Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book [Paperback]

Janet Frame (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Recipient of the prestigious Commonwealth Writers Prize in 1989, Janet Frame has long been admired for her startlingly original prose and formidable imagination. A native of New Zealand, she is the author of eleven novels, four collections of stories, a volume of poetry, a children's book, and her heartfelt and courageous autobiography--all published by George Braziller.

Product Details

• Paperback: 434 pages
• Publisher: George Braziller (March 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807612596
• ISBN-13: 978-0807612590
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite non fiction..., February 19, 2002

By 

Frances C. Morrier (North Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book (Paperback)

In the first volume Frame beautifully describes her New Zealand childhood. Her descriptions of her family, their day-to-day lives, and their economic and personal hardships, stay with the reader long after reading Volume I.

In Volume II she describes her college years and subsequent mental mis-diagnosis, which led to several years of institutionalization. Rather than leaving the reader depressed, somehow she brings one into the experience but leaves us wondering at her resilience and ability to continue writing.

Volume III contains her account of her growing acceptance as a writer and her association with other well-known New Zealand writers. This is a must for anyone interested in: a brilliant picture of an artist; New Zealand life; good non-fiction writing.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance from New Zealand, January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book (Paperback)

Janet Frame's autobiography is, by far, the most amazing non-fiction book I've ever had the chance to read. While covering the difficulties of her childhood (living in poverty, the deaths of her sisters by drowning), her young adulthood (shyness & social awkwardness, being misdiagnosed with schizophrenia & hospitalized), and her blossoming into the brilliant writer she has now become, the language and artistry of Janet's transforms the narrative beyond its sadnesses. One of the best writers around, her memoir is also a good introduction to her work before you plunge into the strange, evocative fiction. I heartily recommend the entire body of her work.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Non-Fiction, August 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Janet Frame: An Autobiography; Volume One : To the Is-Land, Volume Two : An Angel at My Table, Volume Three : The Envoy from Mirror City/ 3 Volumes in One Book (Paperback)

In the first volume, Frame beautifully describes her New Zealand childhood. Her descriptions of her family, their day-to-day lives, and their economic and personal hardships, stay with the reader long after reading Volume I.
In Volume II she describes her college years and subsequent mental mis-diagnosis, which led to several years of institutionalization. Rather than leaving the reader depressed, somehow she brings one into the experience but leaves us wondering at her resilience and ability to continue writing.
Volume III contains her account of her growing acceptance as a writer and her association with other well-known New Zealand writers. This is a must for anyone interested in: a brilliant picture of an artist; New Zealand life; good non-fiction writing.