An angel at my table
an autobiography : volume two
*An Angel at My Table* proves once again that Janet Frame's magical command of language is not confined to fiction. It starts with her journey to begin life as a student, continues with her incarceration in mental hospitals, 'a concentrated course in the horrors of insanity', and ends with her meeting with Charles Brasch, Karl and Kay Stead, and most importantly Frank Sargeson who supported and encouraged her. It is this slow release from the past, this taking of a deep breath, figuratively speaking, that the reader will recall, rather than her descriptions of 'forced submissions to custodial capture'.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fiction · Nonfiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest disturbing or confinement-related situations. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-0915-6911-2
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL26336088M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
- Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
- What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Fiction books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
"You Won't Remember Me"
by Marvin Hoffman
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length.
A Journey from This World to the Next
by Henry Fielding
Why it fits: shares Fiction and Nonfiction, a similar reading length.
Gold in the Hills
by Candice Ransom
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length.
Prudence (Historical Romance)
by Elizabeth Bailey
Why it fits: shares Fiction and Nonfiction, a similar reading length.
Samuel Beckett and the Prosthetic Body
by Yoshiki Tajiri
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length.
There Must Be an Ocean Between Us
by Thea K Lindauer
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length.