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A Life of My Own Kindle Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 1,091 ratings

A Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller

In this remarkable memoir of love, loss and literature, acclaimed biographer Claire Tomalin turns her eye to another fascinating literary life: her own. She tells of a wartime childhood, Cambridge friendships and an early marriage to a brilliant journalist. After his sudden death in a war zone, Claire is left to raise their four children alone - all while leading a trail-blazing career in literary London.

A Life of My Own is the tale of a woman overcoming obstacles both rare and routine to live not only a good but also a meaningful life.

'A dramatic and absorbing survivor's tale' Hilary Spurling,
Spectator

'Unexpectedly moving. Tomalin's story filled me with a kind of awe. Every page is valiant, every paragraph full of pluck' Rachel Cooke,
New Statesman

'She has been tested in ways few women are. This memoir is a triumph' Valerie Grove,
Literary Review

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[An] intelligent and humane book…There is genuine appeal in watching this indomitable woman continue to chase the next draft of herself. After a while, the pages turn themselves. Tomalin has a biographer’s gift for carefully husbanding her resources, of consistently playing out just enough string. When she needs to, she pulls that string tight.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times

“Tomalin brings to her memoir a pro’s practiced ability at threading the personal, the professional and the contextual with details that sing… [She offers] a wonderful evocation of London’s vibrant literary culture of the 1960s and ’70s…An elegant profile in courage and fortitude.” —
Washington Post
 
“[A LIFE OF MY OWN] navigates artfully between tantalizing revelations and unobtrusive elisions. I read the memoir twice in an effort to deconstruct how Ms. Tomalin does it, leading us into her nooks and crannies and then firmly closing the curtain at some point, but literary ingenuity of this caliber is always hard to pin down…The pleasures of reading this book are many…I hesitate to call this book enchanting because Ms. Tomalin’s life is strewn with tragedy…but it is certainly an exceptional account, daunting and inspiring at the same time, written with no end of poignancy, humor and perspective.” —
Wall Street Journal

“In this memoir as in her acclaimed biographies, Tomalin lets the telling of a story reveal its own truth, unmarked by the moralizing of the soapbox. And what a story it is.” —
Christian Science Monitor
 
“[Tomalin] is a master craftswoman, and it’s a thrill to see her prose and capacity for moving storytelling turned on her own life… If it leads you to read some of her biographies (Jane Austen is a favorite), you’ll be better off.”—
Vogue.com

“An arresting look at a professional life inextricably entwined with the lifelong personal concerns of a woman who is also a wife, daughter, and mother…A quiet book, beautifully told with both restraint and generosity of spirit.” —
BookPage
                                     
“An extraordinarily candid autobiography…This is an elegant, significant book.”—
Kirkus Reviews

“[A] captivating and thorough memoir. Tomalin sets out to describe her “experience of the world”…a gracious, inspiring look at her family, colleagues, and friends.”—
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Claire Tomalin is the author of eight highly acclaimed biographies, including Thomas Hardy and Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self, which won the 2002 Whitbread Book of the Year Award. She has previously won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography, the Whitbread First Novel Award, the Hawthornden Prize, the NCR Book Award for Non-Fiction, and the Whitbread Biography Award. Educated at Cambridge University, she served as literary editor of the New Statesman and the Sunday Times (London). Claire Tomalin lives in London and is married to the playwright Michael Frayn.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XPQYPZR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 7, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 21.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 343 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0241974827
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 1,091 ratings

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Claire Tomalin
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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,091 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this memoir remarkable and delightful to read, with one noting it's one of the best books of 2018. They appreciate its insightful content, with one review highlighting how it makes readers want to continue reading.

11 customers mention "Narrative quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers praise the memoir's narrative quality, describing it as a remarkable autobiography written by one of the finest biographers.

"Claire Tomalin is without a doubt one of our finest authors of biographies. Her work on Samuel Pepys, particularly, will likely never be surpassed...." Read more

"I wept with joy in the closing pages of the memoir of one of the best biographers of my adult life. What a tour de force. What a contribution...." Read more

"I bought this after hearing the author on Fresh Air. She is a remarkable person...." Read more

"I loved tge book, the writing draws you on! Quite a story, a literary star!..." Read more

10 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the writing style of the book, describing it as delightful, with one customer noting it is intelligently thought out and another mentioning its powerful English.

