Ammonites and Leaping Fish: A Life in Time

I love her novels and enjoyed piecing together some of the background to them. I learned a lot from this book, not only about aging but about many of the subjects that have interested her over a long and active life.If I can age as well I'll be grateful!Beautifully written and every page a treasure trove.

I have long admired Penelope Lively's novels and so have the members of my English class. I thought it would be interesting to read her memoir. I was not disappointed. With wisdom and stoicism she confronts the problems and regrets of old age and yet manages to weave some golden threads in an otherwise sombre set of colours. A splendid book!

sorry I'm finished !will definitely reread and try to buy a hard copy.recommended for lovers of language and ideas.thought provoking, too.

Sensational piece of work. I have always loved Lively's writing and having met her many years ago very much liked the person. But this book is such an intimate look into her life and writing practice that it was an absolute page turner for me. Truly wonderful. And certainly for readers of a certain age very wise.

Didn't hold my interest or live up to my expectations.

This is another book I chose by title alone. Although I recognized Lively's name, I have to admit I haven't read anything of hers. (If I have, I've forgotten.) I was curious to read a memoir about aging from an author's point of view, since I fall into that category myself. While she does mention writers and writing, they are overshadowed by several awkward sections where Lively seems determined to wedge her story into an essay about memory in general--what people choose to remember and what they don't. The memories, in other words, that define us. Unfortunately the role memory plays in our lives has been done before, and done better. While Lively offers the general reader some penetrating insights, this book reads like a rush job by an accomplished author with other, bigger projects on her mind.

Eloquently written and hugely enjoyable. Inspired me to read several other books mentioned in this one and evoked many childhood memories of my own.

Lovely to read the feelings and thought of a wise old lady, perhaps especially as one feels those days approaching or one has elderly (less articulate perhaps) people to deal with. Liked less her enumeration of her reading/books etc but old people have to be forgiven their need to spoil their 'autobiograpies' with 'lists' of who they know, where they've been or what they read.

Penelope Lively's look back over her life is, typically, well-written, thoughtful and reflective. She touches on many of the themes that run through her novels: time, the sense of layering that combines past with present in so many aspects of life, and the role of memory. A personal take on what it is like to age, Lively rarely feels sorry for herself with some of the discomforts that age brings. Instead, she offers an accessible and highly engaging memoir that looks at different aspects of her life, through memory, books and writing, and a few important possessions that, for her, bring together that sense of past and present.Here is someone with plenty to say about what it is to have lived in a particular period of time. It's about as far away from the empty-headed, ghost written "celebrity" memoirs that litter the shelves these days as you could possibly imagine. An interesting and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the passage of time and the impact it has on all of us. One Amazon reviewer has said that this is a book to read only if you're in your seventies and apparently approaching the end of your own life - utter nonsense.

This was the first of her books I'd read. I enjoyed it. She's entertaining and easy to read. Seems to have led an interesting life. Recommended.

This is a very low key quiet description of how being a (relatively) healthy 80 year old feels like. With memories of what happened earlier. Worth reading for anybody who wants to understand what being old old means. How you have to restrict your activities and ambitions. How you lose all those people with whom you have been close. It is sad but beautiful.

This is a lovely book by Penelope Lively, a woman of the highest intelligence and values, of great perception, of charm and understanding and sharing. I loved it. It was like chatting with this fascinating, delightful and thought-provoking person over a cup of coffee. I felt privileged to be in her company. I'm 70, and yes, surprised to be that old! I believe this book will be appreciated most by those who are nearing that age.

What a joy to read this book!I felt that Penelope lively and I were sharing this big adventure together.After a lifetime of experiences and no doubt much acclaim I felt that the author had come to a gentle place.It is delightful and reassuring and I looked forward to every page.