Proust at the Majestic: The Last Days of the Author Whose Book Changed Paris

The first part of the book is a fascinating examination of the guest list at a famous party given by Sydney and Violet Schiff at the Majestic Hotel in Paris near the end of Proust's life. Proust was one of the guests; so was James Joyce, although they apparently had little of substance to discuss. The party section is a bit tedious, if only because my expectation was to learn more about Proust from the outset. Once I finished the book, however, I felt that it was one of the best on Proust that I have read, probing his relationships with others as he finished his great work. I liked Ronald Hayman's biography of Proust for its examination of his creative process and the use of involuntary memory. This book is a good companion to Hayman's.