An Open Book

by Monica Dickens

..

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Memoir, Literature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

From the publisher: MONICA DICKENS, born in 1915, was brought up in London and was the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens. Her mother's German origins and her Catholicism gave her the detached eye of an outsider; at St Paul's Girls' School she was under occupied and rebellious. After drama school she was a debutante before working as a cook. One Pair of Hands (1939), her first book, described life in the kitchens of Kensington. It was the first of a group of semi autobiographies of which Mariana (1940), technically a novel, was one. 'My aim is to entertain rather than instruct,' she wrote. 'I want readers to recognise life in my books.' In 1951 Monica Dickens married a US naval officer, Roy Stratton, moved to America and adopted two daughters. An extremely popular writer, she involved herself in, and wrote about, good causes such as the Samaritans. After her husband died she lived in a cottage in rural Berkshire, dying there in 1992.
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Reviews

[Winona Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Monica Dickens' autobiography. I read it during a very difficult time in my life, and enjoyed it a lot. I rarely write fan letters, but this one inspired me to send a letter to Ms. Dickens telling her how much she'd inspired me as a writer.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost stopped reading this book when I found it was going to be about Monica Dickens and not her great grandfather but I am so glad I stayed with it. I have never read any of her other 80 books but this bio was great, Little of it was about her . more about all the books she wrote and the inspiration for them. very witty.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found myself reading this after I read her book One Pair Of Hands and the other one, One Pair Of Feet, I think.

It was very enjoyable, funny, warm. Interesting in the way it caught the eras she lived through.

[Libre Paley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember having a ‘phase’ of reading Monica Dickens in my late teens… I particularly adored her (coming of age) novel Mariana and one of her several memoirs One Pair of Hands (about working as a domestic servant and cook, despite Dickens’s wealthy background). Whether fiction or factual account, Dickens largely wrote close to her own experience, her characters being from upper-middle-class backgrounds, contemporary to the author’s own life – at least the pre WW2 work (Dickens was born in 1915 and died in 1992 – and yes, she is related to ‘the other’ Dickens, being his great-granddaughter).

I re-read Mariana recently and thought I would take a look at Dickens’s autobiography. It was quite a life, in addition to her varied work experiences (as journalist and writer, cook, and nurse, all documented by herself), Dickens was a debutante (a quaint and out-moded idea where girls of a certain background were presented to the reigning monarch (!) then enjoyed their first ‘season’ of socialising in London, then moved to USA after her marriage in the 1940s. Living in Washington DC, she and her American husband adopted two daughters and she undertook humanitarian work alongside (prolific) writing and broadcasting, returning to UK in the 1980s.
Phew. So, the fact Dickens feeds so much of her life and experiences into her writing means some parts of her autobiography are already familiar. However, there are some interesting insights into her childhood as the youngest of three and feeling a bit of a misfit, then her journey to find her place in the world. Then later the sorrow of her brother’s death during the war, and the conflict between her commitments at home and new family in the US.

Overall An Open Book is a bit of a curiosity, as interesting for its window into a certain period in history in a specific place as it is a peep into the author’s life. But Dickens is a great story-teller and this reader was kept engrossed.
By the way, one of the interesting nuggets for anyone who’s written their own book/s is when Dickens writes about promoting her work – it seems some things don’t change that much.

[Paul Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, Monica was related to Charles - great grand daughter. No, I had not heard of her until I found this book on my father's shelf. Thus, to read a memoir of someone you have no preconception about is both a risk and, in this case, a delight. 'An Open Book' is charming, humane and unexpected. Dickens writes with a blend of formality and frankness, of intelligence and whimsy. She relates her wide range of experience - authot, journalist, servant, nurse, factory hand, horse lover, etc - with a keen, self-deprecating eye. Moreover, amongst the obvious nostalgia and unmistakable signs of wealth and privilege, there is a strongly felt sense of compassion and rebellion. Reading this memoir you feel an outcast soul, someone living a slight remove from those around her; and it is here perhaps that the deepest connections are made. From knowing nothing about her, I am now intrigued. Indeed, I do believe I would have liked her very much.

[Sula · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. An Open Book is an interesting look back into the past, but is best read after her other autobiographical/semi-autobiographical books that take elements of her unusual life and are gems of humour and a slice of the world at the time. This is more gentle, and the quirky aspects less touched upon (understandably as they are covered elsewhere). Towards the end I did start to lose interest, but I was pleasantly surprised by some moving paragraphs showing skill not just in humour. While I enjoyed it, it didn't stand out in the way her other books have done.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well written, very enjoyable. she was a very active and involved woman.

[Joseph Hageman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, well-written book about Monica Dickens' life, including all of her different jobs as a cook, nurse, jet engine expert during the Second World War, successful author!

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

My desire was not so much for the celluloid dolls and half inch nails, as for the forbidden thrill of crime

But for a while I had tasted the poisoned isolation that drives people to think of suicide

[Eve O'C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[chloe the bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

where do I even begin... I picked this book up from a thrift store knowing absolutely nothing. There was no jacket to the book, and all I read was "An Open Book" Monica Dickens and I felt my book spidey sense telling me: "YOU NEED TO READ THIS" my god, my book spidey sense is so right. Reading Monica's life memoirs, I felt connected to so much that was going on in her life, even though it was happening decades and decades ago. I wish she was still alive so I could let her know how important her life story is to me.

some of my favourite quotes from the book (that I relate HEAVILY to) are:

"You can stand anything as long as you know its not forever."

"I was afraid some of the time, hungry most of the time, and tired all the time."

"People who you have the strength to help can destroy you if you are not quite strong enough."

The only thing I don't feel right about is when she decided not to adopt a child due to her physical deformity. I can both understand why she couldn't, but I also don't have respect for that choice she made. But who am I to judge her? Monica Dickens is truly a remarkable woman whose legacy will be passed down, and be far more significant in my life than her great grandfather Charles Dickens (in my opinion, I could never stand charles).

One lesson I learnt reading "An Open Book" was how I have so much of my life left to live, so many events and stories I still have to tell. I can go through any level of pain and come out happy and fulfilled knowing the love of friends and joy of laughter. I know that's hella cheesy but Monica's vulnerability with sharing her real-life events really struck me.

[Janet Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have most of hers. Definitely 'keepers' especially as it's so hard to get books from the libraries these days. They don't have any Donald E. Westlakes at all. Quite shocking. This is an excellent read as always.