Time to Be in Earnest: A Fragment of Autobiography

by P.D. James

On the day she turned seventy-seven, internationally acclaimed mystery writer P. D. James embarked on an endeavor unlike any other in her distinguished 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Autobiography, Mystery, Writing

269 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

P. D. James, byname of Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park, (born August 3, 1920, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England—died November 27, 2014, Oxford), British mystery novelist best known for her fictional detective Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard.

The daughter of a middle-grade civil servant, James grew up in the university town of Cambridge. Her formal education, however, ended at age 16 because of lack of funds, and she was thereafter self-educated. In 1941 she married Ernest C.B. White, a medical student and future physician, who returned home from wartime service mentally deranged and spent much of the rest of his life in psychiatric hospitals. To support her family (which included two children), she took work in hospital administration and, after her husband’s death in 1964, became a civil servant in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs. Her first mystery novel, Cover Her Face (1962), introduced Dalgliesh and was followed by six more mysteries before she retired from government service in 1979 to devote full time to writing.

Dalgliesh, James’s master detective who rises from chief inspector in the first novel to chief superintendent and then to commander, is a serious, introspective person, moralistic yet realistic. The novels in which he appears are peopled by fully rounded characters, who are civilized, genteel, and motivated. The public resonance created by James’s singular characterization and deployment of classic mystery devices led to most of the novels featuring Dalgliesh being filmed for television. James, who earned the sobriquet “Queen of Crime,” penned 14 Dalgliesh novels, with the last, The Private Patient, appearing in 2008.

James also wrote An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972) and The Skull Beneath the Skin (1982), which centre on Cordelia Gray, a young private detective. The first of these novels was the basis for both a television movie and a short-lived series. James expanded beyond the mystery genre in The Children of Men (1992; film 2006), which explores a dystopian world in which the human race has become infertile. Her final work, Death Comes to Pemberley (2011)—a sequel to Pride and Prejudice (1813)—amplifies the class and relationship tensions between Jane Austen’s characters by situating them in the midst of a murder investigation. James’s nonfiction works include The Maul and the Pear Tree (1971), a telling of the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811 written with historian T.A. Critchley, and the insightful Talking About Detective Fiction (2009). Her memoir, Time to Be in Earnest, was published in 2000. She was made OBE in 1983 and was named a life peer in 1991.

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that I waited to read this after “Original Sin”. Yes this book has spoilers in it. So if you haven’t read the Dalgliesh series past “A Certain Justice” wait till after that to read this Autobiography. I read “A Certain Justice” a while ago so there were no spoilers for me.

From my perspective, this book, is that James was not afraid to mention that she was a Christian and attended C of E mass regularly. Also that she missed the use of “The Book of Common Prayer” and “The King James Bible” in modern services.

The thing that struck me the most was how her upbringing and faith influenced the way she wrote. And she used this plot device to a major effect in her novels. Which made them all the more intriguing and thought provoking.

She was open about things that happened in her life but still kept at a level of privacy that wouldn’t expose her and her family to any ill comments. She seemed like a very private person who did her best to share what she could of her life.

This book will give more of an insight to her writing style and keep you hooked for the rest of her books.

[Jaksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I really love this writer. I used to purchase her books as they came out, then when hardcovers got a bit pricey for me, I went soft-covers and/or borrowed from library. Her books are weighty, often long, filled with detail, and sometimes take a while to 'take off.' She was, for me, an example of a literary author who wrote mysteries. So I am, and was a fan...

This book is part memoir, part diary, part biography. At the beginning, James speaks frankly about not keeping a diary throughout her life. Too much trouble, too little time. She worked, was the sole bread-winner for two daughters (husband in an asylum for much of his adult life), and frankly, was prob. tired after a long day. It took her a while to achieve status, prestige, recognition, and success. In other words, if she had time for writing, she was going to write something which might sell, hence the mystery, or what she often refers to as, the detective novel

But this book, 'Time To Be in Earnest,' which reflects on her 77th year, was written partly to make up for that lack of a diary. She discusses each day (written 1997-1998), citing quite meticulously where she is, what she's doing, where's she's going. (She had an extremely busy social life!) But interspersed inside of all this seeming trivia are anecdotes about her early life, her parents, her first jobs, where she lived, etc. So in that way the book is part memoir. She also talks - and these are the best parts IMO - about writing itself. The history of the detective novel, how it's changed, her favorite writers and books, and how she writes.

