Product Description

On the day she turned seventy-seven, internationally acclaimed mystery writer P. D. James embarked on an endeavor unlike any other in her distinguished career: she decided to write a personal memoir in the form of a diary. Over the course of a year she set down not only the events and impressions of her extraordinarily active life, but also the memories, joys, discoveries, and crises of a lifetime. This enchantingly original volume is the result.

Time to Be in Earnest offers an intimate portrait of one of most accomplished women of our time. Here are vivid, revealing accounts of her school days in Cambridge in the 1920s and '30s, her happy marriage and the tragedy of her husband's mental illness, and the thrill of publishing her first novel, Cover Her Face, in 1962. As she recounts the decades of her exceptional life, James holds forth with wit and candor on such diverse subjects as the evolution of the detective novel, her deep love of the English countryside, her views of author tours and television adaptations, and her life-long obsession with Jane Austen. Wise and frank, engaging and graceful, this "fragment of autobiography" will delight and surprise P. D. James's admirers the world over.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58125 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-27
• Released on: 2001-02-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
"At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest," wrote Samuel Johnson, and bestselling crime writer P.D. James took this maxim as a challenge, setting out to record "one year that otherwise might be lost." The result is a fascinating and reflective account, part diary and part memoir, of one very full year of Baroness James's life, interspersed with her memories and intelligent analysis of "what it was like to be born two years after the end of the First World War and to live for seventy-eight years in this tumultuous century." P.D. James grew up in Cambridge, England, between the wars and worked in the home office of the forensic and criminal justice departments, which sparked her interest in that area, though she did not become a published novelist until 1962 with Cover Her Face. She began to write full-time after her "retirement" in 1979, and along the way became a governor of the BBC before taking a seat in the House of Lords in 1991. Time to Be in Earnest is a lucid and penetrative work by one of the most influential figures currently involved with the arts in Britain. James reveals her vast scope for enjoyment, interest, and simply getting on with life (her husband, Connor White, died at the age of 44 in 1964 after years of mental illness), whether it be spending time with her children and grandchildren, musing on the hideous British architectural mistakes of the 1960s, or giving her view of the controversies continually surrounding the running of the BBC. At an age when many people would be considering slowing down, James seems constantly on the move, recording her day-to-day existence and her past with an alert and judicious eye. "I am sustained by the magnificent irrationality of faith," she states. "I inhabit a different body, but I can reach back over nearly 70 years and recognise her as myself. Then I walked in hope--and I do so still." --Catherine Taylor, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
James's fans will eagerly devour every word of this insightful and witty account of a year in the life of the master mystery author In the diary she began on her 77th birthday, in August 1997, James comfortably segues from daily activities into reminiscences about her childhood, early forays into writing and her career as a civil servant in Britain. She also weighs in on a variety of subjects, including the movie Titanic (the "usual Hollywood anti-British bias" irritated her), the publishing industry (promising novels are "promoted, packaged, and sold like a new perfume") and London's Millennial Dome, which inspired her "Dome Pome" (which begins, "O Dome Gigantic, Dome immense/ Built in defiance of common sense"). James reveals herself to be proper, dignified and reserved, but she doesn't reveal much more: readers expecting a traditional diary or spilled secrets are bound to be dissatisfied, though they can't say they weren't warned; in her prologue, James announces that she'll neither rehash painful memories nor record "the events of every day." The painful memories no doubt relate to her late husband's long battle with mental illness, which she mentions often but never fully explores. It's just as well she sticks to the latter promise, for while many of her activities will interest a wide range of readers, there are times when her musings do little to contradict her claim that she is simply "an elderly grandmother who writes traditional English detective fiction." 16 pages of photos not seen by PW. 50,000 first printing. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Keeping in mind the words of Samuel Johnson, "At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest," James decided to record feelings and observations about her world from her 77th to her 78th birthday. She wanted to capture the events, thoughts, and emotions of one year not only for her family but also as a record for herself. Much more than an account of day-to-day events though, she gives brief insights into what it was like to grow up in wartime England, her ideas about authors and the craft of writing, and the changes in the treatment of women. Mundane events such as catching the Oxford Tube mingle with more exciting activities such as book signing in Dallas. Readers looking for intimate revelations might be disappointed by the tone of her writing. In the prologue, she says, "There is much that I remember that is painful to dwell upon. I see no need to write about these things." And yet, as she speaks about her husband and his mental illness or the unhappiness of her parents' marriage, she doesn't gloss over some very sad moments. An enjoyable choice for fans of this British mystery writer.-Peggy Bercher, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Refined Revelation
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. .

Drink in the words
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.

Baroness James has another great book on her hands
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....