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Unusually attractive, speaking little English, she does not appear to have suffered from loneliness or alienation when she finally moved to England, although in London her most cherished companion was a dog. At Dartington Hall, and later at Oxford, she studied her contemporaries with little comprehension. She was ready to fall in love, and indeed much inclined to do so, perhaps as a result of her upbringing. Her attachments are recounted without sentimentality. But what mainly fascinated her was the range of wiles and tactics displayed by other girls.
No slouch herself, she was essentially an observer.
As is usually the case, she discovered that working life could be much more instructive than any formal education. Her long and successful career at the Observer and at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph, starting as a secretary and progressing to various editorships, as well as instigating a books slot on Channel 4, she found completely fulfilling. There are few complaints about the work/life balance. She was fortunate in both her husbands, John Gross and Geoffrey Owen; fortunate, too, in her mentors, notably Terence Kilmartin.
Her progress up the ladder was un-hindered, and thoroughly and deeply appreciated. Throughout, the assumption seems to have been that all would go well. There is no trace of anger or regret. This is either through good fortune or immense tact. Such manners are unusual in confessional writing. Warm friendships persisted, and affectionate portraits of George Weidenfeld and Sonia Orwell are included, as well as interviews with Philip Larkin, Francis Bacon, Harold Pinter and Anthony Powell.
This is very definitely a success story, and perhaps a lesson in how to combine various aspects of life in a seamless whole. Few people manage to achieve this fusion: many are left to lament failure in this seemingly impossible endeavour. As a record of a fulfilled life, Miriam Gross’s account is almost startling.
The memoir is a valuable genre, only derided when excessively self-justifying. It takes courage to review one’s life, and the exercise is rigorous. In this example, modest and well-written, the result is exemplary. Do not be deceived by the title. Whatever the ancestral voices, all the best English virtues are on display.
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