In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary

Written by Jan Morris

Narrated by Jennifer M. Dixon

Riffing on cats and Brexit, the Royals and the annoyances of aging, the nonagenarian Jan Morris delights with her wickedly hilarious first-ever diary collection.

Celebrated as the "greatest descriptive writer of her time" (Rebecca West), Jan Morris has been dazzling readers since she burst on the scene with her on-the-spot reportage of the first ascent of Everest in 1953. Now, the beloved ninety-two-year-old, author of classics such as Venice and Trieste, embarks on an entirely new literary enterprise-a collection of daily diaries, penned over the course of a single year. Ranging widely from the idyllic confines of her North Wales home, Morris offers diverse sallies on her preferred form of exercises (walking briskly), her frustration at not recognizing a certain melody humming in her head (Beethoven's Pathetique, incidentally), and her nostalgia for small-town America, as well as intimate glimpses into her home life.

With insightful quips on world issues, including Britain's "special relationship" with the United States and the #MeToo movement, In My Mind's Eye will charm old and new Jan Morris fans alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Feb 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684418848

Reviews for In My Mind's Eye

[carltonc_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Wry smiles and repetition. Musings about life, kindness, poetry and Johnson’s Dictionary are welcome, but there was too much about sheep and zoos, cats, Churchill and her Honda R.Only for those familiar with Jan Morris. But if I can write like that in my nineties, I will be grateful.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't expecting too much from this book --as subject matter, the daily reflections of a nonagenarian sounds a bit tepid, and perhaps more than a little depressing. Not so! Ms. Morris mind is ever various and mostly funny. She has strong opinions, and doesn't hesitate to share them, and she has a sharp eye and a long history. It's not that she ignores the difficulties that come with great age; her partner suffers from dementia, and she herself forgets things distressingly often. But she meets these difficulties with humor and toughness. I read this book over several evenings, dipping into before I fell asleep, and I miss it already. Fortunately, Ms. Morris has written about 40 other books, so I am thankful for this introduction.

[tangledthread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A 92 year old who has lead a most unusual, interesting, and well traveled life reflects on the present from her remote corner of Wales.