<p><b>A <i>Sunday Times</i> Top 10 Bestseller</b><br><br>In this remarkable memoir of love, loss and literature, acclaimed biographer Claire Tomalin turns her eye to another fascinating literary life: her own. She tells of a wartime childhood, Cambridge friendships and an early marriage to a brilliant journalist. After his sudden death in a war zone, Claire is left to raise their four children alone - all while leading a trail-blazing career in literary London. <br><br><i>A Life of My Own </i>is the tale of a woman overcoming obstacles both rare and routine to live not only a good but also a meaningful life.<br><b><br>''A dramatic and absorbing survivor''s tale'' Hilary Spurling, <i>Spectator</i><br><br>''Unexpectedly moving. Tomalin''s story filled me with a kind of awe. Every page is valiant, every paragraph full of pluck'' Rachel Cooke, <i>New Statesman</i><br><br>''She has been tested in ways few women are. This memoir is a triumph'' Valerie Grove, <i>Literary Review</i></b></p>