Originally loathe to embark on a full autobiography, P.D. James decided to chronicle a year in her life - the twelve months between her 77th and 78th birthday - and in so doing found the daily events and reflections of the present a springboard into the past. The result is a unique and very personal book - part diary, part memoir - that spans almost the full century. She recalls, with insight and warmth, what it was like to grow up in post-Victorian England in a poor family, to be a schoolgirl in the 1930s. She recreates memories of giving birth to her daughter during the Doodlebug bombardment of London; struggling to support her family while trying to write; working in the Home Office in the forensic and criminal justice departments; serving as the Governor of the BBC, and eventually entering the House of Lords. And she explores the craft of the classical detective story of which she is a master. Through a life of hard work, creativity and public service her reputation grew. During the busy year in which this memoir was penned, she published the #1 bestseller, A Certain Justice. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

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 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In 1997, on the eve of her 77th birthday, noted mystery novelist James (A Certain Justice) decided to keep a diary for the first time ever, recording one year in her life. The result is this "fragment of autobiography," a mix of memoir, ruminations on everything from her writing career to Princess Diana's death, and literary criticism (James is a passionate admirer of Jane Austen and includes in an appendix a speech she gave to the Jane Austen Society on "Emma Considered as a Detective Story"). While James confesses to loving gossip in other people's diaries, she admits that her own has "little to offer in the way of titillating revelations." Although her discretion about the painful periods in her life (in particular, her husband's mental illness) is admirable in this Age of Indecent Exposure, it also makes for an impersonal and rather dull diary. The reader never gets a sense of the true James and the events that shaped her as a writer and human being. For larger collections.[Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/00.]DWilda Williams, "Library Journal" Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

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, VACopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

When James turned 77 in 1997 (the age that Samuel Johnson considered "a time to be in earnest"), she decided to keep a diary for one year. She uses the format as a launching pad, moving from the events of the day (a dizzying parade of speeches, promotional tours, and charitable activities) to reminiscences about her life and reflections on her craft. Her fans will find both to be of great interest, whether she is describing the birth of her daughter during a V1 rocket attack on London or musing on the difficulties of adapting crime fiction to television. Her discussion of her first career as a bureaucrat in the British Health Service and Home Office is especially fascinating; James is one writer who speaks of her prewriting labors not with derision but with both humility and respect. Although she largely avoids revelations of a deeply personal nature, she does describe, in quiet but moving terms, the difficult process of nursing her late husband through years of mental illness. A charming, low-key look at the daily life of a fine writer and a remarkable woman. (Reviewed March 1, 2000)037541066XBill Ott From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

P.D. James's love of language and her ability to craft a good story are evident in this volume, a memoir using diary form as the lens to focus on a life spanning much of the 20th century. Like other autobiographers, James comments on the interplay of memory and imagination as she chronicles her life: early education and love of reading; her husband's mental illness and premature death; birth and care of her daughters; career and its relationship to writing; and her years of public service. Candidly critiquing literary movements from Bloomsbury to postmodernism and praising writers she admires (Jane Austen, Ted Hughes), James provides practical advice for writers and wise counsel about the arts of reading and writing as the new century begins. Her commentary on politics, religion, family, and mental illness come from a creative mind and the experiences of a life well spent, a vision that should be heeded by an intellectual world stifled by the politically correct. Suitable for general readers and for students and teachers of autobiography at all levels. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.