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Rating: 
Summary: Stunning Memoir
Review: I did it backwards: I watched the film first. My subsequent enjoyment of the book, however, was not diminished. The strength of this memoir lies not only in its magnetic story but also in Frame's brilliant, lyrical writing. Looking forward to reading her novels...immediately.
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Summary: My favorite non fiction...
Review: In the first volume Frame beautifully describes her New Zealand childhood. Her descriptions of her family, their day-to-day lives, and their economic and personal hardships, stay with the reader long after reading Volume I. In Volume II she describes her college years and subsequent mental mis-diagnosis, which led to several years of institutionalization. Rather than leaving the reader depressed, somehow she brings one into the experience but leaves us wondering at her resilience and ability to continue writing. Volume III contains her account of her growing acceptance as a writer and her association with other well-known New Zealand writers. This is a must for anyone interested in: a brilliant picture of an artist; New Zealand life; good non-fiction writing.
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Summary: She Gives Us Good Reason To Write
Review: Janet Frame was an amazing woman. She died on Jan 30, 2004. I had this book on my 'need to read' shelf when I read an obituary in the NY Times about her death at age 79. She endured so much and wrote so keenly. She was thought to be a schizophrenic and wrote about her periods of madness in mental institutions. This autobiography was fascinating for me. There is a gentleness and everlasting patience about her that will make anyone like her. If you want a real treat...find the film AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (from 1990) that Jane Campion (famous for the film THE PIANO) to complement the book. If only I could have met this woman. I would have loved to have tea and crumpets with her.
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Summary: To The Is-Land
Review: To forever capture the past in the present - to be always telling the tale, towards the destination and yet always on the go, postponing the end of self-perception and portrayal: one does not write an autobiography about what one gained but what one lost. Janet Frame shows an intense desire (and flair) in retaining her possessions - a place, an object, a thought, an emotion, a fragment of memories - in writing. It deals with loss and trauma in an honest, realistic, and fairly subdued manner, making it more geniune than a lot of best-selling memoirs. Frame has been described as an ego-centric writer in her fiction - always writing about and examining herself - but in her autobiography she reminds us of existential moments when one detaches from one's self and looks at the world: the unnamable sadness that we do and do not experience. The imagery here is also a lot richer than most autobiographies - if you enjoy down-to-earth and yet beautiful and touching stories, this is something you should read.
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