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A Life in Questions
- Narrated by: Jeremy Paxman
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
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A Life in Questions
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Summary
The witty, incisive and frank memoir of the best-selling author of The Victorians, Jeremy Paxman, whose career at the BBC included 25 years as the uncompromising presenter of Newsnight.
Covering insights on politicians of every stamp over the last half century, reporting from war zones, the state of the BBC, the role of journalism in our political system and much more, Jeremy Paxman's long-awaited and candid memoir is packed with opinions and good humour on every page.
Critic reviews
"He writes with wit and penetration, and every page of Empire can be read with relaxed pleasure." ( Spectator)
"Paxman is witty, incisive, acerbic and opinionated.... In short, he carries the whole thing off with panache bordering on effrontery." ( Sunday Times)
"A very engaging account...with a good sprinkling of jokes, funny nicknames and sexual references. Paxman makes some very sharp points and writes well." ( Guardian)
"Bursting with good things." ( Daily Telegraph)
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What listeners say about A Life in Questions
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean
- 17-11-16
Really good
Excellent book about a very interesting individual. Having Paxman himself read it added to it greatly.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bookish
- 24-04-17
Engaging and funny
I bought this on the recommendation of other reviewers, I'm not a die hard Paxo fan but Jeremy Paxman's narration was wonderful. He really brought the story to life and gave a great insight into his life, politics and the BBC with playful humour.
This was a fun listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joe
- 14-10-17
A superb listen
Jeremy Paxman being his true self, no nonsense style, yet very, very interesting and his usual dry sense of humour.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberto Gorrara
- 17-03-24
Not sure it is what I expected - but good nonetheless.
I enjoyed it all - interesting to hear about JPs early life and schooling. I feel I came to it somewhat late. Still good.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zoe Dawes
- 15-10-16
Like the BBC: informative, educational and entertaining
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Jeremy Paxman tell his own story. Fascinating insight into a journalist' and TV presenter's world. He even manages to make politics interesting. It's not exactly an auto-biography as he once he reaches post-university days he seldom refers to his personal life i.e. marriage etc. (He does explain that he won't be discussing family life at the start of the book.)
It's mainly about his time at the BBC as a journalist and presenter of Newsnight and University Challenge. Riveting stuff, with a fair sprinkling of Paxman brio and at times rather unconvincing dash of humility. The book goes to Post-Brexit and ends on an upbeat note about his life and times. Loved every minute.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ash
- 19-01-17
Honest, engaging and worthwhile.
As a regular viewer of University Challenge and occasional Newsnight viewer I like Paxman, and chose to read this book on the expectation that he'd have led an interesting life.
There are indeed some great stories in the book but what I most enjoyed is the sense of an ordinary man going down his own peculiar path in life but without bending too much to the will of others.
Having read the book I'd firmly place Paxman on my list of people I'd happily go for a pint with, and I'd even go so far as to say the first round could be on me.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 19-02-21
Open, Honest and Entertaining
Read by the author himself, this is a superb listen. It briefly covers his early life and then gets into the substance of his career which he tackles with brutal self-reflection, candour and humour. His personal life is mostly left unsaid but I found his relationship, or lack of, with his father to be fascinating if sad. All in all this is an excellent listen from one of our finest journalists and broadcasters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Susan Whitehead
- 06-11-16
A life in question
A very interesting book read by the author which adds to its enjoyment. It holds many insights into the workings of the BBC . It would have been even more interesting if Jeremy had included something more of his private life as well.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kevin Mills
- 16-04-18
A fascinating view of Britain , politics and the BBC.
Jeremy Paxham gives us a ring side view of some of the people politics and institutions that have shaped modern Britain over the last 40 years . A very honest and enjoyable account of his and our journey .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ann D
- 18-10-16
An unexpcted gem!
What about Jeremy Paxman’s performance did you like?
He read it beautifully and the audio experience was definitely enhanced by him reading his biography himself.
Any additional comments?
Prior to reading this, I wasn't particularly keen on Paxman. However, I am always interested in the backstory of politics and journalism. Therefore, curiosity got the better of me and here we are. This is an excellent book. Yes, Paxman's somewhat pompous style is there, but I learned that he would probably agree if that accusation was put to him. He is actually quite self aware, and is open about his weaknesses. Much emphasis has been placed by the media on his exploration of his relationship with his father. That is here of course, but he also covers a range of other subjects, from the expected political interviews, to the unexpected account of why fishing is more that simply standing there with a rod (which was surprisingly engaging). I have found with many biographies that I am just becoming very interested in an account of something, when the author moves on. Not so here. Paxman shows an ability to spend the optimum time on each issue, enough to satisfy, but never bores. I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
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7 people found this helpful