The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811 by P.D. James |
by P.D. James
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by P.D. James
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by P.D. James
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by P.D. James
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Amazon.co.uk Review
"At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest" wrote Samuel Johnson, and bestselling crime writer P.D. James took this maxim as a challenge, setting out to record "one year that otherwise might be lost". The result is a fascinating and reflective account, part diary and part memoir, of one very full year of Baroness James' life, interspersed with her memories and intelligent analysis of "what it was like to be born two years after the end of the First World War and to live for seventy-eight years in this tumultuous century". P.D. James grew up in Cambridge between the wars and worked in the Home Office in the forensic and criminal justice departments, which sparked her interest in this area, though she did not become a published novelist until 1962 with Cover Her Face. She began to write full time after her "retirement" in 1979 and along the way became a Governor of the BBC, before taking a seat in the House of Lords in 1991. Time to be in Earnest is a lucid and penetrative work by one of the most influential figures currently involved with the Arts in Britain. P.D. James reveals her vast scope for enjoyment, interest and simply getting on with life--her husband Connor White died aged 44 in 1964 after years of mental illness--whether it be spending time with her children and grandchildren, musing on the hideous British architectural mistakes of the 1960s or giving her view of the controversies continually surrounding the running of the BBC. At an age when many people would be considering slowing down, P.D. James seems constantly on the move, recording her day-to-day existence and her past with an alert and judicious eye. "I am sustained by the magnificent irrationality of faith" she states, "I inhabit a different body, but I can reach back over nearly 70 years and recognise her as myself. Then I walked in hope--and I do so still". --Catherine Taylor
Review
Having consistently refused to authorize biographies, James feels it is time to offer testimony about what has been important in her life. In the form of a 12-month diary, her accounts of duties, travels and conversations encompass reflections on the past - growing up in the 1920s and 30s, marriage to a man who became mentally ill, motherhood, the beginnings of authorship and her subsequent success. What makes this book so interesting is James' forthright expressions of opinion. It is worth buying to read her scathing comments on the Millennium Dome alone, which she compares, hardly to its advantage, with the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A Museum and English country churches. Less liberal than Ruth Rendell, James offers insider information on the way arts institutions are run, along with trenchant criticisms of current political dogma. Even if you don't agree with her point of view, this makes excellent reading. (Kirkus UK)
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