An "almost flawless novel" (People) about a quiet scholar who is
convinced that her life has been ruined by literature and that she must
make a new start in life.Since childhood, Ruth Weiss had been escaping
from life into books, and from the attentions of her eccentric parents
into the gentler warmth and company of friends and lovers. Now at forty
years old, an academic devoted to the study of Balzac, she believes that
literature has ruined her life and that she must once again, make a
fresh start. "Lively, filled with gentle humor" (Miami Herald) this is
an elegant and wry novel that will stay with you long after the final
page is turned.