How she writes! If I owned a paper copy of this book I'd highlight those! (I own a Kindle edition, so maybe I can Kindle-light those parts.) For me, those are the most insightful and interesting things to read about Ms. James. How important locale and setting are; what she makes of dialogue, description, narration, and what the fundamental structure of a mystery, or detective fiction novel entails. I loved that, could re-read them over and over.

However, the book is filled with minutiae which might put off the casual reader. This is definitely a book for her fans, for those wishing more insight into how she worked, and how her background and life influenced her work. I wish she'd written more!

Four stars.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

P. D. James is one of the most literate of crime writers, so it was surprising to read that she had never gone to university. She was from a middle class (lower middle?) family. Once her husband developed mental illness, she realized she would have to support her family. Already working as a clerk in the NHS, she went to night school for a diploma in hospital administration. They had two daughters and lived with her in-laws, who provided childcare. Her husband died at age 44. She retired from the Home Office in 1979 at age 59, able to do so from the success of her novel Innocent Blood.

This book is written in diary format and covers the year 1997-98. Much of it describes activities of dining with various friends and going on book tours, but there's also a lot of filling in her life story, and musing about books, publishing, society, morals, etc.

p. 26: "I saw great poverty when I was a young child….A few of the children I went to school with were almost in rags. I can remember clearly one small boy…with the pinched face of an adult…Little else but the child’s face was washed, and he came to school ill-shod and, I suspect, hungry. At one lesson he was severely caned (the use of the cane, brought, sharply across the palm of the hand, was fairly common) and howled with pain and perhaps a less focused misery. For the remainder of the lesson the male teacher was particularly kind to him, colluding with him in small jokes against the rest of us. Even as an eight-year-old I knew that this was because he was ashamed of his severity."

p. 39: "Leonard Woolf describes how, after he and Virginia Stephen were married in 1912, Virginia acted for a short time as secretary for Roger Fry’s second post-impressionist exhibition at the Grafton Galleries, and Henry James came to tea, which was served in the basement. As he talked he tilted back his chair till it was balanced on the two back legs and maintained this equilibrium by holding on to the edge of the table. Henry James did this whenever he came to tea with the Stephen family and as his long sentences untwined themselves the chair would slowly tilt backwards and the children’s eyes would be fixed on it, hoping that it would finally overbalance and deposit James on the floor. Time after time he managed to recover himself, but indeed one day it did happen. The chair went over and the novelist, undismayed, was flung on the floor. He was unhurt and, after a moment, completed his characteristically ceremonious and flowery sentence."

p. 54: "After we moved from Ludlow to Cambridge, we ate as a family only occasionally on Sunday. We three children and my mother ate in the kitchen and my father had his lunch and dinner brought to him on a tray in the dining room. I can remember Mother placing it down before him with an expression compounded of resentment and slight apprehension….I now realize that, like me, he needed at least one period of absolute solitude during the day and perhaps this was his way of ensuring that he got it."

p. 101: [as a member of the Booker Management Committee] "…I have made a start with the winner, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things, but haven’t got very far. It seems to me somewhat lush and overwritten, a beginner’s attempt at a Naipaul or a Rushdie. But I admit to prejudice: I seldom enjoy books seen through the eyes of children, The Go-Between being a notable exception."

p. 117: "Gustave Flaubert wrote that there was nothing true in Madame Bovary. “It is a story of pure invention. I have put none of my own feelings into it, nor anything of my own life. The illusion, on the contrary (if there is any), comes from the very objectivity of the work.”"

p. 153: "I have always felt great sympathy for Ted Hughes and huge respect for the dignified silence with which he has endured years of calumny. No woman who is the mother of young children and kills herself can be sane, and this degree of mental pain has its roots far deeper than the imperfections of a marriage. Equally no one who has never had to live with a partner who is mentally ill can possibly understand what this means. Two people are in separate hells, but each intensifies the other. Those who have not experienced this contaminating misery should keep silent."


Vocabulary, new or forgotten:

"In youth we go forward caparisoned in immortality;" - caparison is richly ornamented clothing; finery.

"spend a weekend at their oasthouse in Kent" - oast is a kiln for drying hops or malt or for drying and curing tobacco.

"the elegant hieratic stillness" - of or associated with sacred persons or offices; sacerdotal.

