From Publishers Weekly
"We see only what we look for in need," notes novelist and memoirist Grumbach, quoting Roger Fry at the end of this new collection of meditations on, among other things, turning 80. While Fry was commenting on the human ability to experience art, Grumbach's concern is our ability to remember and appreciate life. In her recent memoirs (Extra Innings, etc.) and meditation daybooks (Life in a Day, etc.), Grumbach has turned from fiction to highly personalized, often idiosyncratic ruminations on the past and on the role of prayer and contemplation in everyday life. Here, she combines the two forms to produce a provocative, beautifully crafted personal history and meditation on death. Remembrances of friends who have died--Kay Boyle, Dorothy Day, May Sarton--mix with a nostalgia for the past without becoming sentimental or dogmatically traditional. Grumbach's stories and observations are always unusual and astute: she recounts being sexually assaulted by Bertrand Russell, wonders about the propriety of Gordon Lish's intrusive editing techniques and notes May Sarton's feat of "projecting a noble, unselfish... generous and warm-hearted public persona, entirely unlike her true self." After reading this slim volume, readers will be convinced that Grumbach's private self is as intelligent and generous as her public persona. (May) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Venerable novelist, literary editor, columnist, and reviewer Grumbach has penned her fourth memoir. Her reminiscences are interwoven with concerns about the preparations she is making for her 80th birthday party at her home in Maine. While considering who to invite, she recalls family and friends, living and dead, and muses about her satisfying career as a member of important literary circles. She quotes from favorite books, gossips about fellow authors, and writes candidly about her loving relationships with her longtime lesbian helpmate and her ex-husband. This collection of wise ramblings reveals a vibrant and perceptive older woman who has lived the fullest of lives and delights in sharing her surprising and meaningful observations. Recommended for public and academic libraries. [Grumbach has won the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement presented by the Publishing Triangle.--Ed.]--Carol A. McAllister, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, V.---Carol A. McAllister, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Grumbach has been sharing her thoughts and observations over the last decade in a quietly compelling and always satisfying series of memoirs that chronicle her foray into the golden years. In her latest installment, she decides to celebrate her eightieth birthday in style; frettings over party arrangements alternate with more characteristic reflections regarding literature, prayer, and people who intrigue her. In finely etched profiles, Grumbach remembers her dead, including such fascinating figures as Kay Boyle, Dorothy Day, and May Sarton, and writes more forthrightly than ever before about her 25-year relationship with bookstore owner Sybil and her ongoing friendship with her ex-husband, with whom she lived happily for three decades. A book reviewer and newspaper columnist for many years, Grumbach retains her habit of formulating knowledgeable and stimulating opinions, then expressing them with verve and candor. Here, she adds charm to the mix. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
An eightieth-birthday party is cause for reflection on an extraordinary life of letters from one of our most prized writers "This was the summer of my unexpected content," writes Doris Grumbach of the months in which she plans a "shindig," gets a pet, and buys a new car, "the height of foolish optimism" for a woman of eighty. As a writer known for her meditations on solitude, Grumbach delivers a surprising and enchanting memoir of the writers, friends, and loves who have accompanied her in mind and body throughout her life. From her days as a proofreader at Mademoiselle in the 1940s, she recalls a parade of celebrity —from Gypsy Rose Lee to Carson McCullers. She shocks with a story of a sexual encounter with Bertrand Russell, explains the meaning of the recent loss of May Sarton, and names a new cat after her acquaintance and Washington journalist Kitty Kelley. For the first time, she writes openly about her lesbian partnership and her marriage to a man she loved. With guides such as Malcolm Cowley, Samuel Beckett, Thomas Merton, and Virginia Woolf, Grumbach's revelling in the company of writers and friends shows us what it means to keep the living and the dead in our lives. "[Grumbach's] prose shines with a serene grace." —The New York Times


About the Author
Doris Grumbach, author of many books including Fifty Days of Solitude (Beacon /08070-7061-0 / $11.00 pb), Life in a Day (Beacon / 08070-7089-0 / $10.00 pb), and The Presence of Absence (Beacon / 08070-7093-9 / $13.00 pb), has been literary editor of The New Republic, a nonfiction columnist for the The New York Times Book Review, and a book reviewer for National Public Radio. She lives in Maine.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Using the occasion of her eightieth-birthday party to reflect on the past, Grumbach delivers an enchanting memoir of the writers, friends, and loves who have accompanied her in mind and body through an extraordinary life of letters." "Through her eyes we enter the rich literary world of the twentieth century. From her days as a proofreader at Mademoiselle in the 1940s, Grumbach recalls a parade of celebrities - from Gypsy Rose Lee to Carson McCullers. She relives a shocking encounter with Bertrand Russell, explains the meaning of the recent loss of May Sarton, and names a new cat after her acquaintance and Washington journalist Kitty Kelley." "With guides such as Malcolm Cowley, Samuel Beckett, Thomas Merton, and Virginia Woolf, Grumbach's reveling in the company of writers and friends shows us what it means to keep the living and the dead in our lives.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

"We see only what we look for in need," notes novelist and memoirist Grumbach, quoting Roger Fry at the end of this new collection of meditations on, among other things, turning 80. While Fry was commenting on the human ability to experience art, Grumbach's concern is our ability to remember and appreciate life. In her recent memoirs (Extra Innings, etc.) and meditation daybooks (Life in a Day, etc.), Grumbach has turned from fiction to highly personalized, often idiosyncratic ruminations on the past and on the role of prayer and contemplation in everyday life. Here, she combines the two forms to produce a provocative, beautifully crafted personal history and meditation on death. Remembrances of friends who have died--Kay Boyle, Dorothy Day, May Sarton--mix with a nostalgia for the past without becoming sentimental or dogmatically traditional. Grumbach's stories and observations are always unusual and astute: she recounts being sexually assaulted by Bertrand Russell, wonders about the propriety of Gordon Lish's intrusive editing techniques and notes May Sarton's feat of "projecting a noble, unselfish... generous and warm-hearted public persona, entirely unlike her true self." After reading this slim volume, readers will be convinced that Grumbach's private self is as intelligent and generous as her public persona. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

Venerable novelist, literary editor, columnist, and reviewer Grumbach has penned her fourth memoir. Her reminiscences are interwoven with concerns about the preparations she is making for her 80th birthday party at her home in Maine. While considering who to invite, she recalls family and friends, living and dead, and muses about her satisfying career as a member of important literary circles. She quotes from favorite books, gossips about fellow authors, and writes candidly about her loving relationships with her longtime lesbian helpmate and her ex-husband. This collection of wise ramblings reveals a vibrant and perceptive older woman who has lived the fullest of lives and delights in sharing her surprising and meaningful observations. Recommended for public and academic libraries. [Grumbach has won the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement presented by the Publishing Triangle.--Ed.]--Carol A. McAllister, Coll. of William and Mary Lib., Williamsburg, VA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Booknews

Using the occasion of her 80th birthday party to reflect of the past, Grumbach, author of many books, delivers a memoir of writers, friends, and lovers who have accompanied her in mind and body through an extraordinary life of letters. She recalls a parade of celebrities, from Gypsy Rose Lee to Carson McCullers. Lacks a subject index. Grumbach has been a literary editor of , and a book reviewer for National Public Radio. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Leslie Chess Feller - The New York Times Book Review

[A] buoyant memoir...The reader doesn't want this party to be over.

Le Anne Schreiber - The New York Times