Madeline L'Engle's fine writing and wise insights make this a rich reading experience. She chronicles the deline of her mother over a summer of extended family gatherings at her home Crosswicks. She also shares her sorrow at the loss of the mother she knew, and at the same time, she provides flashbacks that reveal the woman her mother used to be and experiences with her parents and grandparents that formed her own character. Our group has also deeply enjoyed other titles in this quartet of memoirs, A Circle of Quiet and Two-Part Invention.