[Richard Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this brief synthesis of autobiography, diary and literary criticism. The cool intellect of P D James comes over on every page. Her account of her childhood, married life and the sad descent of her husband into mental illness are illuminating. What is most impressive is the breadth and volume of her daily life in the year she describes. The contribution she made across everything she did was noteworthy and perhaps a reproach to those less public spirited. I finished the book with my appreciation of her greatly enhanced. She writes beautifully and anyone wishing to find a model could do no better than to read this short book.

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

P D James is one of my favorite authors, I was enthralled with her 'Shroud for a nightingale', ' Devices and desires' and never did look back.
So when Sujata, a good old GR friend recommended this slice of her autobiography , I pounced upon it.
However I couldn't fully fathom the incidents, places and people mentioned herein. What I enjoyed most is description of other authors, other books and some real life crimes.
I was glad to know James and Rendell were good friends. But there is no personal mention of Agatha Christie at all, who would have been sort of a Contemporary, though an older one

[Dale Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often read biographies or memoirs, but this was given to my by one of my daughters for my birthday. She knew I was a P. D. James fan. It was well worth the read.

James called this a "fragment of autobiography" because she didn't keep diaries or journals. But late in life, she decided to take one year and keep a diary, which she then turned into this book. As you can expect, it chronicles events in her life, many of them involving giving talks, doing book signings, and other authorial duties. But she also reflects on her career in the British civil service, on some matters of policy, and quite a lot on literature, writing, and the authors who paved the way for her own career as a mystery writer.

For writers like me, the latter is a fascinating source of insights and education on the craft and business of writing, every bit as important--in my humble opinion--as some of the better-known works, such as Stephen King's On Writing or Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing.

I always found James' mysteries a bit heavy--excellent, but not fast reads and sometimes pretty dark. I seldom read more than one of her books a year. This one isn't a fast read, either, possibly because of her style. It's an elegant book, though, one that deserves to be savored.

Whether you want to learn more about P. D. James in her own words, want to be transported back to an earlier era, or want to gain some insight and inspiration for your own writing, this is a great book to read.

[Felisa Rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can make a strong argument that P.D. James is the world's greatest mystery writer, but she falls short in the realm of memoirs. Time To Be In Earnest: A Fragment Of Autobiography has an innovative structure: James wrote a diary that spans from her 77th birthday to her 78th, and used her day-to-day experiences as jumping off points to, sometimes, reflect on writing, past eras of her life, the modern era, and crime. This seems like a good idea, but the daily accounts sometimes feel like dull travelogues and James is too reserved to share much about the more personal aspects of her past. Furthermore, she interacts with a lot of people during the course of a year, but fails to really bring anyone to life on the page. That said, the book really shines when James writes about writing, her books, her thoughts on literature, writers, historic crimes, or her cat. In these passages, her dry wit and thoughtful analysis are a pleasure to read. Recommended for serious fans of James or crime fiction.

[Linore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and Insightful

I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiographical account: James calls it a “partial record of one year” (of her incredibly active and full life), but manages to reminisce enough so that we catch glimpses of a great deal more of it. Her musings range from her childhood experiences growing up in England, to religion, current events and, of course, fiction writing. She shares thoughts on it all— thoughts which are insightful, well articulated, and a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the peeks into British Life, English landscapes, and, as a great Jane Austen fan, I particularly relished the treatment James gives Austen, her “favorite novelist.” (Included at the end of the book is a superb foray into EMMA—a talk James gave at Chawton House—and reason in itself to read this book.) I have not been a big fan of the detective novel, but after reading this, I’ll be giving P.D.James’ books a try—beginning, of course, with DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, insightful, elegant and a wonderful, original memoir. I have read everything she ever wrote and am ready to reread her marvelous books. What a life and how modestly and appreciatively she lived it. Her take on popular culture, politics, the BBC, other authors, medicine, mental illness, justice, law, religion; it just covers any subject of interest to any thinking individual. And her feelings and beliefs are worth hearing. You will laugh out loud, recognize your own observations expressed, only far more eloquently. Hard to pick up another book until I have finished savoring this life well lived.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I re-read this gem after twenty years and liked it even more this time. The title is a quote from the great 18th century writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson, " At seventy-seven it is time to be in earnest." Phyllis James wrote it in 1997 when she turned seventy-seven. It's not a conventional diary or memoir although there is plenty of autobiographical material. It's also reflections and musings on the art and craft of writing, not limited to the detective stories and three stand-alones for which P.D. is so deservedly famous. She died in 2014 at the age of ninety-four and remained actively writing and speaking until her death I consider her one of the finest novelists of the 20th century. (For anyone not familiar with her work, I recommend reading them in order.)

[Margaret Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

P D James was just a good writer! She follows Alexander Pope’s advice that “seventy-seven is a time to be in earnest,” so she wrote a diary/journal of her life during her 77th year. And it’s delightful. In all but a few entries, something she’s experiencing that day connects to some memory of her life. Also she moved in amazing literary circles; I found out about several writers of the 20th century I want to read.
This book is worth your time.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a most interesting book, especially for anyone who loves her books, as I do. The book is full of insights into her life, her thoughts, and the books she has written. The first half of the book was my favorite. The second half was a bit slow at times, but still wonderful. I loved the photos at the end as well. She was quite an amazing woman and writer!

[Beverley Mulliner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok but I found it quite a strange format. It took the form of a diary over the period of one year but I felt this was a rather contrived way to produce, as the cover states, a 'fragment' of autobiography. I would have much preferred a memoir as a proper account of the author's life.

[David]

An interesting glimpse into the personality behind the books. I admit to enjoying most the passages in which she talks about writing--her own books or the status of novelist in general.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to Be in Earnest: a fragment of autobiography is P. D. James's response to Dr. Johnson's advice that seventy-seven is "a time to be in earnest." The much celebrated and beloved writer of mystery novels has created a luminous memoir of one year of her life. During the course of that year she not only relates experiences of the current time, but travels in time to give the reader snapshots of her life. These snapshots are vivid--full of descriptive clarity and beautiful language, only to be expected from such an accomplished writer.


It would be hard to do full justice to this memoir in a review. The entries are so varied that one could only give the full flavor by recounting each and every one. James covers everything in this memoir from the elusive quality of memory to why women seem to dominate the mystery field (and if, in fact, they really do). She talks about numerous fellow authors, from Ruth Rendell to Dick Francis, without gossip and with genuine affection.


It was, in fact, difficult to do full justice to this memoir reading it straight through as I did. I think it would have been better to savour the entries over a longer period of time, perhaps in daily readings over the course of the year just as the memoir was written. There is so much here to absorb and consider. And I think it a mark of how much this book has affected me that I have numerous slips of paper peppered throughout--marking passages that I want to go back and reread and possibly add to my quote collection. Thus earning this memoir four and a half stars out of five.


In the last days of this memoir, James gave a talk at the annual meeting of the Jane Austen Society. The entire address is given in an appendix to the memoir and is entitled "Emma Considered as a Detective Story. Someone who commented on my review of Emma suggested that reading these insights by James might better inform my reading of Emma (I wasn't a fan of this particular Austen novel) and that it changed her entire view of the book.


I readily admit all of James's points that give parallels to the detective novel. 1. That we have facts that are "hidden" but which the reader should be able to discover by logical deduction from clues inserted in the novel. 2. That we have a reconciliation of those mysterious facts which brings order when the previously misinterpreted facts are seen in their true light. 3. That we have a self-contained set of characters forced into a sometimes unwilling proximity. However, none of this changes my opinion of the novel. In fact, it just might lower it. You see, if I am to compare Emma to a detective novel, then I would want that comparison to be positive. A good detective novel, in my opinion, presents the reader with all the clues and keeps him or her thoroughly mystified until the final unravelling. As far as I can see the only one mystified in Emma is Emma herself. I recognized the truth behind the "misinterpreted facts" early on. I was quite certain I knew who sent the piano to Jane (and was right). As a mystery novel, Emma fails for me, every bit as much as it did as a serious novel. Sorry, but Emma still remains one of my least favorite Austen novels.

[^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part diary, part memoire is, I think, the perfect recipe to enable the living to satisfy the fans, to avoid baring all, and to circumvent that rather dreadful cold ‘dead, stuffed, fish’ feeling.

This book also challenged me to think, recollect, and consider, ‘well, what did I do between August 1997 and August 1998? What, actually, did I achieve above and beyond my salary, above and beyond my day to day existence?’

