Though the original publication dates of the work compiled for this collection span from 1965 to 2010, many of the personal narratives included cover an even wider swath of Fox's life, making for a delightful read. An insightful and sturdy writer, Fox (Desperate Characters) remains humble, curious, and thoroughly likable across decades and genres. While the story "The Broad Estates of Death," published in Harper's in 2004, will be wonderfully familiar to many readers, her essays often seem even more original and telling. Particularly poignant is "Way Down Yonder," in which Fox recalls moving to New Orleans in 1940 and the writer couple from whom she rented a room. In it, we see the city, the segregation, and the early inklings of Fox's own life of letters. Equally captivating is the remembrance of a gay friend whom Fox met while she was a single mother in Manhattan, working as a teacher. With such a rich life history from which to draw, Fox is both wholly singular in her perspective and as knowable and trustworthy as a favorite neighbor. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Spanning 45 years, this collection of memoirs, topical essays, and short fiction showcases award-winning children's and adult author Fox's range and craftsmanship as a reflective analyst of contemporary society and a ruminative chronicler of one woman's ongoing mission to understand her place in the world. Atmospheric pieces recall complex days in New Mexico as a young bride seeking acceptance from a new family, and, later, in New York in the 1980s, watching a dear friend succumb to AIDS. Brushes with cinematic and literary giants such as Franchot Tone and D. H. Lawrence's muse are rendered with a searing intimacy that reveals details only a keen observer such as Fox could recall. The same attention to the subtle nuances of daily life glimmer through Fox's stories, from the angst of a man who seeks, but does not find, solace in the companionship of a pet, to the conflicting memories elicited by the rekindling of a lapsed friendship. Deeply contemplative and disarmingly courageous, Fox's work astonishes readers with its lucidity.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist