Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir by Diana Athill

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Ari Meermans

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I see that Amazon has the oh-so-wise-and-witty Diana Athill's SOMEWHERE TOWARDS THE END: A Memoir (published in 2008 and winner of the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award in Autobiography and a New York Times bestseller) on sale for Kindle. Called a "legendary British editor", Ms. Athill worked with some of the great authors of the 20th Century. And, while I enjoyed a couple of her other books, I truly loved this one and will now read it again. So, yes, I recommend it highly. Her 100th birthday is in December.
 

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Ms Athill is a wonder. Her books are fabulous. Do as Ari says and buy this book, and all her others.
 

Ari Meermans

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I'm trying to remember, but I'm pretty sure the first of her books I read was Stet: An Editor's Life. Much of that book was about her early years in publishing, with the latter part of the book being mostly about the relationships between writers and editors. It was insightful and witty as all get out. I knew right then she's a keen observer of human nature and likes people, which of course led me onward to her other books.

I was truly impressed by her take on old age in Somewhere Towards the End—I'm no spring chicken my ownself—and I've always admired those among the elderly who continue to take so much joy in life and have so much to share with us. She seems a fascinating person to know. <---And that right there is probably the best compliment I can pay a memoirist.
 
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