That combination: asking what has happened today, and how one thought triggers another, one memory illuminates a second, a third, a fourth; the cascade is scintillating, illuminating, (hopefully) comforting, and often unexpectedly challenging. Retrospective analysis of personal motives can be fraught with risk. Our past accompanies us into the present, subconsciously guiding our future: our actions, our reactions, our likes, our dislikes, the decisions we make, the people we choose to, or are required to, associate with.

I have met and conversed with Mrs James. She is an observant woman possessed of a strong and knowledgeable experience of the achievements and limitations inherent within the human condition. Reading this book I felt unfairly voyeuristic at times. Unfair because I can appreciatively read of the strength of her admiration for Ted Hughes’ collection of poems ‘Birthday Letters”, whilst not admitting back to her that a copy of that book given to me is no longer in my possession; long since donated into the library of an English public school.

Autobiography, and to an extent, biography will, I think, always possess a fascination well beyond that of most novels of fiction. Human beings have a natural inclination to measure up and compare themselves one to another. “Time To Be In Earnest” serves better than most in grounding and reminding its reader of the value of maintaining a healthy sense of perspective; a warmly welcome reminder that even, “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday: …” (Ps.90).

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read and interesting idea. P. D. James, my favorite "light" writer (I say light because she is a classic murder mystery writer, but she is anything but light in her ability to turn a sentence or plot), writes an autobiographical diary for a year, covering the mundane and anything else. Whether she's writing on her cat, the writing process, the politics of the Booker prize committee, being in the House of Lords, her childhood, or how much noise bothers her, she is always interesting. I particularly enjoyed her conservative openness in terms of life and government. we would do well to listen more to our elders. I fear the book wouldn't have enough to hold the reader unfamiliar with James, but for a fan like me it was a lot of fun.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard P.D. James being interviewed on NPR many years ago, and was intrigued. Not having been a "detective fiction" reader, it took me a while to pick up on of her books, but as soon as I did, I was hooked. So far, I have not been able to find murder mysteries that I like nearly as well as hers. Having read everything fictional she has written, I finally read this autobiography. If possible, I may have enjoyed it more than her fiction! She is an excellent writer, and the insights into not only her everyday life, but also her past that she includes in this book, are compelling and fascinating. I hope she continues to write for some time yet!

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reminded me a bit of May Sarton's "At Eighty-two", though P.D. James at 78 seemed much more spry than did Sarton at 82. Several of the reviews quoted on the back cover of the book mention that we learn as much about James from what she leaves out as from what she includes. The decisions she made about what to write about are thus as interesting as the actual content.

She includes musings on various aspects of writing, the mystery genre, the difference between American and English fans, as well as reminiscences of her past, and her struggles with the gradual onset of old age.

[Jane Glen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a P.D. James fan, don't miss out on this lovely autobiography. Written in diary format over the year she turned 77, it is a brilliant look at not just the author, but the amazing person. As she would talk about a book she had written, I would glance at my shelf and there it was, begging to be re-read. And so I am- some, if not all. This woman's energy is incredible. How I would have loved to hear her in person. I have long loved her books, now I love the author.

[Sarah T · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seldom read autobiography but loved this; P D James had such a distinctive, elegant voice that, as a huge fan of her novels, I found it a genuine pleasure to spend time in her company. It gave interesting insight into the life of a successful author and also some thoughts on the art of writing. The essay on Jane Austen's "Emma", included as an Appendix, was an unexpected bonus.

[Donna Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

James never disappoints. Her prose is unfailingly lucid and elegant, her insights thought-provoking.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"In 1997, P.D. James, the much loved and internationally acclaimed author of mysteries, turned seventy-seven. Taking to heart Dr. Johnson's advice that at seventy-seven it is 'time to be in earnest,' she decided to undertake a book unlike any she had written before: a personal memoir in the form of a diary. This enchanting and highly original volume is the result. Structured as the diary of a single year, it roams back and forth through time, illuminating James's extraordinary, sometimes painful and sometimes joyful life.

"Here, interwoven with reflections on her writing career and the craft of crime novels, are vivid accounts of episodes in her own past -- of school days in 1920s and 1930s Cambridge . . . of the war and the tragedy of her husband's madness . . . of her determined struggle to support a family alone. She tells about the birth of her second daughter in the midst of a German buzz-bomb attack; about becoming a civil servant (and laying the groundwork for her writing career by working in the criminal justice system); about her years of public service on such bodies as the Arts Council and the BBC's Board of Governors, culminating in entry to the House of Lords. Along the way, with warmth and authority, she offers views on everything from author tours to the problems of television adaptations, from books reviewing to her obsession with Jane Austen.