"...own memory and her journals to encapsulate a life full of, yes, literary triumphs, but also a full share of human tragedy and suffering...." Read more

"Beautifully written...." Read more

"...Claire Tomalin’s own life as a writer, editor and wife and mother written with flair and sensitivity." Read more

"Interesting, well-written autobiography. I just wish I were more familiar with the British writers she referenced." Read more

9 customers mention "Readability"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one mentioning it was the best book of 2018.

"...What a tour de force. What a contribution. This is a great, fascinating read; it is profoundly important that young women see what their earlier..." Read more

"...Saw her book on a wall Street Journal list of best books of 2018 and decided to give it a try even though I have never heard of her. So glad I did...." Read more

"I loved tge book, the writing draws you on! Quite a story, a literary star!..." Read more

"She is a superb writer, and her memoir is very matter of fact, despite a lot of tragedy. She's not looking for revenge or sympathy...." Read more

5 customers mention "Insight"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the memoir insightful, with one noting how it exudes humanity and another describing it as wonderfully evocative.

"Claire Tomalin's writing about her childhood and education are wonderfully evocative. Her portrait of her marriage and motherhood are finely wrought...." Read more

"...So glad I did. She exudes humanity and personal warmth, and I found myself totally captivated...." Read more

"A frank insight into Claire Tomalin’s own life as a writer, editor and wife and mother written with flair and sensitivity." Read more

"...Claire Tomalin has had a fascinating but tragic life. The reader can draw inspiration by how she handled her problems." Read more

5 customers mention "Reading quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, with one describing it as a fascinating read that makes them want to continue reading.

"...What a tour de force. What a contribution. This is a great, fascinating read; it is profoundly important that young women see what their earlier..." Read more

"Interesting, well-written autobiography. I just wish I were more familiar with the British writers she referenced." Read more

"A book written in clear and powerful English that makes the reader want to read more. Claire Tomalin has had a fascinating but tragic life...." Read more

"Entertaining, I knew very little of author prior to reading and thoroughly enjoyed memoir. Very insight and intelligently thought out/written." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Claire Tomalin is without a doubt one of our finest authors of biographies. Her work on Samuel Pepys, particularly, will likely never be surpassed. In deciding to write about her own life, she has taken a rather different tact. Accustomed to hours of research into archives, here she simply consults her own memory and her journals to encapsulate a life full of, yes, literary triumphs, but also a full share of human tragedy and suffering. Without ever painting herself as a saint -- she's far too honest for that -- she nonetheless comes across in this memoir as a great survivor. Her achievements as writer (and friend of writers) are remarkable, but equally so is her personal accomplishment of a life well-lived.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I found this book quite fine but, like a few other commentators, I found Ms. Tomalin's tone a bit diffident and even opaque. Specifically, I wondered how such a woman managed to survive a rocky childhood, an early and difficult marriage ending in early widowhood, raising several children, the loss of two children and the serious disability of a third-- all the while staying near the top of a highly competitive profession. Then I heard Ms. Tomalin being interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air. Her obvious strength and (at age 85) energy told a more complete story. While the pictures in the book show Ms. Tomalin as a less than imposing figure, her commanding voice is as poshy and adamantine as any royal's. (It could have been Princess Anne's voice.)

