A captivatingly intimate and moving memoir by one of Britain’s finest biographers. While Tomalin remarks in her Introductory Note that “writing about myself has not been easy”, the resulting book is an incredibly smooth reading experience, and deftly weaves deeply honest personal details with astute insights into Britain’s shifting social, cultural and literary landscapes.
Tomalin was born in London to a Liverpudlian music teacher and a man from the “mountains of Savoy”. While her mother’s love was unconditional, Tomalin was acutely aware of her father’s “unkindness”. Though their separation restored them both to sanity after a tumultuous marriage, the ensuing battle for custody was brutal. After this unsettling experience of childhood, Tomalin went up to Newham College, Cambridge, with great excitement. There she discovered “tremendous intellectual stimulus – an awakening, an opening of doors, fresh ways of looking at writing”, and this is clear from her account of these thrilling formative years. It was here she met her husband, the journalist Nick Tomalin, who tragically died while reporting as a young war correspondent, leaving the author to raise their four children alone, while also forging her own career as a literary editor. Further tragedy follows, but also joy and resurgence, as the author recounts her richly fascinating life with boundless emotional and intellectual lucidity. ~ Joanne Owen
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
