Customer Reviews

Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography

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It has taken me over a year to fully appreciate this "fragment of autobiography". There are no strict rules for autobiography writers to follow, except that they talk about the themselves. P.D. James, the acclaimed British mystery writer, does that in her own, 'Time To Be In Earnest', and the reading experience is one which leaves a definite impression.

At first read-through, the book leaves one with a slight sense of having been cheated. Most celebrity autobiographies written in today's age wallow in over-exposure. We get to know what goes on in their minds, their businesses, their homes, even their bedrooms. Even when the subject is dead, and a *biography* is written, the author attempts to portray the person as emotionally as possible. With 'Time To Be In Earnest', Ms. James does not make us suffer through any of that. Her life story is told in a charming "daily (sometimes) journal", which reflects on the news of the day, and then nicely segues into memories of her past.

We get to know much about P.D. James's childhood, her parents, siblings, home-life, etc. She is purposefully vague about her marriage, but she *does* provide sufficient information about it that we get the idea. That is what is so elegant about her book - it is informative, without being messy. What I found *most* fascinating were her views on the world of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Some things I agreed with her on, some things I did not. But all of her 77 year-old ideas gave this particular 25 year-old much to think upon.

'Time To Be In Earnest' truly tracks the 77 years of not only a highly-successful British woman's life, but of the country itself, and of the world that has come, gone, and is here today. .

Time to Be in Earnest is a journal kept by mystery writer P.D. James beginning in 1997 and ending in late 1998. She does not confine herself just to events during these dates, instead recaling her life earlier. She writes of starting to write because she did not want to be a grandmother who said "I wanted to write a novel", the England she remembers after World War 1 and surviving World War ll. She recalls old friends, literary influences, historic events, infamous crimes of the British Isles. Also touched upon is the struggle of living with a husband with chrinic mental illness and the acceptance of being the support of her family. All this is conveyed in some of the most flowing and beautiful language I have ever read. The everyday is lifted up by the command of the English language and the observant eye of someone embracing life. A wonderful book, a joy to read.

As an avid fan of PD James's pyschological thrillers, I was looking forward to a good read from her "fragment of autobiography". Ms James wrote a memoir for one year - the year of her 77th birthday. It is both a daily diary and a reflection of the past - both personal and historic and has commentary on her writing and books. I found it mostly interesting, but at times very dry. Perhaps we are conditioned to expect too much in the way of personal anguish to be satisfied with bare bones, but I felt that was what we were mostly given. I would recommend it for Ms James'fans, but perhaps not more widely.

It's wonderful to read this autobiography and learn what the Baroness P.D. James does from day to day over the relatively short period covered in this work. It's intelligent and witty and full of great photos of family and friends--there is one particularly nice shot of Miss James and Ruth Rendell. After reading all her great mysteries, it was a pleasure to read how she puts her books together and weaves the rest of her life around her work. Easily worth five stars! Thanks....

Reading this thoughtful and immensely readable book, appropriately subtitled "a fragment of autobiography", is like a personal invitation to a friendly, but never cozy, English cream tea prepared specially by the author. One comes away captivated by her honesty, humility, intelligence and wit, touched by her courage and fortitude in the face of troubles and sorrows, cheered by her masterful writing, grateful for her keen discretion in choosing to exclude the more sensitive areas of her private life (an uncommon but wise option in this "confessional" age), and finally, satisfied but never satiated by the delicious repast. Thanks for the memories, P.D. James!

In addition to being one of the best contemporary mystery writers, P.D. James has an extraordinary command of the English language. Her book, a combination diary of her 77th year and a reflective looking back, is a must read for her fans. Some parts relating to her personal life, such as having a baby while bombs were being dropped during World War II and her relationship with her cat Polly-Hodge, make for interesting reading. Other parts about the more technical aspects of book writing and publishing, with the exception of her comments about adapting her books into TV movies, tend to be dry and would hold more appeal to writers and those in the publishing business.

After an uneven beginning, Time to Be In Earnest, settles down to an earnest and enjoyable memoir (it is in diary form, covering a year: 1997-1998).

P.D. James has a distinct voice, comprised of dignity, reserve, confidence, practicality and intelligence. This voice or persona flows throughout the book. Not a reader of P.D. James' mystery novels, I have no way of knowing if this voice appears in her fiction. It is not a quiescent voice and therefore, not lightly ignored. It does give the reader an image of the author's personality, an image that may or may not be accurate.

P.D. James has an eye for detail, a quality that can bog down many a memoir and almost does in this case. However, there is something lesiurely, even unaggressive, about the wealth of detail, and it is intermingled with reflections on religion, nature, life, entertainment, writing and much more. And if you enjoy well-written pictures of nature, the prose of P.D. James will certainly delight and satisfy.

In fact, there's a bit of everything in this autobiography for everyone. I found the comments about writing and true life detective cases most interesting as well as P.D. James' experiences in WWII. There are references to Chatsworth, the House of Lords, the BBC and more prosaically, P.D. James' cat, the Civil Service and the work on her house.

There is always the suspicion in reading autobiography that it will be like watching other people's home movies: just a tad deary and confusing. This is not the case of Time to Be In Earnest. The smoothness of the writing carries the reader past all unknown faces (and it's fun to "meet" the few known ones). One gets the experience of the author's life as it happens. Many--if not most--memoirs/autobiographies are the analysis of events after they have been lived. This is true of sections of Time to Be In Earnest as well (and the analysis is always interesting) but the process of living alongside someone is what sets this book apart.

It is not a book to rush through. Read it a bit at a time and catch the very English flavor of a very English lady.

One reviewer said of this book, ". . . parts about the more technical aspects of book writing and publishing . . . tend to be dry and would hold more appeal to writers and those in the publishing business." These were the parts I liked best, and I'm not a writer. But I am a reader, and I've read and enjoyed most of P. D. James's books and the other books she discusses.

James kept a diary during the year she was seventy-seven. She records what's happening in the present and reflects on aspects of her past. In the present, James is constantly traveling, giving talks, and spending time with friends old and new. She appears to be a very busy person. All this traveling about, though not exactly boring, is not exactly fascinating either. To me, the more interesting parts were about the past and especially her thoughts and opinions on other writers, mainly mystery writers. Ms. James is another big fan of Jane Austen's, and an appendix gives the text of a talk she gave to the Jane Austen Society on mystery in EMMA.

Ms. James's outlook on life is that most things were better in the past (with the big exception of sanitary protection). She appreciates her relatively good health and independence and is grateful for each day, storing up good memories to sustain her as she grows older.

James is too refined to speak ill of anyone and is unwilling to reveal personal details about her life with a mentally ill spouse. She is quite willing to share her opinions on public issues, but she's reluctant to give us the inner P. D. James.

Still, I was more interested in this book than the other one I was reading at the same time, V. S. Naipaul's A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS.

If you're a mystery fan, you'll probably enjoy James's remarks about other mystery writers of the past.

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.

Elizabeth Skoglund author of Divine Recycling: Living Above Your Circumstances

What a marvellous book P.D. James has written!

It is not just for fans of her mysteries. Rather, it is for anyone who has had to have a day job to pursue other interests, who has toiled in hospitals or government bureaucracies, who had to deal with family problems--all of which P.D. James had to do. Luckily, the book, like her life, has a happy ending, with a seat in the House of Lords, a place on the BBC Board of Governors, and visits to the Queen's Garden Party, in addition to best-sellerdom and homes in Oxford and London, to top it off! It is so charming that after reading it, I gave it to my mother to celebrate her 77th birthday (P.D. James' gave this milestone as the reason she wrote the book -- at 77 it is time to be in earnest).