"Written with exceptional grace, this 'fragment of autobiography' has already been received with enthusiasm by British reviewers and readers. The thousands of Americans who have enjoyed P.D. Jame's novels will be equally charmed. diary or memoir or both, Time to Be in Earnest is a delight."
~~front flap

This is indeed a delightful book, but it's not a diary. Well, it is in the sense of recording what she did on any particular day (definition: a book in which one keeps a daily record of events and experiences). But in the more accepted sense: "especially : a daily record of personal activities, reflections, or feelings," it's more of a journal, somewhat interspersed with autobiography. It's more of a recounting what she did on any particular day -- what book signing, what talk she gave, which party she attended, which meeting she participated in. Most of those events were recorded without much personal reaction to them, which I found disappointing. She was a bit more forthcoming when she talked about meeting friends and family, and what they did.

But on the whole, I got the sense of a very private person, one who resisted having her feelings held up for all to see. Which of course is a very British attitude, unlike us Yanks who glory in the "tell all" book, with any and all laundry -- dirty or not -- held up for the world to see.

Be that as it may, what she did was interesting -- her schedule would daunt many a younger person! Daily events -- meetings, signings, lectures, etc. And her side excursions into her own opinion about the verdicts in old murder cases, the current political state of Britain, modern education as opposed to education in her younger years -- all those gave a picture of a very conservative dowager in many ways, but also of a very modern thinker in other ways. A complex person, and a very intriguing one at that!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Time to be in Earnest’ by PD James is not a conventional writer’s autobiography. Instead it is the year in her life between her 77th and 78th birthdays during which ‘A Certain Justice’, the tenth Adam Dalgliesh book was published, and in which dates, places and events trigger memories from her life. She died in 2014 at the age of 94 and was prolific to the end. Her final book ‘Death Comes to Pemberley’ was published in 2011 and two editions of short stories were published after her death.
James sets the tone of the autobiography in the Prologue, “There is much that I remember but which is painful to dwell upon. I see no need to write about these things. They are over and must be accepted, made sense of and forgiven, afforded no more than their proper place in a long life in which I have always known that happiness is a gift, not a right.” Her diary entries, some brief, some long, make this an ideal book to dip in and out of. She is a pragmatic, factual commentator who is at times forthright, other times secretive.
Like all good autobiographies, familiar names are scattered throughout – Dick Francis, Ruth Rendell, Frances Fyfield, Salman Rushdie – and we are shown glimpses of her writing methods, particularly interesting is her discussion of the setting in ‘Devices and Desires’, eighth in the Dalgliesh series. She writes about the origins of detective fiction, its evolution and techniques, the development of forensic science as well as her favourite authors and books. Just as entertaining though are the glimpses into James’ private life, her family, her cat Polly-Hodge, her assistant Joyce McLennan.
It is impossible to read James’ memories of childhood, the war, motherhood and marriage, without making connections with her books. Her fascination with history, nature and architecture, and her faith, all add depth to her writing.
If nothing else read it for Appendix Two. ‘Emma’ Considered as a Detective Story: Jane Austen Society AGM, Chawton, Saturday 18th July 1998’ is a fascinating take on ‘Emma’. But if you love reading PD James’ books or detective fiction in general – or you are a writer curious about how a great did it – read this book. This is not a how-to book, more a snapshot of a year in the life of a great writer.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-revie...

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The diary is only from a single year of James's life and the entries are typically much more than a litany of what she did each day. She included entries mostly on days in which she left the house for some reason. It may have been to have lunch with a friend or family or to meet with her publicist or give an interview or a speech. Quite often she traveled to cities outside of London to literary festivals or charity events where she was a guest of honor or to visit family or friends. She also traveled to a few countries in Europe and to the US and Canada to promote her most recent book that was just being published in those countries. She socialized with several other authors whom she had known for years, and she was also acquainted with other well-known people whom she had met in various capacities through the years.

