A backward glance Book

'A Backward Glance' is an amazing read. While Edith Wharton's book is not 'tell it all,' it does not disappoint. After all how much can one tell about oneself! She is selective about what she reveals.

There is one whole chapter on Henry James which I have adored. Strangely enough. This particular chapter gives a wonderful glimpse of James, the person. There are certain things mentioned about him that I found endearing. I hoped that she would talk about his books; however, she refrains from doing so. In the succeeding chapter, 'The Secret Garden' she writes about her own writing and how she struggled with it. I loved reading it. This might be of some value for the budding writers.

Since I have not read any of her fiction, in her non-fiction she comes across as someone who is elitist and moves only in select circles. This fact amuses me. Two chapters are exclusively written about her time spent in London and Paris. She prefers Paris of the times far more than London. Only because private gatherings in Paris means meeting the same elite over and over again. These small elitist communities fortify themselves against the rest. In London, she always felt as if she were at a train-station looking at strangers. Each evening has unknown people coming in and so forth.

What is unique about the book is her language. Athough the world described in it is more than hundred years old, the way it is done feels contemporary. In short, the language is fresh. Edith Wharton, being such an elitist, might prefer the word 'exquisite' for her language than the ordinary-sounding word 'fresh.'