty remembering which of Rumpole's characteristics, if any, are purely Rumpole's and which are his father's.
A supporter of the Socialists and Labor, and an atheist who says he nevertheless respects Christianity as the basis of British culture, Mortimer devotes considerable time here to describing political movements and Thatcherism during this period. His friendships with David Niven, Sir John Gielgud, Harold Pinter, and other literary and theatrical lights are fully described, and his experiences in Russia, when he and a group tried to film Shakespeare there are memorable. The final section of the book involves an extended trip to South Africa to meet his father's family and explore his roots.
Lovers of Mortimer's novels and of the Rumpole series will find Mortimer's own life fascinating, especially when real cases are described and the reader recognizes how these are used in the Rumpole series. The book is like a travelogue, however, moving from point to point with no real sense of thematic unity or direction. Mortimer himself addresses this issue in his conclusion, saying that to impose a theme, which would provide unity and coherence, would be the equivalent of inventing a myth to impose order on life. While this is a fine sentiment, it does lead to a somewhat disjointed book--amusing and interesting, but lacking conclusions which might make it more meaningful for the reader. n Mary Whipple
The Summer of a Dormouse
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
Rumpole Misbehaves: A Novel (Rumpole Novels)
When he became a QC, he began accepting cases which were not purely domestic, and he tried his first murder case, a case which found its way into his immensely popular "Rumpole for the Defense" series, which he began writing in 1975. He had already written A Voyage Round My Father, which had become a successful stage play, and he memorialized his father once again as the model for Rumpole, the irascible and iconoclastic barrister who delights in challenging the status quo. According to Mortimer, the two characters are so similar that he has difficulty remembering which of Rumpole's characteristics, if any, are purely Rumpole's and which are his father's.
A supporter of the Socialists and Labor, and an atheist who says he nevertheless respects Christianity as the basis of British culture, Mortimer devotes considerable time here to describing political movements and Thatcherism during this period. His friendships with David Niven, Sir John Gielgud, Harold Pinter, and other literary and theatrical lights are fully described, and his experiences in Russia, when he and a group tried to film Shakespeare there are memorable. The final section of the book involves an extended trip to South Africa to meet his father's family and explore his roots.
Lovers of Mortimer's novels and of the Rumpole series will find Mortimer's own life fascinating, especially when real cases are described and the reader recognizes how these are used in the Rumpole series. The book is like a travelogue, however, moving from point to point with no real sense of thematic unity or direction. Mortimer himself addresses this issue in his conclusion, saying that to impose a theme, which would provide unity and coherence, would be the equivalent of inventing a myth to impose order on life. While this is a fine sentiment, it does lead to a somewhat disjointed book--amusing and interesting, but lacking conclusions which might make it more meaningful for the reader. n Mary Whipple
The Summer of a Dormouse
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders
Rumpole Misbehaves: A Novel (Rumpole Novels)
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
