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notanniewarren's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.25
This wasn't quite what I expected, but I did find it really interesting nonetheless. It was meandering and reflective in a very pleasant way, and much more literary than I thought it would be. It's a history of the diary, a philosophical exploration of what diaries are and can be (leaning heavily on Samuel Pepys and Virginia Woolf as example diarists among others), and a memoir. The author touched on social media and how the digital age has had an impact on diary-writing and I'd have liked to have seen that developed and extended further. At times a little lacklustre but overall I enjoyed it a lot and will probably listen to it again.
redheadreading's review
3.0
I enjoyed reading this but it was not what I expected. I think I was expecting something a little more analytical whereas this is a very flowing and descriptive account (which consequently means it's very easy to read and does make for enjoyable reading!). The diary is explored by theme/topic with each chapter taking a theme and looking at a number of diaries, almost like case studies; the two main figures that run throughout are Virginia Woolf and Samuel Pepys. However, there is also an autobiographical element that runs alongside this as well, with the author imparting her personal history with the diary and snapshots into her life as well.
I definitely enjoyed all of this but there are things that I felt were slightly lacking as well. For example, I would have liked more focus in the final paragraph to have been placed on our relationships with diary-keeping nowadays. There was brief mention of tweets and blogging but I would have liked a deeper focus on our contemporary attitude to documenting the self and the way this has evolved. The author does mention at one point that she is not very familiar with twitter etc and I did feel like this came across. Rather than dismissing the superficiality of social media, an examination into the ways that people construct and negotiate their sense of self through documenting the immediacy of life in digital form would have been cool. But maybe that's just a result of my coming in with preconceived expectations!
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this and it was interesting getting snapshots into the diaries of many notable figures, as well as contrasting the ways they all approached diary writing differently. The writing was enjoyable and engaging so if you are looking for a light and easy read that will keep you entertained whilst learning more about certain historical figures then I would definitely recommend.
I definitely enjoyed all of this but there are things that I felt were slightly lacking as well. For example, I would have liked more focus in the final paragraph to have been placed on our relationships with diary-keeping nowadays. There was brief mention of tweets and blogging but I would have liked a deeper focus on our contemporary attitude to documenting the self and the way this has evolved. The author does mention at one point that she is not very familiar with twitter etc and I did feel like this came across. Rather than dismissing the superficiality of social media, an examination into the ways that people construct and negotiate their sense of self through documenting the immediacy of life in digital form would have been cool. But maybe that's just a result of my coming in with preconceived expectations!
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this and it was interesting getting snapshots into the diaries of many notable figures, as well as contrasting the ways they all approached diary writing differently. The writing was enjoyable and engaging so if you are looking for a light and easy read that will keep you entertained whilst learning more about certain historical figures then I would definitely recommend.
sandraisbooked's review
4.0
Super informative. A really good survey of the diary in its past and present form, in its private and social life. Bayley really did put a lot of thought, research, and fragments of diarist to support her points and it made me fall in love all over again with this form of writing, having religiously kept a diary myself for over 10 years now.
The first half of this book was really engrossing and quick paced but it did drag at the "political/scandal" diary section. That specific part was a bit tedious and info-dumpy.
But like I said, Bayley does a good overview through time and space of the diary, from Pepys and beyond to the digital age, our age.
Highly recommend this one! Especially to diary lovers and keepers, or even for ones intrigued by the form.
The first half of this book was really engrossing and quick paced but it did drag at the "political/scandal" diary section. That specific part was a bit tedious and info-dumpy.
But like I said, Bayley does a good overview through time and space of the diary, from Pepys and beyond to the digital age, our age.
Highly recommend this one! Especially to diary lovers and keepers, or even for ones intrigued by the form.
kxowledge's review
3.0
Sally Bayley narrates her life interwoven with the ones of different writers, prominently Pepys and Woolf – all bound by the thread of diary-writing
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