- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; First Canadian Edition edition (2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 037541066X
- ISBN-13: 978-0375410666
- Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 17 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 658 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #324,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting enough,
By
This review is from: Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography (Paperback)
P. D. James is the only mystery novelist of whom I've read the entire oeuvre, apart from Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, and I don't really know why. A sense of obligation to the reigning British Queen of Crime? Appealing length and density? Although I do remember one excellent book, Original Sin, it is perhaps not surprising I found this "fragment of a biography" more entertaining than her novels, since a lot of what she terms "character buildup" and "scene setting" always seems to me a terrible drag on the narration. As a personal diary, it is too organized - no wonder, since it was intended for publication from the start - and there are no spontaneous bursts of emotion or painful self-examination that is so exhilarating in Sylvia Plath's journals. With James it is all carefully laid out, a prosaic entry too often expanding into an essay on government, the art of the crime novel, civil justice, etc. But still, the writings betray a highly intellectual mind at work, and a winning perseverance that has triumphed over pain and hardship.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rare Treat,
By Elizabeth "Psychotherapist and Author of more... (Burbank, California, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography (Paperback)
P.D. James has given her readers a rare glimpse into her thinking. I saw the daily events as ways to connect with what she wanted to say about her beliefs and about her very interesting and productive life. I have read all of her books and was pleased to be able to understand the author behind the mysteries which she so skillfully writes. I also enjoyed her glimpse into a world which is fading fast - a world where character was important and manners counted for a lot.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A disappointment,
By A Customer
This review is from: Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography (Paperback)
I'm a big fan of P. D. James's mystery novels, so I looked forward to getting to know her better in this book. I guess fame has ruined her. She comes across as opinionated and self-righteous, and drops names to impress us. She's not a person I'd want to sit next to on a train.
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