A Life in Letters: Correspondence, 1929-1991

If you love M.F.K. Fisher (and her writing, of course), don't miss this collection of her letters, compiled and edited by her sister, Norah Barr, and her long-time assistant, Marsha Moran. M.F.K. Fisher's books are a feast of words and ideas, and her letters are no exception. It's easy to see how she used letters to warm up to her other writing, and to think out loud. And what she might only allude to in one of her books is often explained in more detail in a letter to her close friend Lawrence Powell, or to her Aunt Grace, or to her sister Norah, known affectionately as Noni. Mary Frances' letters give us some answers to our many questions about her personal life. For instance, what really went wrong between her and her first husband, Al Fisher? How did she handle the pretense surrounding the birth of her daughter Anne? Who was her life's truest love? These and other questions are answered, although the answers may surprise you.... One of many striking things about her letters is that in them she is always herself, at turns loving, irreverent, bitchy, confident. Another is that, when read chronologically, the letters give us a good look at Mary Frances' feelings about the aging process, and her own part in it. Through her letters we feel a sense of her awareness and hope, even as she is inconvenienced by the infirmities of age; we can see that her spirit remains youthful and unscarred, and this gives us hope for ourselves. Yes, many questions have been answered for me after reading M.F.K. Fisher's letters, yet many questions remain. I'm glad I don't know everything there is to know about her; I treasure her complexity and the fact that she cannot easily be explained, even by herself! The letters collected here will be read for years to come in an attempt to understand the whys and hows of her life. The book will continue to offer us a great deal of satisfaction, and definitely another chance to feast at the table of her life. Her letters say many things to many people, but above all, they say it honestly.