The Tick of Two Clocks: A Tale of Moving On

by Joan Bakewell

'An inspiration to anyone who still finds old age too distressing a prospect to take seriously' The Times



Old age is no longer a blip in the calendar, just a few declining years before the end. Old age is now a major and important part of life: It should command as much thought - even anxiety - as teenagers give to exam results and young marrieds how many children to have . . . I am in my 80s and moving towards the end of my life. But in a more actual sense, I have moved from my dear home of 50 odd years into another . . . the home where I will be until the end. Writing here of how it has happened is in a sense a reconciliation with what cannot be avoided, but which can be confronted

When Joan Bakewell, Labour Peer, author and famous champion of the older people's right to a good and fruitful life, decided that she could no longer remain in her old home, she had to confront what she calls 'the next segment of life.'

Disposing of things accumulated during a long life, saying goodbye to her home and the memories of more than fifty years, thinking about what is needed for downsizing - all suddenly became urgent and emotional tasks. And then there was managing family expectations. Some new projects such as planning the colours and layout of a new, smaller flat, were exciting and some things - the ridding herself of books, paintings, memento - took courage.

So much of the world is on the move- voluntarily or not - and so many people are living to a great old age. In using the tale of her own life, Joan Bakewell tells us a story of our times and how she is learning to live to the sound and tune of The Tick of Two Clocks: the old and the new.

170 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Joan Dawson Bakewell, Baroness Bakewell, DBE, HonFBA, FRSA, is an English journalist, television presenter and Labour Party peer. Baroness Bakewell is president of Birkbeck, University of London; she is also an author and playwright, and has been awarded Humanist of the year for services to humanism.

Reviews

[James]

'The Tick of Two Clocks - A Tale of Moving On' (2021) is Joan Bakewell's recounting of her transition into old age.

Downsizing from her erstwhile home of 50+ years to something more practical with age and infirmity on the horizon and in mind....as with us all

I'm a great admirer of Joan Bakewell, as a broadcaster, a campaigner, as someone who broke through the gender barriers in television in the 1960s...and in general

I can't help but be somewhat underwhelmed by this latest book (written during, leading up to, shortly after COVID lockdown?).

I did expect more, I thought there would be more psychological insights, of the , into the trauma, but there's very little of that.

It's by no means a bad book, it's well written, but really comes down in the main part to 'how I had to get rid of loads of stuff before I moved to a much smaller house'

Very pleasant meander through that process, acknowledged by Bakewell to be one of privileged position, hence she has quite a team of professionals to smooth/speed her on her way...

There are some passages concerning the different approaches to housing for the elderly, but this would have benefited from more depth.

Very nice, please and agreeable meander through Bakewell's mind through a time of change in lifestyle and living arrangements.

[Claire O'Sullivan]

A lovely end to the reading year.Thoughtful.. and slightly worrying as I look at my life’s accumulation …

[zenni]

i really enjoyed reading this and loved that she’s from manchester, it seems like the feelings of moving home don’t really change much as your life goes on but it was interesting and bittersweet to read about it from the perspective of somewhere being your final move ever

i screamed when she said her rent when she first to moved to london was £5 pw ?! britain can you pls bring this back

[Mags]

I didn't know of Joan bakewell, but was leant the book to read, interesting in some parts, lots of names of people she had contact with or admired. Downsizing or change is hard for anyone in that dilemma late in life, for Joan maybe slightly easier as she had funds to get help and more choice, not physically having to do it all herself. Wealth helps with many things.
The inequality of wealth and poverty as Joan mentions seems more vast these days. With the wealthy percent having extreme wealth.
But I did like her last chapters of nostalgia , the way memories are lost till we remember some small detail that leads us down a path to more .

[Sara Green]

A short (I intentionally picked up a whole stack of books less than 200 pages on my last library visit) biographical piece, which sees Joan Bakewell, in her late 80s, downsize from a Victorian terrace to an artists studio in her North London neighbourhood.

In many ways it’s the fantasy move into old age that many would like to imagine - Joan has the studio reworked by architects to meet her needs, and employs people to help her declutter and dispose of her possessions and rehang her art in her new home - but she does have the grace to acknowledge her enormous privilege in this, so it didn’t rankle with me. And in some ways it was nice to enter that dream where positive choices still remain for us in very old age.

[David Ellis]

Joan Bakewell has been an interesting and articulate voice in the British media for many years. This slim and pleasant book is her account of “downsizing”, at the age of 87, from a large Islington town house to a smaller studio. Much of it concerns the practical details of the move, but there are some interesting passages on her choice of which books and pictures to keep and which to let go, and some observations on memory and ageing. She acknowledges she is lucky to have the means not just to buy a very nice new home in a great location, but to employ a team of architects, builders, interior designers, gardeners and even a “de-clutterer” to help her.

[Susan]

I bought this after hearing Baroness Bakewell speak at the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival. I could hear her voice throughout, echoing many of the anecdotes she had shared during her talk. I didn’t feel it gave me a particular insight into what I need to plan for my ok’d age - but I’ve moved multiple times and so have learned about the accumulation of stuff and how to strip it out. It’s a fairly entertaining and shirt read. I was disappointed to note a number of proof-reading errors - I expect better of Virago.

[Gill]

I was rather disappointed with this. The writing is sometimes quite trivial. However, it's worth ploughing through the North London name-dropping to find the paragraphs of real wisdom. An 80 year old friend in the middle of a similar move, found them very helpful - to know she was going through identical emotions

[Julia Povall]

I was a little underwhelmed by this book. A great idea but not terribly well delivered. Some good insights were shared, however, I found the book veered off the subject and became more of a general autobiographical account of various decades of her life which were not always linked to the present dilemma of downsizing.

[Rosy Ford]

Interesting and thought provoking

I enjoyed learning
about Joan's life in houses and how she planned her move. Should have liked more about the interior design and how she made her new home into her forever home

[Susannah]

I gave this to my parents as a keen suggestion that they declutter, Dad didn't read it as it's 'for old people' but I did and really enjoyed reading her, she is a modest woman that is obviously much respected in many different circles.

[Liz Owen]

3.5
Interesting perspective on growing older, facing up to the realities of age, downsizing and decluttering!
There were also good and thoughtful observations on Joan Bakewell's life and times, described as a " short century."

[Donna]

Interesting book which has ran in parallel to my parents downsizing and the angst in letting go of things. Weaved in between this culture, politics and forgotten times. Worth a read if only to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel with life's changes.

[Karen Morley-Chesworth]

A beautifully written account of accepting and embracing growing old and facing the final chapter of life under your own terms.

[Peter Wood]

A story of downsizing - probably largely applicable at any age. Enjoyable.