My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Europa Editions for an advanced copy of this commentary on the works of Marcel Proust.

Over the 3 million words that make up the series In Search of Lost Time or as the French refer to the work La Recherche the author Marcel Proust discussed and reflected on many things, love, life, loss, memory, insomnia, food, music, being a snob, and the idea of humor. Some of these themes were covered in incredibly long sentences, some of them were thought about, and and discussed over the entirety of the works. Christopher Prendergast, editor of an earlier translation and a scholar of things Proust has in his book Living and Dying with Marcel Proust, writes of these ideas over the span of the whole book, with passages from both the books and the world around us.

The book begins with a brief introduction of our author, his love of Proust and his work on earlier translations and studies. From there we travel along with the author as he studies many of Proust obsessions using the work, and observations from Proust's life and others. The author dives deep into the work finding passages that might not seem to be a part of what he is discussing but suddenly the words seem perfect. His section on mourning and loss is especially well chosen, and the commentary alone is quite touching and maudlin.

The book is written in the style of Proust in that sometimes the reader is stunned by the amount of words that are appearing, but Prendergast is very skillful at bringing this all together. This is not a book for people who wish to know more about the books before starting them, or hoping for a Cliff Notes guide to get through a class. This is a book for people who enjoyed the novels and wish to know more as many plot points are revealed and the fate of characters are shared. This is book by a person who has spent a long time pondering, and studying a work and writing about it for others enjoyment.

Definitely for a fan of Proust. The work can sometimes seem daunting, but at the end you feel that a journey has been made and it was one of discovery. Also of appreciation for Mr. Prendergast and for the work that he so finely commented on.