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135th out of 169 books
—
23 voters
Somewhere Towards the End
by
Diana Athill
Diana Athill is one of the great editors in British publishing. For more than five decades she edited the likes of V. S. Naipaul and Jean Rhys, for whom she was a confidante and caretaker. As a writer, Diana Athill has made her reputation for the frankness and precisely expressed wisdom of her memoirs. Now in her ninety-first year, "entirely untamed about both old and new...more
Hardcover, 182 pages
Published
January 5th 2009
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 2008)
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Somewhere Towards the End isn't the first book to describe in detail the process of "falling away," the author's apt euphemism for the decline one experiences in old age. Critics compare Athill's memoir to John Bayley's Elegy for Iris and Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck, or the fiction of Philip Roth, Alice Munro, and John Updike. But Athill writes with a nothing-to-lose attitude that brings dignity to a process so often marked by the inevitable slowing of the mind and the deterioration o
...more
This is an extraordinary book about aging and flourishing in your later years. Athill, now 91, was once a top-flight editor in England working with writers like Naipaul and Jean Rhys. She has written several memoirs, each more brilliant than the last. She is truly an editor's writer, in that she gets more done in half a sentence than the rest of us can manage in a paragraph. This particular memoir, which was heavily praised in England, is a finalist for the Costa Prize (formerly the Whitbread Aw...more
Sometimes a book comes along that so perfectly fits your concept of life as it is and as it will be that you feel you must talk about it -- and that you must convince all your friends to read it. This is such a book.
At age 89, Diana Athill has written a moving and thoughtful memoir on what it means to grow old as an atheist and as a single woman. Athill writes beautifully, with no frills or fancies, and she has an honest approach to the end that we all face.
At age 89, Diana Athill has written a moving and thoughtful memoir on what it means to grow old as an atheist and as a single woman. Athill writes beautifully, with no frills or fancies, and she has an honest approach to the end that we all face.
Athill, perhaps the British book publishing industry's most famous editor (thanks in part to her earlier memoirs) reflects on her imminent death, freely admitting she has "no lessons to be learnt, no discoveries to be made, no solutions to offer." And no apologies, either: She writes unflinchingly about how her relationship with her longtime companion began during his previous marriage, and how they had already stopped having sex by the time he left his wife and moved in with her--and that's why...more
Most of the essays were written when Athill was eighty-nine years old and focus on aging and Athill's reflections and feelings as she enters the likely future--let's face it--end of her life.
This book got many raving reviews. I wish I could say it knocked me out, but it really didn't. Although I'd probably give it 2-1/2 stars if I could. I found most of the chapters rambling with frequent diversions from the subject, and for the most part, a bit dull. Perhaps my expectations were just too high d...more
This book got many raving reviews. I wish I could say it knocked me out, but it really didn't. Although I'd probably give it 2-1/2 stars if I could. I found most of the chapters rambling with frequent diversions from the subject, and for the most part, a bit dull. Perhaps my expectations were just too high d...more
"Sono stati scritti libri su libri sulla giovinezza, e ancora di più sulle complesse e ardue esperienze legate alla procreazione, ma non c'è un granché sull'invecchiamento. E visto che ho ormai imboccato da un po' quella strada, (...) mi sono detta: "Perché non provarci?" E quindi ecco, ci provo".
Ci ha provato, Diana Athill, straordinaria editor che per oltre mezzo secolo ha lavorato per regalarci le pagine dei grandissimi della letteratura mondiale (Philip Roth, John Updike, Mordecai Richeler,...more
Ci ha provato, Diana Athill, straordinaria editor che per oltre mezzo secolo ha lavorato per regalarci le pagine dei grandissimi della letteratura mondiale (Philip Roth, John Updike, Mordecai Richeler,...more
Memoir of her last years. Though I haven’t read her earlier memoirs but reading this book has made it clear that she writes in very candid and honest way. Also it gives the right and important information. That grace and poise of her life has appeared in the bookd as well.
One such info is about Bulgarian nobel winner Canneti. To satisfy Canneti's vanity, publisher Andre Deusch has to publish 2 books of aphorisms he had collected. It was something trite. Then she meets his mistress Mary-Louis, a...more
One such info is about Bulgarian nobel winner Canneti. To satisfy Canneti's vanity, publisher Andre Deusch has to publish 2 books of aphorisms he had collected. It was something trite. Then she meets his mistress Mary-Louis, a...more
A life lived fully, and the conclusion is: no God, infidelity is okay if no one gets hurt; focus on your life--on self.