I was quite impressed at how busy she was and how much energy I can image her activities took for a seventy-seven year old woman. She went to some kind of event or to visit with other people every two or three days which is much more than I do outside of work right now. Her diary entries were not restricted to her daily activities by any means. She related parts of her childhood and her life as a young working woman. James also used the diary to record her opinions about various other topics such as a few notorious crimes in England's history, about the role of the BBC, and about the television adaptations of some of her novels as a few examples. The subtitle of "a fragment of autobiography" is accurate because she used the entries for much more than a tale of her daily tasks. She did not add entries about writing a book at that time so possibly she wasn't doing so, but she mentioned at the end that she hoped to write more novels as long as she could do still write well and hoped she would recognize when she no longer could.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read many PD James books, and certainly not any of her Dalgleish books. I was handed this by my Dad as a great biography.
First - the writing is excellent! 5 stars for that! And yes it has inspired me to want to read more of her usual fiction books. Her choice of words is always clearly thought out, the flow is somewhat interesting but always is interesting and smooth even when a little unexpected.
Second - it’s so very personal. I don’t know that I would want to have such a book about me come out in my lifetime. James shares her opinions on everything from the church to the royal family, the choice of English literature in schools to the best eateries. It’s very personal and opinionated.
Whilst James has every right to express her opinions and explain (or not) why she holds them, I found myself getting cross with her on some of them and wishing she were still alive so I could write and tell her so.
It’s not a autobiography of her life as it is a diary and memoir of a year of random jotting downs of things she did years past and things she was currently doing in 1997 - a hard year including the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and several real life nasty murder cases.

Overall beautifully written, challenging and thoughtful book that reveals just who PD James was - an incredibly talented writer, a loving mother and grandmother, a woman who didn’t take any nonsense but who would not let us say she lived a hard life because she wasn’t told to expect anything different!

[JZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. She didn't need the money. She did a lot of name-dropping, and 'this is how wonderful my life as a successful author has made me and how popular I am' rather than reflections. She comes across to me as in insufferable snob, particularly about the fees for libraries. Now that she has money enough to buy any book she wants, she doesn't see it as a particular hardship for others to have to pay, although she does feel slightly badly about it. Bah.

I liked her better when she was catty about Agatha Christie. She at least showed some humor, which is sadly lacking here. Maybe its too soon to read quite so much of her personal writing. I just finished the book on writing detective fiction. Parts of this are identical to that. lol Don't throw out the good stuff. She must be bored to death having to say the same crap about writing over and over again. It seems that she never gets enough of speaking, though. It can't take any effort after all the times she Dows it in a month, let alone a year, to say nothing of how many years.

She actually has become one of the characters in an Agatha Christie story that she so deplores.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this memoir shortly after it came out, at least 20 years ago. I loved it, but somehow I stopped and never returned. Until now. The memoir is written semi-diary style in her 77th year...a time to be in earnest. When I finally picked it up last month, here I am at that same age. I always enjoyed PD's Dalgleish novels and even more, getting to know her through her little talks after episodes on PBS Mystery. Losing her is a sadness, as well as her friends and fellow mystery writers, often included in her memoir. I much enjoyed reading about her parents, the illness of her husband, her career that came from needing to support her two daughters, and her path into writing. At 77, she was a very active, involved woman. Her days were full with committee meetings, speaking engagements, family, friends, travels. She loved her cat dearly. I wasn't familiar with all her activities and issues she wanted so much to change, but her daily life and family history were a joy to read. I liked walking through the year with her.

[Alice Persons · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is gracefully and lucidly written, as one would expect. She is an opinionated person and I wish there wasn't quite so much about British politics, or so much name-dropping. Her energy in the chronicled year is impressive. One could wish that she had opened up more about her tragedies and regrets, including her very difficult marriage, but she is a reserved and very stiff-upper-lip person and what she presents in this fragment of memoir is carefully edited. The parts of the book I found most interesting were those in which she writes about books, poetry and what it's like to be on the best-seller reading circuit, and her memories of World War II. If you are a fan and close reader of her fiction (as I am) you won't be surprised by anything you learn about Ms. James. This is the opposite of a tell-all.

[Les Dangerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interestingly structured memoir based around her diary for a year between 1997/98 and frequently using thoughts or events to digress into detail of various key periods and episodes in her life. Her language is a real pleasure to read and, even in her late seventies, she led an extraordinarily full and varied life full of vigour and energy. She has a tendency to be opinionated at times and perhaps in the second half of the book, sometimes gets a bit carried away with her views on this and that. However, having spent some time with her in 1989 on a British Council tour of Italy, I have some direct experience of the warmth and generosity of her personality. It was very good to feel that again through her writing in this memoir.