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Hardcover Somewhere Towards the End Book

ISBN: 039306770X

ISBN13: 9780393067705

Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir

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Format: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

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Book Overview

Diana Athill is one of the great editors in British publishing. For more than five decades she edited the likes of V. S. Naipaul and Jean Rhys, for whom she was a confidante and caretaker. As a writer, Diana Athill has made her reputation for the frankness and precisely expressed wisdom of her memoirs. Now in her ninety-first year, "entirely untamed about both old and new conventions" ( Literary Review ) and freed from any of the inhibitions that even she may have once had, Athill reflects candidly, and sometimes with great humor, on the condition of being old--the losses and occasionally the gains that age brings, the wisdom and fortitude required to face death. Distinguished by "remarkable intelligence... and the] easy elegance of her prose" ( Daily Telegraph ), this short, well-crafted book, hailed as "a virtuoso exercise" ( Sunday Telegraph ) presents an inspiring work for those hoping to flourish in their later years.

Customer Reviews

7 customer ratings | 6 reviews

Rated 1 stars
Waste of time

Writer has a natural gift for writing, but her immorality is off-putting. Her denial of GOD has deprived her of any wisdom she might have gained over her lifespan. She wrote nothing here that contributes any worthwhile advice to the aging.

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Rated 5 stars
Stellar

This is one of my favorite books. Athill is a wonderful writer - direct, clear language, great sense of humor, and one senses that she is unfailingly honest. She is wholly individual, equally enthusiastic recalling gardening and sexual highlights of her life. A riveting, unsentimental but beautiful portrait of a deep thinker somewhere towards the end. Hopefully not too close.

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Rated 4 stars
Not The Usual

Athill may be approaching 90, but in clear precise prose she explores aging in an intelligent, fiercely honest and original way. She's like a refreshingly interesting dinner partner. I'm disappointed her other books aren't availabe on kindle.

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Rated 5 stars
A tender, beautiful, inspiring book

Diana Athill's beautifully-written new book, Somewhere Towards the End (Norton, 2009) has the unique quality of being a memoir of being very old and happy about it without the maudlin set pieces or generic nostalgia one might expect in a fin de siecle. The 90-year-old Athill was during her 20th century career a notable British editor who worked with Andre Deutsch in setting up one of Europe's most-respected publishing houses...

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Rated 5 stars
Food for the Soul

An excellent book for anyone grappling with the issues of aging. It's inspiring to know someone approaching her ninth decade can still be so vibrant and articulate. It gives me hope for my own future and ambitions for projects yet to be accomplished as the days wind down.

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