On marriage, Ms. Athill's justification for infidelities are the two extremes, radical Islam, where a woman brings shame on her family unless she is put to death, or infidelity is, as the French believe, "perfectly acceptable if conducted properly."
Her conclusion between a man and woman is basic animal behavior.
Ms Athill, does not believe in God. She calls herself an achiest. Th...more
On marriage, Ms. Athill's justification for infidelities are the two extremes, radical Islam, where a woman brings shame on her family unless she is put to death, or infidelity is, as the French believe, "perfectly acceptable if conducted properly."
Her conclusion between a man and woman is basic animal behavior.
Ms Athill, does not believe in God. She calls herself an achiest. Th...more
I think I really should read more books by women. When they are written by fully-realized individuals such as Diana Athill, they round out the Mephistophelean male impulse with a certain je ne sais quoi. (For the time being, it must remain so because, being irreparably a male, I am inhibited from expressing the full range of human emotions.)
As I lifted the book off the shelf at the Santa Monica Public Library, I thought, "This looks like an interesting book about living at an advanced age." What...more
As I lifted the book off the shelf at the Santa Monica Public Library, I thought, "This looks like an interesting book about living at an advanced age." What...more
In this very slender end-of-life memoir Athill, a former esteemed editor with publishing house Andre Deutsch, reflects on aging and death, good deaths and bad, physical infirmities, her lack of husband or children (she was always the Other Woman), her lovers, sex life and end thereof, elderly driving mishaps, and why at age 89 she no longer reads fiction. (A feature I've noticed in other senior citizens too. Perhaps they're onto something.) She is a good writer, whose writing is put to better us...more
I grew to love Diana Athill by the end of this work - the later chapters are wonderful reflections on the things that have made her elder years fulfilling and enjoyable. Her ability to adapt, to seize upon new ideas and experiences, to modify her expectations to meet the abilities in her body - all were wonderful to consider.
Yet the early chapters of the book were a real stumbling block for me. Athill's remembrances of her early life are not particularly gripping, nor are her reflections insight...more
Yet the early chapters of the book were a real stumbling block for me. Athill's remembrances of her early life are not particularly gripping, nor are her reflections insight...more
I heard an interview with the author on NPR and decided to get the book, as I am myself thinking about the rest of my life and have parents in their 80s.
It is a very candid look back by a 90-year-old, who dates her "becoming old" at age 71. As a former publisher's assistant (or some such, with Andre Deutsch), now writer, childless & never married but with several significant and unconventional male relationships in her life, her life course is not at all typical of women of her generation (I...more
It is a very candid look back by a 90-year-old, who dates her "becoming old" at age 71. As a former publisher's assistant (or some such, with Andre Deutsch), now writer, childless & never married but with several significant and unconventional male relationships in her life, her life course is not at all typical of women of her generation (I...more
Do you ever wonder what really old people think about death? As baby-boomers age, it will become increasingly interesting to have a variety of perspectives on death. Not the kind presented by people whose lives are suddenly cut tragically short by a terminal illness, but a memoir from a really articulate person about facing the end of one's life with grace. This book is just the ticket. The author was born in 1917, and she is just delightful. She is a retired book editor living in London with he...more
I first heard about this book in Bookmarks magazine--which I read from cover to cover as soon as I receive a new issue--and I'm very glad that I took their advice. Diane Athill was a hugely successful editor in Great Britain, editing the works of V.S. Naipaul and Jean Rhys among others. At age 89, she wrote a memoir about her life and about the process of aging and confronts coming to the close of her life. The book details the good, the bad, and the ugly about growing old. Athill is an atheist,...more
A very honest appraisal, beautifully written, of life at the point when one is officially elderly...physical, mental and social aspects of those approaching the end of life. Athill acknowledges that people age at different rates so that chronological point isn't useful in determining old age. She covers how her reading has changed as she's aged, as well.
