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readingoverbreathing's review against another edition
4.0
"Fair, not rare, this day in June was like all the days of all the summers and as she rose, step by step, up the spiraling stem of her beautiful house, serenity ripened in her face and she parted her kips in a fond smile, cherishing everything she surveyed and smelled and heard . . ."
This was an impulse buy I made the last time I was in New York, which was almost two and a half years ago. I knew absolutely nothing about Jean Stafford or the book itself, merely purchasing it because this splendid cover caught my eye.
This book turned out to be a simple summer story, the classic staying with your cousin in her large house in the country sort of thing, which really hit the spot for me. I found the character studies of both Andrew and Katharine fascinating, and the writing was absolutely exquisite; Stafford's lush descriptions of the house turned this whole story into an atmospheric wonderland, lush and delectable to read.
With its simple plot, the length was perfect, and I never felt it dragged anywhere; the climactic ending which unfolded so quickly in the last few pages could have felt rushed, but I found it exhilarating and well thought through within the wider structure of the book.
I'm aware Jean Stafford is best known for her short stories, and after so enjoying her writing, I'm keen to pick them up as soon as I can. Stafford reminds me a bit of a northern Flannery O'Connor, perhaps with a dash of Edith Wharton, and to me, that's an ideal combination in which I'd like to continue to indulge.
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