The appreciation of the book may provide something of a Rorschach test: If you are already a Stibbe enthusiast, you will probably be charmed by her writerly life, her dashing about to book festivals, her interactions with her many famous friends ... While some of these observations may seem trivial, I will confess that more than a few of them have wormed their way into my brain ... If you are looking for intimate reflections on marriage at late-mid-life, you might want to reach for a diary of a different sort.
Stibbe’s unique brand of melancholic humour would win over the bitterest churl ... Some of the funniest observations come from Stibbe’s memory. I laughed out loud at the boyfriend who had sensitive hair follicles, and the time her brother accidentally said 'Take care' to their grandmother, 'and she went full bitch on him' ...
Her diary is not only observationally acute but bursting with philosophical, psychological and biological enquiry.
Although there’s a lot of repetitive detail, Stibbe uses the discipline of her time-stamped sabbatical as a way of injecting propulsion, if not exactly urgency, into her narrative ... Lovely.
Are standards in comedy really this low? If Went to London, Took the Dog is any clue, I’m afraid they are ... Stibbe’s new book is an unbelievable accumulation of drivel ... The only comment Stibbe makes which made me think was, 'Daniel Day-Lewis would never get away with My Left Foot nowadays' ... Pray cease, Stibbe.
Reading this memoir is like having a little window into British literary life with Stibbe’s wry, honest voice sharing her adventures with readers ... Relating the challenges of aging and the joys of old friendships and new experiences, this memoir is a lovely addition to all collections.
In shorter form, perhaps selected entries, the book is harmless. he first half of the book has a chirpy charm, and we root for a 60-year-old woman, albeit a rather privileged and self-regarding one, seeking her place in the world ... However, we’ve signed on for the whole year, and the year grows long. Chatter for the chattering class.
