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Let Me Finish
by
Roger Angell
Widely known as an original and graceful writer, Roger Angell has developed a devoted following through his essays in the New Yorker. Now, in Let Me Finish, a deeply personal, fresh form of autobiography, he takes an unsentimental look at his early days as a boy growing up in Prohibition-era New York with a remarkable father; a mother, Katharine White, who was a founding e...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
June 4th 2007
by Mariner Books
(first published 2006)
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Roger Angell is one of the New Yorker writers whose columns in that magazine are pieces that I never miss. Even when he's writing about baseball (although I wouldn't read a full-length book on the subject), he is captivating and expresses his thoughts as clearly and cleanly as his stepfather, E.B. White. He is wry and funny, and someone you could easily imagine sitting and talking with easily, hanging onto every word.
This book of memoirs--many, if not all, columns from the New Yorker--covers vig...more
This book of memoirs--many, if not all, columns from the New Yorker--covers vig...more
Angell writes clear, graceful prose about his family members, his work associates, and formative episodes in his life. Perhaps since many of these essays were written by the author in his eighties and nineties, they express some nostalgia and longing for the past, but at the same time an acceptance of the past. I liked that the essays were arranged thematically rather than chronologically. The tone of the essays reminded me a little bit of the tone In some of Louis Auchincloss's work. After read...more
Enjoyable read - vignettes from a variety of times and places in his life, highlighting people and places. And since he (and his family) knew/knows very interesting people it was full of fascinating glimpses. Considering his pedigree, it's no surprise that he writes as well as he does.
I shamefacedly admit that i was not very familiar with Angell's New Yorker essays. i see now I should have been reading him. This memoir of his growing up the son and step-son of well known parents and his entrance into his own adult life, including military, marriage and profession held the attention of a reader who really didn't know much about the man. I especially liked how, in each section, it was often the end of the section that was the highlight. I thought he was talking about one thing,...more
I think I picked up this book at a garage sale. I had no idea who Roger Angell was but it sounded kind of interesting. The best part about it was finding out he was the stepson of E. B. White, that his mother and stepfather were such a part of The New Yorker, and reading about some of the interesting people he knew, famous or otherwise. I did have some trouble reading some of his sentences. It seemed they were incomplete - I had to read them over, emphasizing different parts until I finally happ...more
I read a few of these essays in The New Yorker, attracted initially because of Angell's essay about E. B. White ("Andy"); I'm interested in all things White. Some of the essays in this collection work really well as literary art--like "Getting There," which involves a description of a round of golf, and "Romance," which informs those us from a later era what driving was like earlier in the last century. The pieces about the New Yorker were also interesting to me as a long-time reader of that mag...more
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I didn't know anything about Roger Angell aside from the fact that he is a baseball writer. He was a long-time fiction editor and contributor at the New Yorker, as was his mother. This is a series of sketches on a variety of subjects, which combine to make a memoir, if not an autobiography. The prose is thoughtful, gentle and effortless. Mr Angell has led an interesting and privileged life surrounded by well-known people from the New York/Boston intellectual scene. It was a small world, especial...more
This is an excellent collection of autobiographical essays. I'd only read Angell's baseball writing before (specifically, The Summer Game); there's a little of that here, but what I found particularly compelling were Angell's memories of his parents, of their divorce, and of his mother's remarriage to E. B. White, whom Angell affectionately calls by his nickname, Andy. Also a highlight was the long section on The New Yorker, Angell's longtime employer, with witty, often moving reminiscences of W...more
Barbara loaned this book to me a while ago and i finally picked it up. It's lovely! It's a memoir of Angell's life, in part about growing up with his mom and step-dad, Katherine and E.B. (Andy) White--the former a founding editor of The New Yorker and the latter a NY writer as well as the famous children's novelist. This continues my interest in my grandparents' generation, though Angell couldn't be much more different from them (different coasts, different educations, different politics, VERY d...more
Despite my complete lack of interest in sports writing, Roger Angell's lineage as the son of Katherine White, stepson of E.B. White, and half brother of Joel White, one of Maine's most beloved boat builders, has always kept me half interested in his writing. This lovely, graceful memoir offers a double dose of White/Angell family history and writing style. Total loss of objectivity on my part, I live in Maine, and love it; work in the marine industry there, and love it; read constantly, and love...more
Feb 13, 2008
Jeremy
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes 300 pages of grandpa's stories
Recommended to Jeremy by:
it was a christmas gift
Didn't like it. I never liked true biographies because they seem to me just a person talking about themselves to validate their importance to the world. Some however could be an interesting fun story or present a topic that may be compelling. Unfortunately this was not one of those to me.This guy grew up very wealthy in NYC and was not affected by the depression nor any of the wars of his time. Only a divorce as a child and a career writing for the new yorker which was founded by his mother (nep...more
This was a wonderful book. Roger Angell has an irresistible prose style, which anyone who has read him in the New Yorker will know. The reason I gave it only 4 stars is that it is somewhat uneven, with some chapters downright boring. I loved the way he created sparkling, idelible portraits of his father, his mother Katharine White, a founding editor of the New Yorker, and his step-father, E.B. "Andy" White, the author of "Charlotte's Web," and the "Strunk & White" guide to style. His descrip...more
My 2 cents: compelling memoir by the New Yorker's longtime fiction editor and baseball writer. Packed with insights and moving recollections - I couldn't put it down. The best $1.50 I've ever spent at Amazon (an undeserved fate for this book, to be sent to the remainder table, but it's my gain - and someday I'll read it again). "Life is tough and brimming with loss, and the most we can do about it is to glimpse ourselves clear now and then, and find out what we feel about familiar scenes and rec...more
An enjoyable read, if not a consistent one. The stories I liked the best were The New Yorker reminiscences, the chapter on EB White, the author's WWII experiences, and the chapter on the author's father. I expected to like the baseball piece more than I did, considering Angell's history as a baseball writer, and some of the other chapters felt a little like filler. Still, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick read filled with the atmosphere of New York in the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. An...more
A memoir. Angell is a stepson of E. B. White. He is also a famous baseball sportswriter. This book is a series of essays he has written over the years as some of them published in New Yorker Magazine. Many of the essays he has written recently as he has reflected on his life. He made several references to E.B. White which I enjoyed reading because I have been a fan of his. If I had been 20 years older I might have enjoyed this book more because he writes of the era of the 1930s to the 1950s.
