This poetic and reflective novel tells of a day in the life of acclaimed poet Hilary Stevens. She is expecting the arrival of two journalists who are coming to interview her, and this allows her to look back over her life, think about her writing and what inspired it, and remember the people she has loved. Now elderly, she has had a long and eventful life and as she talks to the two young people she can reflect also on the writing process itself, about creativity and the especial challenges that face a woman artist, and what it really means to be a writer.
This is a slow and gentle book, and although I didn’t really engage in the reflections on writing, I enjoyed hearing about Mrs Stevens’s life and to discover how important the love of women had been to her. The novel, first published in 1965, is frequently referred to as her “coming out novel” and was eagerly embraced by feminist scholars and the gay community. Sarton herself disliked being considered a “lesbian writer” which she felt narrowed the focus of her work. Certainly it’s art and creativity that seem to be at the heart of this novel rather than her relationships with other women, but for its time it was a bold and thought-provoking book, one which has stood the test of time and still offers much to a contemporary readership.

Gorgeous book, poetic in its style. This is a book for people who want to savor the language, to immerse themselves in style and flow. It's meditative and gemlike in how it reveals itself. Some may find its perspective on gay themes a bit antiquated, but they make sense within the context and the character's own perspective. A beautiful portrait of a writer coming to terms with her own access to creativity, her own sexual being and at the same broadening her outlook on the world. Highly recommended.