
Always Unreliable is the omnibus edition of the first three volumes of Clive James’ memoirs (he has since written two more):
- Unreliable Memoirs (1981)
- Falling Towards England (1986)
- May Week Was In June (1990)
This is a lot of James’ company to keep, and while largely fun and interesting, the faults magnify through repetition. It makes it harder than it should be to say I really liked this book, or James as revealed within it. He is though almost always interesting, generous to others in his assessments, and fundamentally honest, and for that I can forgive a lot. James is amusing, even laugh out loud funny at times, but from the experience of reading this, I would say his style suits shorter forms, where his wit runs less danger of becoming monotonous.
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