As They Were
I meant to be farther along in this book by now as it is a collection of essays. But I have been savoring every page and have about one hundred pages to go. It is a beautiful book and is really very good. From the back cover:
"...In As They Were she has collected a number of essays -- she calls them 'reports' -- into an informal autobiography that wanders from Whittier, California, to the south of France." -- Newsweek
So far, one story stands out, "The Flame and the Ash Thereof". It is a hauntingly beautiful autobiographical short story about young marrieds vacationing in northeast France in 1931. It is also a story about the bride's return in 1945, now on her own, after reading about the devastation wrought to her special little town by the Germans in WWII. The before and after contrast is heartbreaking. More than parts of the town disappeared, a way of life was also lost. MFK draws one into both worlds. It is a story I will never forget.
The little I had read of MFK Fisher before starting this project left me wondering if I would ever "get" her writing. Now I have no doubts. She is marvelous.
The Collected Stories of Colette
There are 100 stories in this collection, taken from various books by Colette. They date from 1908 to 1945. Part I contains the "Early Stories". The first section of Part I is "Clouk/Cheri", containing seven stories.
You might be familiar with the novella "Cheri", by Colette. The seven stories in Part I are stand alone stories, but also show the evolution of the character Cheri from "Clouk". Clouk is a miserable poor little rich boy, physically unattractive and is becoming ever more depressed over the loss of his actress girlfriend to another man. Colette turns Clouk into "Cheri", a young handsome bon vivant who loves an older woman but is forced into an arranged marriage. The stories are very well-written, evocative of an earlier age, and quite charming in their way.
On my list of things to do as soon as I can fit it in is to watch this movie with Michelle Pfeiffer as "the older woman":
Cheri
I will check back in on this phase of My Legacy Project in a few weeks. Also, look for a new page on the blog for MFK Fisher. I will organize My Reading Road Map using Pages for each person whose Legacy Library I am reading.
Now, I am off for a couple of days so I can spend some family time here:
You might be familiar with the novella "Cheri", by Colette. The seven stories in Part I are stand alone stories, but also show the evolution of the character Cheri from "Clouk". Clouk is a miserable poor little rich boy, physically unattractive and is becoming ever more depressed over the loss of his actress girlfriend to another man. Colette turns Clouk into "Cheri", a young handsome bon vivant who loves an older woman but is forced into an arranged marriage. The stories are very well-written, evocative of an earlier age, and quite charming in their way.
On my list of things to do as soon as I can fit it in is to watch this movie with Michelle Pfeiffer as "the older woman":
Cheri
I will check back in on this phase of My Legacy Project in a few weeks. Also, look for a new page on the blog for MFK Fisher. I will organize My Reading Road Map using Pages for each person whose Legacy Library I am reading.
Now, I am off for a couple of days so I can spend some family time here:
Peace and Quiet
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