Diana Athill, born in 1917, made her reputation as a writer with the candour of her memoirs; through her commitment, in her words, 'to understand, to be aware, to touch the truth'. In a celebration of her life and writing, "Life Class" brings together four of her best-loved memoirs in one volume, spanning her very English childhood, her life and loves during World War II, her publishing career at Andre Deutsch, and her reflections on old age. Introduced by Ian Jack, Diana Athill's selected memoirs are a remarkable testament to an unusual and fully lived life.
Life Class: The Selected Memoirs Of Diana Athill
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'Athill has always had a peculiar and attractive talent for communicating her pleasure in life' Telegraph 'Athill tells her own story lightly and delightfully' Daily Mail 'Diana Athill is one of our most captivating and truth-seeking memoir writers, and this hefty four-books-in-one collection spans most of her 92 years' Good Housekeeping 'Athill' volumes of recollection, now brought together into one pleasingly hefty, elegantly beribboned book entitled Life Class, are a sturdy breakwater against the tides of ghosted sleb kiss'n'tell - Life Class demonstrates that real life is not the privilege of the great and the good, the famous and adored: it lies within all our reach' The Times 'A whopping treat' Daily Express 'It's fascinating, sharply intelligent and exquisitely written' Saga
About the Author
Diana Athill was born in 1917. She is the author of Instead of a Letter, After A Funeral, Don't Look at Me Like That, Make Believe, Stet and Yesterday Morning, all published by Granta Books. She lives in London.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 64 people found the following review helpful
By H. Carlton
Format:Hardcover
Diana Athill should be a guru. No-one can make you feel life is so enjoyable as she does. How wonderful that at 92, this vibrant, intelligent woman is still fully aware, with all her marbles and her penetrating wit.
She has no sentimentality but she writes with compassion and great humour. This book will remain by my bedside for a long time, to dip into again and again.
For anyone over 65, this is a guide on how to grow old gracefully, or even how to ignore your age. It is absolutely essential reading and also entertaining, thought-provoking, interesting and intelligent. What more can you ask for a writer, a person, a book. Diana Athill is a National Treasure. She says her aim was to capture the truth in her writing. Well, whether this is THE truth or not, it is certainly HER truth, and her honesty shines through so loud and clear. A great pleasure to know this woman inhabits the same planet as me. This book is life-enhancing.
She has no sentimentality but she writes with compassion and great humour. This book will remain by my bedside for a long time, to dip into again and again.
For anyone over 65, this is a guide on how to grow old gracefully, or even how to ignore your age. It is absolutely essential reading and also entertaining, thought-provoking, interesting and intelligent. What more can you ask for a writer, a person, a book. Diana Athill is a National Treasure. She says her aim was to capture the truth in her writing. Well, whether this is THE truth or not, it is certainly HER truth, and her honesty shines through so loud and clear. A great pleasure to know this woman inhabits the same planet as me. This book is life-enhancing.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is truly a fine book. It is large but not that heavy considering, and the worst I can say about it is that Ms Athill tends to repeat herself on various occasions. A good editor could have done little about this because it is in effect simply a compendium of four books of autobiography - none allows for the others to be read alongside it, rather than with a gap of many years.
But that tiny carp aside, I've rarely read anything more effective in this line. I think the crux of its success is its honesty, for she is honest about herself as well as others, gentle in her assessments when necessary but real, above all, just about all the time. She tells it straight, with a candour that is admirable. She's brilliant about the joys and hassles of getting old, and equally engaging about being young - while she's spot on about the life of a book editor (I speak from experience, though none so distinguished as hers). I finished the book wishing I'd the privilege of knowing her - and yet somehow feeling I already did.
It's a truly brilliant price too - a bargain. Don't hesitate - a wise book by a wise woman. We need more of them!
But that tiny carp aside, I've rarely read anything more effective in this line. I think the crux of its success is its honesty, for she is honest about herself as well as others, gentle in her assessments when necessary but real, above all, just about all the time. She tells it straight, with a candour that is admirable. She's brilliant about the joys and hassles of getting old, and equally engaging about being young - while she's spot on about the life of a book editor (I speak from experience, though none so distinguished as hers). I finished the book wishing I'd the privilege of knowing her - and yet somehow feeling I already did.
It's a truly brilliant price too - a bargain. Don't hesitate - a wise book by a wise woman. We need more of them!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Helen D.
Format:Paperback
Life Class consists of four memoirs by Diana Athill, from her childhood to the present day (she was 93 when it was published), with an Introduction by Ian Jack. I had already read the last two memoirs in this new book, Stet and Somewhere Towards the End, covering her years as an editor with Deutsch, and her years as an "oldie", and enjoyed both, so I was eager to read about her earlier years. The first memoir in Life Class (Yesterday Morning) is a wonderful evocation of a childhood spent on an estate in Norfolk, with loving grandparents, parents and loads of aunts and cousins. She goes into beautiful detail so you can picture the house, gardens and the rest of the estate and almost smell the flowers and herbs. The second memoir (Instead of a Letter) deals with the years in which she was jilted, which left her with a depression that lasted a couple of decades, and how she recovered from this shock. Miss Athill tells it as it was, with a frankness that might shock some people but didn't shock me. I prefer the honest truth to hypocrisy. I'm an avid reader and was an editor myself so I thoroughly enjoyed the chapters on life at Deutsch and her memories of some of her authors, especially Jean Rhys and Vidia Naipaul. Now that I am in my early 60s, I am able to appreciate her comments on old age, its drawbacks and our frustrations, and learn from her as well. Miss Athill won't please everyone, because, as she admits herself, she has had a very privileged life and an upbringing that made her extremely self-confident. She also admits to having a cold streak, but the fact that she recognizes this and other character failings makes you fairly willing to forgive her. If you like books, good writing, and are old enough to be nostalgic about life in the old days, you will love this collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
Another great book from Diana I have enjoyed all of them and hope she writes more
I am a fan forever
I am a fan forever
Published 12 days ago by J. R. Miles
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read for women of a certain age!
Menopausal women wondering is this it??! A good inspiring read from Diana.Well written and articulate. Would like a follow up on how life in a residential home.
Published 3 months ago by ruth
5.0 out of 5 stars
The art of the memoir
Diane Athill writes the way she speaks, eloquently and to the point. She manages to stand back from her own life and describes herself in all her glory. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Stone
5.0 out of 5 stars
Profound and moving
I started reading Diana Athill the "wrong" way round - So I started with Somewhere Towards the End. A book written by and old woman about being old and about the reality of death... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Pink
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pattern for living...
As I get older, I appreciate Diana Athill's writing more and more. Her life is fascinating (to an outsider), and she writes about it in a wonderfully clear, concise prose style,... Read more
Published on 3 May 2011 by S. Walsgrove
4.0 out of 5 stars
can't review because it never arrived!
Purchased and was billed on Jan 17, but as of Feb 16 it has not arrived. After email queries to Amazonuk, was told to wait until Feb 15 and I would be refunded or a replacement... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2011 by Lassie, loves literature and music
5.0 out of 5 stars
marvellous
This book is great,written from the heart and so cleverly and clearly wrote. From the minute I started to read this well presented book I just couldn't stop. Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2010 by Cityman David Stevenage
3.0 out of 5 stars
Diana Athill's memoir
I have only read a little of this book so far but this wonderful woman is inspiring and I look forward to discovering so much more ...
Published on 15 Aug 2010 by Veggiegrower
5.0 out of 5 stars
Half Way
I am half way through this long, utterly absorbing book so it is too early to give a review. Hopefully I shall do one during the next couple of weeks on my blog Past Imperfect... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2010 by Patricia Mackay
5.0 out of 5 stars
WHAT A WOMAN
I love Diana Athill. The way she interprets her eveyday life is a joy to read. I find myself nodding as I read saying, "Yes I know exactly what you mean. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2010 by Mrs. Pat Ogden
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