Beautifully written collection of essays/memoirs from one of the best baseball writers ever: Roger Angell. The pieces in this book only touch on his love of baseball, and how he grew up with it. They're mostly snippets of his childhood and young adulthood, intermingled with his fascinating family. Absolutely recommend this to anyone who just loves to read gorgeous sentences that add up to fabulous memoirs.
This fellow is the step-son of EB White and he worked at the New Yorker (as did his mother) for many years. These chapters have mostly appeared other places (like the New Yorker). He led a very privileged life, but in spite of that handicap, he can spin a good yarn. The chapter about EB White is worth reading the whole book. And don't miss the chapter where he mentions my hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa.
Kind of rambling and disjointed. It was actually a collection of Roger Angell's stories from the New Yorker magazine, so sometimes it got repetitive. I enjoyed "La Vie en Rose", which was a nostaglic look at his time spent in Europe with his first wife during the Edward and Wallis days. He also got me interested in reading Emily Hahn, although I've not yet done so. I have to add her to my list.
I'm not generally a fan of memoirs, since they usually are just tools for self-aggrandizement. But Angell is such a good writer, and usually rather humble. I've read a few books about the New Yorker, and if you believed them you'd think the magazine was the center of the world. Angell tries to keeps that to a minimum, though, so overall this book makes for a pleasant reading experience.
Of the short stories, Getting There, has been sitting with me since I read it. It is so unusual and phantom-like. A random meeting and time spent with someone, and wondering where it connects, or fits in to the life lived. Such a story I have never read before. I am not a fan of some of the other material but this story is worth the book.
Roger Angell's bits-and-pieces memoir is heavy on interesting anecdotes, but not particularly deep or reflective. In his chapter on growing up as the son of a New Yorker editor and the stepson of E.B. White the author draws sketches of their life together, but says little about how this felt to him as a young boy, adolescent, and adult.
I didn't think I'd be interested in a New Yorker editor reminiscing about his New Yorker friends and his privileged Manhattan life (as E.B. White's stepson, no less). But any life, when examined with honesty, vigor, and skill, can become a good and true story. Beautiful, clarified storytelling.
Roger Angell is perhaps the finest baseball writer of our time. For those that know him only for his baseball books, I strongly recommend you check this book out. He tells a wonderful story. In my mind, this memoir is up there with Wait 'Till Next Year and 'Tis as my favorites.
Fantastic collection of personal essays about the author's years at the New Yorker, life with Katharine and E.B. White (his mother and stepfather), and his childhood in the New York City of a bygone era. My only criticism is that it reads too quickly -- I wish it would last longer.
Memoir-like chapters by the son of Katharine and the stepson of EB White. Gracefully written vignettes of a life that moved easily from New York to Maine and throughout Europe. A life sheltered by privilege and engrossing work, he says, and shot through with good luck.
Let's see...we've got thoughtful stories about (among other things) baseball, parents and children; touring France after WWII, E.B. White, William Maxwell, martinis, friendships, and Emily Hahn (must add her books to my list). I just talked myself up to 5 stars.
Lots of detail on early days at the New Yorker. The author's stepfather was E.B. White. Held my interest, and was well written, but I would think the audience would be limited for this book. I did enjoy reading it, especially his memories of New York City.
This was not only a well written memoir, but I also REALLY enjoyed the history of New York City. Strangely, I have read multiple books this year that discuss various people's relationships with E.B. White and now I'm after a biography of him!
I enjoyed this despite a slow passage or two. Angell is an elegant writer and I found myself entranced by many of his descriptive lines. How could one not like "Astaire-like deftness and sense of style" when describing an editor?
Roger Angell has been a writer for the New Yorker forever. He was the stepson of EB White. I think Angell is in his 80s now, but he writes with a young voice, even about going to movies and baseball games in the 20s and 30s.
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Roger Angell (b. 1920) is a celebrated New Yorker writer and editor. First published in the magazine in 1944, he became a fiction editor and regular contributor in 1956; and remains as a senior editor and staff writer. In addition to seven classic books on baseball, which include The Summer Game (1972), Five Seasons (1977), and Season Ticket (1988), he has written works of fiction, humor, and a me...more
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