This was my first introduction to Hilary Mantel and I was blown away by the beauty and eloquence of her writing. I think that too little attention is paid to 'other' writing: the essays, journalistic pieces etc. These in some ways reveal so much more about the artist and their art and I loved everything that these writings revealed of Mantel's art and of herself. This is an excellent selection of writing and the narrator is perfect for the job. I have purchased a copy of this book as I think I will benefit from reading this more closely..

Many thanks to Netgalley and W.F. Howes for my copy of the audiobook.

After her passing, it was beautiful to see so many people celebrating the power of her words, and her incredible ability to write passionately about almost any topic.

This selection of writings ranges everything from travel and history to her personal meditations on health and who she is. And within these pieces, we see how well-read and travelled she was, often bringing together stories from all corners of the world and historical tales from different centuries to make a point about something else entirely. Her writing is a gift, and it was great to hear her voice again.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An amazing collection of short stories/essays. can read one at a time and select on it or read through the whole book, whatever your style. I read one at a time and thought about the book that came from that chapter. There was a lot of the real Hilary in there and it was nice getting to know that person, not the author but the woman. The audio version is narrated by a selection of people and is wonderful listening. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

A wonderful insight into the life and work of beloved author Hilary Mantel. Each chapter highlighted a different aspect of her childhood or life as an author and was narrated by different people, which made it all the more interesting.

This was a brilliant book to listen to, and it underlined the loss I feel as a reader that Hilary Mantel has died. This material is wide ranging in subject matter (from Princess Diana to perfume, from ageism to life in Saudi Arabia, from other writers to her own process.). Her insights are so particular and intelligent and, of course, beautifully written. I preferred some narrators to others but this is a minor quibble and inevitable with the choice to have multiple voices reading the work. It made me want to read Mantel’s fiction that I have yet to read and revisit that which I have. Highly recommended.

A deeply rewarding listen. Clocking in at over 14 hours of material this is very good value by anyone's reckoning. The breadth of material and variety of subjects that Mantel has written about is somewhat awe inspiring. I started my relationship with Mantel's writing long before Wolf Hall, reading Fludd and then Beyond Black before getting stuck into her historical novels. Even then, A Place of Greater Safety was an astonishingly accomplished novel about the French Revolution before Wolf Hall was even a thought. She was truly a Renaissance woman. She is interesting because she is interested by so many things. I loved the fact that she reviewed Robocop and loved every minute of it. Her travel writing about what it was like to live in Saudi Arabia is properly gripping. There is everything here from the power of a good haircut to the best way to adapt a book for the stage.

Perhaps my only gripe was that I would have much preferred it to be narrated by just one person instead of a multitude of voices. Otherwise it was pure bliss.

I have to say that, for a number of years, I never really warmed to Hilary Mantel or her writing. I bought Wolf Hall and struggled to become immersed in what should have been a fast paced story. I recently revisited the Wolf Hall trilogy, this time in audio and was riveted. The narration helped as it was superb and I suddenly realised that her ability to create context around historical fact was unsurpassed.

I was delighted to be offered this title which is a retrospective collection of her writings from numerous publications over some decades. It gives a real insight into the person behind the writing. One thing that shines through is her wit and humour. I’ve seen a very different side to her and only now appreciate more fully how much we have lost. This book is a real taster. It’s intelligent, funny and there’s food for thought as she muses upon life, religion, literature…I’ve really enjoyed this dip into the past and have no hesitation in recommending it.

“The story of Hilary Mantel is scattered throughout her novels. But in her journalism and essays a full and exhilarating self-portrait emerges: she isn’t afraid to lay herself bare. This book is organised with that in mind – a patchwork of a life revealing itself.” - from Introduction.

My thanks to W.F. Howes Ltd. for a review copy via NetGalley of the unabridged audiobook edition of ‘A Memoir of My Former Self and Other Writings’ by Hilary Mantel; edited and introduced by Nicholas Pearson.

The audiobook is read by eight actors and authors. These were Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, and Sarah Waters. As I am a longtime admirer of Hilary Mantel, I also purchased its hardback edition.

This is a posthumous collection of Dame Hilary Mantel’s short nonfiction writings including newspaper articles, film reviews, and her Reith lectures. With the film reviews I was especially impressed with her ability to distill the essence of the film with insight and great wit.

She writes on a variety of topics including an insightful piece on the legacy of Princess Diana.
Her five Reith lectures, broadcast in 2017, focuses on historical fiction, including what she describes as the contract between reader and novelist.

In them she states something that has always been important to me as a reader of historical fiction: that the characters will abide by the “ethical framework of their day”, which includes their religious experiences. She also shares how she came to write her Wolf Hall Trilogy.

The article ‘The Joys of Stationery’ totally appealed to me as I could relate to the excitement of buying new notebooks. She also shares stories of her own life, including her experiences of living in Saudi Arabia, her childhood memories, and her illnesses.

With respect to the narration, it felt a little odd to have eight readers and clearly some were more experienced than others. While it didn’t detract from my enjoyment, I feel that having just one or two voice actors would have allowed for a better flow.

Overall, ‘A Memoir of My Former Self and Other Writings’ was a fascinating collection that sparkled throughout with Mantel’s fierce intelligence and her compassionate soul. She is missed.

Highly recommended.

Memoirs are usually quite subjective to a reader's taste. This one started with instances from Hilary's life (the childhood writing, Dubai phase and returning to Europe). However later on the topics varied chapter by chapter, which to me felt like reading essays on a plethora of topics.

Her writing is easily distinguishable from the other details that have been added by the memoirist. Hilary's style of writing (which has been top-notch) feels familiar in the book, but then there are spaces within the book where certain topics are discussed at length and then abruptly end.

The part where stories of her actual life are discussed felt great while reading. However, I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the other random information pieces discussed in the book, a lot of them were simply opinions on important topics. Overall it felt like all her incomplete writings had been clubbed together in a single title.

Genre: #memoir #nonfiction

Thank you @netgalley @wfhowes for the digital ARC

P.S. I hoped the person who compiled these parts together would have put more thought into how this would make sense to a first-time reader. After all, such a celebrated writer, whom we lost in 2022, deserves nothing less than perfect when it comes to the story of her life.

#AMemoirofMyFormerSelfandOtherWritings #NetGalley #HilaryMantel

A selection of articles and reviews by Hilary Mantel covering her experience in, and observations of, Saudi Arabia, school exams, her affliction with endometriosis, and grief, as well as the hilarious review of the Mickey Rourke film Wild Orchid among others. Also included are her Reith lectures.

Mantel comes across as intelligent, thoughtful and supremely funny.

The audiobook is narrated by a starry cast of actors and authors: Anne Enright, Aurora Dawson Hunte, Ben Miles, Bill Hamilton, Jane Wymark, Lydia Leonard, Nicholas Pearson, Sarah Waters

My thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd for the audio-ARC.

I was immensely saddened by Hilary Mantel’s death, because I find so much to treasure in her writing. The research and precision she brought to historical writing and non-fiction (the latter collected here), are unparalleled and I think will remain so.
Having read Mantel Pieces, an earlier collection, I was worried about overlap - but I needn’t have. Listening to the writings gathered here, including the genre-defining Reith Lectures, was like reading her for the first time - and I was introduced to some new writings by her that I hadn’t known about, too, which honestly felt like such a gift.