    A closer reading of the book partially debunks the notion that Ms. Tomalin managed to "have it all"-- marriage, children, career. Eventually she had all of those things at different times, but not all at the same time for long. When she was a married mother of small children, her career was far less prominent. When she was a widowed mother who needed to make a living, she had a career and children, but no marriage. The "secrets" of her success have been health into old age and incredible energy (which you're born with, or not), an ever-vigilant eye for opportunity, and an ability to endure very long stretches of hard times (and, presumably, loneliness) bravely and cheerfully.
    25 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2018
    I wept with joy in the closing pages of the memoir of one of the best biographers of my adult life. What a tour de force. What a contribution. This is a great, fascinating read; it is profoundly important that young women see what their earlier sisters did to establish the right to and capacity of women for meaningful work. I have loved Tomalin’s biographies for years and now I know the writer behind them is at least as wonderful and fascinating as any of her subjects. Thank you, Claire.
    32 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Claire Tomalin's writing about her childhood and education are wonderfully evocative. Her portrait of her marriage and motherhood are finely wrought. I also liked her writing about her career, but there is entirely too much name dropping and not enough development of the fascinating people she has known.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2019
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Beautifully written. Saw her book on a wall Street Journal list of best books of 2018 and decided to give it a try even though I have never heard of her. So glad I did. She exudes humanity and personal warmth, and I found myself totally captivated. I’m now reading her biography of Samuel Pepys, which is also excellent.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2019
    A frank insight into Claire Tomalin’s own life as a writer, editor and wife and mother written with flair and sensitivity.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2018
    I bought this after hearing the author on Fresh Air. She is a remarkable person. I especially like her preface, where she says life is a mix of tragic and ordinary and while living through the tragic, you still have to pay your bills and clean the house. And, "you might even enjoy your lunch."
    13 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Interesting, well-written autobiography. I just wish I were more familiar with the British writers she referenced.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Netta
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Memoir for all Times
    Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2018
    This book is an invaluable memoir for other women who grew up between 1960 and 1980 in Britain and who wanted both a public intellectual life and emotional fulfillment.It is a model of female autobiography ,full of passion,fairness,restraint and unsentimentality.She recounts her story ,providing a clear-eyed view of her family,her relationship with her husband and her lovers and her indefatigable and necessary pursuit of an paid,intellectual career.Countless women of that time will identify with her frank view of the courage needed to counter the powerful "nay-sayers",both men and women , whom she encountered.Claire Tomalin shows the fortitude,respect and compassion needed by women to journey through life, to survive and thrive.
    Her understated account of her family life and her literary and professonal experience is also invaluable for young women in 2018.While the times may have seemed to change,women still need self-knowledge and courage to fit their desires into the conflicting roles they are expected to fulfill.Claire Tomalin is their mentor.
  • RAFAEL LÓPEZ MONTES
    2.0 out of 5 stars Demasiados nombres desconocidos.
    Reviewed in Spain on August 4, 2019
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    He leído casi todas las biografias de Claire Tomalin y me esperaba algo más íntimo y personal. Hay páginas memorables, sobre todo cuando habla del suicidio de su hija o la invalidez de su hijo, pero por lo demás chismorreo de casa editorial.
    Report
  • Phillips Lindsay
    5.0 out of 5 stars A double life
    Reviewed in Italy on January 13, 2018
    Claire Tomalin had two lives: a working life as a journalist and writer,and another as a mother. She managed both of them well with success. She cared for a handicapped son who, with her, built himself an independent life and she has given us some fascinating and well-researched biographies, of literary figures like Thomas Hardy and Mary Wollenstonecraft, that she has drawn with great sensitivity and insight. This brilliant autobiography reveals the hard work that went into her work and her parallel life dealing with every day problems, at the same time describing the intellectual world she moved in.
  • Gareth
    4.0 out of 5 stars An accompliished person
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2017
    Claire Tomalin is a superb biographer and her own life story does not disappoint. She is a woman who has managed to have it all. Largely it seems through her own disciplined organisation of herself. Lots of male admirers, an obviously passionately accomplished, if unfaithful' first husband, an excellent mum, lots of interesting friends and a highly successful career to boot, which did not get really started till she was approaching an age when many are beginning to slow down. . In her twilight years married to the best newspaper columnist of his age and a brilliant author and playwright. So why not five stars? I think it may be because the sensible chronological structure gives the impression of one damn thing after another and sometimes I could not really get inside what Claire was really thinking about her experiences. And Michael Frayn just appears as a casual helpful neighbour then suddenly a husband. It gives the impression that quite a lot that would be interesting to the reader is left out. Still I would strongly recommend it as a good and uplifting read.
  • Jude
    1.0 out of 5 stars Not a great read.
    Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2019
    Perhaps good if you are British. For a Canadian simply a name dropper for unknown people. Not a personal novel.

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