Join author Lynn Barber for the discussion of our February Book of the Month.. AN EDUCATION (Tue 23 February 8pm)

[TillyBookClub]

Lynn Barber's memoir, An Education (27 votes), has won our February Book of the Month poll, beating Liz Jenson's The Rapture (25 votes) and Sabrina Broadbent's You Don't Have to Be Good (22 votes).

We'll gather here to discuss the book on Tuesday 23 February, 8-9.30pm.

We're hoping that Lynn will join us for part of the evening and answer questions - will keep you posted.

For those who missed it, here were February's Book of the Month choices (and for anyone new to Bookclub, here's how it works).

[LynnBarber]

Emm: actually I do think theres some use in being able to recite or at least remember poetry - my husband could do it by the yard. I often think if I were in prison or on a desert island or something it would be good to know lots of poetry. there is a famous old anthology by ?Wavell? called Other Men's Flowers which is just poems the anthologist, who I think was a WWI general, could remember by heart.

[TeaOneSugar]

Hi Lynn,

I also loved the book, I didn't think I'd finish it time, but it was easy because I couldn't put it down.

Just wanted to say there are some great photos in the book, thanks for sharing them, it was good to be able to put faces to your family and also to set the scene in terms of the fashions and hairstyles of the day.

How did you feel about sharing you photo album with the world?

[champagnesupernova]

I love Vanity Fair
There was a v interesting prog that I half heard on R4 this morning about the current "credit crunch yawn" and how it was mirrored in the crisis after Waterloo
And made me think of Becky Sharp getting by on nothing a year.
I do love her feistiness.

[Carriemumsnet]

The two parts of the book seem very distinct, the bit that was made into the film and then everything else. I can completely relate to that compartmentalising thing of putting a bad memory away for a long time, but do you think the disastrous affair early on affected the way you related to people for the rest of your life?

Also did the title of the book come easily, or did you agonise over it. Did you have any alternatives?

[LynnBarber]

Tilly: I tried to make the chapter on D's death as honest and detailed as possible because I think a lot of writing about death sentimentalises it and makes it sound all much neater than it is.

[LynnBarber]

SuSylvester - prob only bits of London. the swinging sixties have been much exaggerated!

[champagnesupernova]

sorry that was just a lil' reverie by myself.

[Carriemumsnet]

Completely agree on folks making death sound neat. It's such a shock when you actually watch someone die and it's not like the movies. I still found the end of the book terribly sad, but compelling. Have to admit though I was so relieved that you'd misinterpreted the photo.

[LynnBarber]

Teaonesugar: glad you loved the book, and the pix. I was v pleased to have them published because they were getting all wrinkled and faded.

[duffy]

Hi Lynn, you really seemed to have enjoyed your time in the glory days of Fleet Street - I loved the expenses story when your Editor told you off for claiming too little. How does it all compare to the current hair-shirted, 24-7 days? - have the Sunday Times asked you to use Tweet on Twitter yet? Oh and why did you decide to go back there when you implied in the book that you'd not enjoyed your first spell there?

Thanks,
Ottavia

(also a former LEH girl)

[aspinall]

That is exactly how I felt Carriesmum, when I reached the end of the book- I was so relieved that the photo was 'innocent'.

[stealthsquiggle]

My mother denies any swinging was happening in her bit of North London - personally I think she doth protest a little too much - and when she met my (raised in Yorkshire) father at Oxford in 196? she had to force him to buy a pair of jeans - he only owned flannels

Lynn - knowing that I have only 'seen' Chapter 2 has duly intruiged me - I am off to Amazon!

[LynnBarber]

Carriemumsnet: the chapter that was made into a film was originally called The Conman, but Granta, who first published it, had had some other article called the Conman so I was forced to change it. But I think An Education is miles better anyway

[maryjane71]

Lynn, I'd read the 'innocent' photo story before, had even seen the photo before. Was it in The Mail on Sunday a few months ago?

[TillyBookClub]

A few more questions from earlier (apologies Lynn if you are already answering):

champagnesupernova: Was it WEIRD watching this interpretation of your life onscreen?

What's been the best and/or coollest thing to come out of having got everything down on paper and now celluloid?

carriemumsnet: do you think the disastrous affair early on affected the way you related to people for the rest of your life?

Also did the title of the book come easily, or did you agonise over it. Did you have any alternatives?

[LynnBarber]

Hi Ottavia - how was LEH in your day? didnt enjoy ST the first time simply bec I didnt like my editor but its OK this time. I thought the Obs was going to suffer death by a thousand cuts, tho actually I was wrong. But NOWHERE in journalism is as lavish as when I started!

[champagnesupernova]

Carrie, me too about the photo.
Although also something very tragi-comical i.e. real life about trying to find a photo SANS lobster

[LynnBarber]

maryjane: yes, the mail on sun published extract

[TillyBookClub]

Thinking of Becky Sharp, was she a sort of role model in your early years? (I'm just remembering the moment in the book where you say David is fundamentally 'good', whereas you had learnt to lie due to the relationship with Simon. And also the part where you describe being desperate to sound sophisticated)

[duffy]

Seem to recall a head teacher called Miss Smalley who reeked of booze. But unlike you, I gather, I enjoyed all the sport - your description of lax made me chuckle a lot by the way .

[GeraldineMumsnet]

Thanks for your answers, Lynn.

What do you reckon to Kindles, the iPad etc? Do you think newspapers and mags will manage to survive the next technological shift? And do you think there's still the same appetite among readers for interviews, now that so many people have their own blog, websites etc?

(And do you prefer mags or novels for reading in the bath?)

[TillyBookClub]

One last literary question: which living writer do you enjoy most?

[LynnBarber]

Tilly: not weird seeing it on screen because Id read all Nicks drafts beforehand and knew about the changes from my story. But seeing my school recreated was a bit weird.

[maryjane71]

How old were you in the photo on the cover of the book? I guessed about 15 but there is a glass of red there!

[Emmmm]

It's good being reminded of bits of the book (like the lobsters!)- i read it a few weeks ago and so it's not as fresh. I was quite shocked about the lunches/expenses stuff. Having recently read another very thin book by i can't remember who (emails to her freinds as she was dying from cancer with twins), i thought her husband wrote very honestly and refreshingly about her dying and the distance between them etc which came back into my head when you wrote about david's illness. The worst part of your book was that it was so slim - read it in just two days (with 9 month baby) - guess i wanted even more. Will you do a Diana Athill and write more meomoir as you get older?