PositiveThe Washington PostA moving biblio-memoir that’s a gift to readers of all ages, especially those in midlife who want to stroll down the memory lane of their formative reading experiences ... The book’s engaging, breezy chapters explore each subject’s life and writings in chronological order ... Biggs serves up amuse-bouche anecdotes about each figure ... The resulting juxtapositions are often poignant, albeit with few surprises ... Biggs doesn’t approach these monumental writers as one’s professor would have. Instead, she writes about them as if reminiscing about late, lamented friends ... There’s precious little material considering authorship, marriage or divorce in context. History is glossed over. Class and economics come up only glancingly. Intersectional approaches aren’t the book’s strong suit ... About this lack, Biggs is again charmingly self-deprecating ... A Life of One’s Own has much to offer readers new to its subjects.
