The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 5 March 1998
by Eudora Welty
In this autobiographical book, Welty tells us of her Southern upbringing, her caring parents, and the listening and seeing that gave her a literary voice. It is a beautiful look back into this author's life, back to the landscape of an America long gone. Welty draws a countryside of old trains, schoolyards, and dusky houses and populates it with her extended family, uncles, aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents. Throughout, there are hints as to the origins of her writing, with allusions to the passage of time and the characters who came and went over the years. Welty points out how specific people found their way into her stories, almost without her knowledge. And, she describes discovering herself in her stories and through the process of writing. The biographical tales are sweet and sometimes very sad. But all the way through, the reader can sense Welty's joy in life and the intense pleasures of memory.
Also by Welty: [The Ponder Heart] [The Optimist's Daughter]
[Other Books set in the American South]