p.127: “What, I sometimes ask myself, keeps me and, I am sure, innumerable other old spouses or spouselike people in similar situations, going t...more
p.127: “What, I sometimes ask myself, keeps me and, I am sure, innumerable other old spouses or spouselike people in similar situations, going t...more
Diana Athill è stata una grande protagonista del mondo editoriale anglosassone, nonché scrittrice. All'età di novanta anni suonati, ci delizia con un nuovo memoir, dedicato particolarmente all'esperienza dell'invecchiamento:
[...] siamo riusciti a prolungare a tal punto la fase di decadimento che spesso essa dura di più di quella dello sviluppo, e dunque vale la pena di riflettere su ciò che la contraddistingue e su come gestirla. Sono stati scritti libri su libri sulla giovinezza, e ancora di pi...more
[...] siamo riusciti a prolungare a tal punto la fase di decadimento che spesso essa dura di più di quella dello sviluppo, e dunque vale la pena di riflettere su ciò che la contraddistingue e su come gestirla. Sono stati scritti libri su libri sulla giovinezza, e ancora di pi...more
I had thought this book by the 92-year old author and book reviewer on the aspects of aging woud be better than it turned out to be. Granted a memoir is self-focused, but Athill, except in a few cases, seems to care mainly for herself and what she seems to most regret in aging is the loss of sexuality (which she claims deserted her in her early 60's, but was most likely associated with her life-partner's affair with a much younger woman, that she accepted...they lived in a menage a trois for a b...more
I think anyone who is beginning to realise that old age is actually going to happen to them (people like me perhaps, who find that the age of 50 is not in the distant future any more, but just round the corner) should read this book. It is a hopeful book, for all that it mentions the limitations of old age. Not that we could all write a book in our 80's, let alone several, but the knowledge that it is possible to discover new delights in old age is reassuring.
The reason why I have given this bo...more
The reason why I have given this bo...more
Jun 10, 2009
Helen
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Helen by:
NYT Book Review
I didn't finish this book. Once again all I needed to read and wanted to read was in the NYT Book Review. I was hoping for a take on how elderly people feel when their lives begin to disappear. This woman, who was ninety when she wrote the book, had written a passage about how it felt to give up driving. It was very moving. So I thought she would be all insight to understanding this transition.
As it turns out all she wanted to do was tell you about her younger life, how many men she had slept wi...more
As it turns out all she wanted to do was tell you about her younger life, how many men she had slept wi...more
Somewhere Toward The End - Diana Athill
As usual I arrive late to things. Diana Athill’s book, Somewhere Toward The End is a gorgeous analysis of what it’s like to be close to the end. She stares into the abyss from her position 89 years into the journey on Planet Earth and offers back reflections and wisdom on the experience so far.
She has had a fascinating life, but it is not the hint of celebrity’s met, famous writer’s supported or places been to that impresses. It is the sheer clarity in expl...more
As usual I arrive late to things. Diana Athill’s book, Somewhere Toward The End is a gorgeous analysis of what it’s like to be close to the end. She stares into the abyss from her position 89 years into the journey on Planet Earth and offers back reflections and wisdom on the experience so far.
She has had a fascinating life, but it is not the hint of celebrity’s met, famous writer’s supported or places been to that impresses. It is the sheer clarity in expl...more
I liked this book, but I kept thinking that someone who writes at age 89 about what it is like to be old ought to have more to say. It is a slim volume with only 182 pages, but she knows her way around words. I read it to try and relate to how it was for my mother as she aged and also for myself even though I am much younger than Diana Athill. She writes about many of the things that change when one gets to be old (although for many, it happens at an age younger than 89) like no longer driving,...more
I think I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't read the reviews. It's a 'nice' book, on occasions charming even. Athill writes candidly and with a certain ease, but - and it's a big but - I wish she written more widely. There's a lot about her relationships and her sex life, a bit too for me as I would have actually liked more of her musings on things like the fern tree which she enjoys without any expectation of seeing it develop into a tree.
I did wince when she talked about her preference...more
I did wince when she talked about her preference...more
Aug 28, 2010
Marigold
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
memoir,
non-fiction
I saw this at Powell's & picked it up - not sure why - I'm interested in older adults & in understanding my older relatives, and myself as I grow older. Diana Athill was a well-known editor in the London literary world & was involved in editing the work of VS Naipaul, Jean Rhys, & more. Apparently she's written other memoirs - but this is the one she wrote at age 89, about what it's like to be old, & how she copes with "falling away" - the diminishment of senses, experiences...more
Mar 02, 2009
Ed
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone curious about their inevitable decline.
I think I let my expectations get in the way of truly enjoying this book. I had read some very positive reviews praising the frankness and honesty of Athill's description of her declining years.
I found the book's so-called frankness to be somewhat boring. It seemed to always come back to her sexual experiences.
Her description of her declining faculties depressed me. Maybe because my own are declining and I'd rather not read about other people's struggles with sore feet, etc. I've got my own sor...more
I found the book's so-called frankness to be somewhat boring. It seemed to always come back to her sexual experiences.
Her description of her declining faculties depressed me. Maybe because my own are declining and I'd rather not read about other people's struggles with sore feet, etc. I've got my own sor...more
Diana Athill is such a superb writer that you can appreciate this memoir about advanced old age for that reason alone.. Her insights are compelling and thought provoking.
I enjoyed her chapter about how much she loves her car now. "Your car begins to represent life. You hobble towards it, you ease your unwieldy body laboriously into the driver's seat - and lo! you are back to normal. Off you whiz just like everyone else, restored to freedom, restored (almost) to youth."
Regarding her preference...more
I enjoyed her chapter about how much she loves her car now. "Your car begins to represent life. You hobble towards it, you ease your unwieldy body laboriously into the driver's seat - and lo! you are back to normal. Off you whiz just like everyone else, restored to freedom, restored (almost) to youth."
Regarding her preference...more
May 17, 2010
Paula
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Paula by:
Cynthia Dean
Shelves:
non-fiction,
memoir
Started out fresh, then lagged a bit and finally, ended well. Description of Athill's memoir about aging (written at age 88)might be a satisfying description of a life. I particularly enjoyed her chapters on her atheism and her reading predilections. I too find (at a much younger age than hers) that my interest in reading novels (and watching movies, perhaps for the same reasons) has diminished as I get older, while my pleasure in reading both non-fiction and poetry (Athill doesn't mention poetr...more
It might just reflect my choice of reading matter, but I've not encountered many accounts of what it is like to be really old - late Philip Roth perhaps, and not much else. This was a considerably more uplifting book than anything Roth has written recently, while not flinching from the depredations of extreme old age. Highlight for me were her thoughts on how the novel had evolved since she first started picking up her parents' old paperbacks to flick through in her teens, back in the early 1930...more
I wish I could have given this one 3 1/2 stars ... anyway, I first heard of this book recently, I can't remember where, where the point was made that Ms. Athill bought a tree fern even tho she was getting quite elderly, the idea being that you can enjoy something even if you don't see it to fruition. A very interesting book by a very interesting old lady! Very truthful and even a little shocking at times that she can be so honest. Recommended!!
*But eventually novels of that kind seemed to develo...more
*But eventually novels of that kind seemed to develo...more
An amazing balancing act of wit, substance and seriousness - a stunning feat considering the subject, the end of one's life. This book, written by Athill in her 89th (i think?) year, conveys the richness and importance of a life well lived. Athill's voice is one of not only experience, but also of vibrancy - like a cool aunt that you'd love to spend time with. She grabbed me in the first couple of pages where she explains that it's too late for her to get the dog she's always wanted. Out of cont...more
I've been trying to avoid memoir while writing it, but this book was a gift. I idly picked it up one night and didn't put it down until I finished it. Athill wrote this at age 88 and its main theme is being seriously old, so it won't appeal to everyone. But she is wise beyond telling, and has an extraordinarily clean, crisp, beautiful style. Reading her is like drinking ice cold spring water when you're dying of thirst.
She founded a publishing company with Andre Deustch, so it's not amazing tha...more
She founded a publishing company with Andre Deustch, so it's not amazing tha...more
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Diana Athill was born in Norfolk in 1917 and educated at home until she was fourteen. She read English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and graduated in 1939. She spent the war years working at the BBC Overseas Service in the News Information Department. After the war she met André Deutsch and fell into publishing. She worked as an editor, first at Allan Wingate and then at André Deutsch, until her r...more
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“An important aspect of the ebbing of sex was that other things became interesting. Sex obliterates the individuality of young women more often than it does that of young men, because so much more of a woman than a man is used by sex.”
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5 people liked it
“I am not sure that digging in our past guilts is a useful occupation for the very old, given that one can do so little about them. I have reached a stage at which one hopes to be forgiven for concentrating on how to get through the present.”
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4 people liked it
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Oct 27, 2010 06:58am