A review by graywacke
Ammonites & Leaping Fish: A Life in Time by Penelope Lively

inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

Very different from what I was expecting. I was hoping for a memoir, but really this is a collection of five personal essays on somewhat random topics - on being 80, on her life in light of the Suez crisis of 1956, on memory, on reading (and a little on writing), and on some personal objects and the thoughts they inspire. It's all written with her sharp intelligent prose, that is it reads beautifully. But I'm not sure if it amounts to much more than some light distracting entertainment. Perhaps I need to give it more time.