I GIVE UP.

The writing in this biography is truly horrific.

The sentences seem to go on forever, without any proper punctuation or breaks.

Long, rambling quotes from Welty correspondence are included, but there is no clear connection to the text.

Paragraphs refuse to end, making it difficult to follow the flow of the narrative.

And the list of problems goes on.

The author has completely lost sight of the scope of the work, getting bogged down in meaningless details.

It's such a disappointment.

One would expect a biography to be well-written and engaging, but this one fails on so many levels.

It's a shame, really, because the subject matter may have been interesting, but the poor writing has completely overshadowed any potential亮点.

I can only hope that future biographies on this topic are better written and more engaging.

First Read: September 14, 2017

On September 14, 2017, a significant event took place. It was a day that held great importance for many.

The details of this event were not immediately known, but it had the potential to impact various aspects of people's lives.

Perhaps it was a scientific discovery that could change the way we view the world. Or maybe it was a political decision that would have far-reaching consequences.

As the day unfolded, people around the world were eager to learn more about what had happened.

The news spread quickly, and soon, everyone was talking about it.

Some were excited, while others were concerned.

Regardless of their initial reactions, one thing was certain: September 14, 2017, would be a day to remember.

It marked a turning point in history, and its effects would be felt for years to come.

A Well-Written Biography of a Fascinating Lady

This biography is a captivating account of a truly remarkable woman. It delves deep into her life, exploring her early years, her struggles and triumphs, and the events that shaped her into the extraordinary person she became. The author has done an excellent job of bringing her story to life, using vivid descriptions and engaging prose.

We learn about her unique personality, her passions and interests, and the impact she had on those around her. Through the pages of this biography, we gain a better understanding of her as a human being, with all her flaws and virtues.

Overall, this is a well-written and engaging biography that will appeal to anyone interested in learning about the life of a fascinating lady. It is a must-read for those who appreciate good storytelling and want to be inspired by the life of an extraordinary individual.

This is one of those biographies that is extremely detailed, perhaps only appealing to die-hard fans.

I had the privilege of meeting the author (whom I liked very much!), listening to Eudora's voice as she read two of her autobiographies, visiting her home in Jackson, and reading the book about her garden. Maybe this makes me a die-hard fan.

Eudora led a rich and fulfilling life. She traveled the world, experiencing different cultures and meeting new people. She loved deeply and passionately. She was a prolific writer, penning numerous works that have left a lasting impact. She was also an avid reader, constantly seeking knowledge and inspiration. In addition, she taught, sharing her wisdom and expertise with the next generation.

Eudora was a passionate and wonderful person, and I have the utmost admiration for her. Now that I have only scratched the surface of her work, I am eager to read more and learn even more about this remarkable woman.

I’m truly grateful to have come across a biography of an author I hold in the highest regard. The amount of information it contains is indeed remarkable, and it appears to be exhaustive on the surface. However, it fails to engage the reader on a deeper level. Suzanne Marrs seems to have a specific agenda in mind - to convince us that Welty was neither provincial nor racist. While that may be an important point to make, I would have preferred an autobiography that simply delved into the subject’s life and revealed who she was, without constantly pounding home a particular message.

Marrs seems to prioritize thoroughness at the expense of making the narrative interesting. She presents lengthy paragraphs filled with lists of names, such as “Eudora went to New York City and saw so-and-so, so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so.” Rarely does she include a humorous anecdote from these encounters or a vivid line of description gleaned from one of Eudora’s letters. Reading it sometimes feels like perusing someone’s day planner.

There is also a significant amount of repetition in the book. The same short story is described multiple times, and events that spanned more than a year, like the writing of Losing Battles and the long drought in Welty’s fiction writing, are mentioned over and over again. Every few pages, we are reminded that Eudora still isn’t writing fiction and that Reynolds Price is still worried about it.

Another issue is the over-explaining. Marrs quotes Eudora and then proceeds to explain what Eudora meant and how the quote supports her own point. While this may be necessary in literary analysis, it seems excessive when writing about someone’s life. Additionally, Marrs often uses the first sentence of each paragraph to summarize the previous one, a technique that might be suitable for a high school composition but can bog down a biography. It gives the impression that she doesn’t trust her readers to be intelligent enough to understand her or Eudora’s meaning.

The biography also leaves several unanswered questions in my mind. Some of them may seem rather trivial, but they still nettle me. For example, in the year Eudora was on the jury that selected the Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, which book actually won? (I later discovered that it was Humboldt’s Gift by Bellow). Why did she have reservations about Pilgrim on Tinker’s Creek by Annie Dillard? What about her gardening life, which was a major source of joy for her but was barely mentioned in detail by Marrs? Welty was known for representing place so powerfully, in part by using plants to convey sensual details. Why didn’t Marrs explore this aspect further? Also, I know that Eudora had a wry sense of humor, and Marrs often tells us that “there was so much laughter” at a gathering of friends. But couldn’t she let us in on the joke? There also seemed to be an undercurrent of discomfort with homosexuality. Was this Eudora’s discomfort or Marrs’? Or were they both ill at ease? Marrs’ comment about Welty and her romantic interest John Robinson being “separated by an ocean and by Enzo Rochigianni” who was John’s partner for decades seemed like an unnecessary dig. She presented no evidence that Enzo was at fault; it was simply because John Robinson was gay and couldn’t commit to the loving marriage Eudora desired. Finally, why did Marrs use quotations from Emerson and Tennyson for chapter titles instead of quotations from Welty herself?

I understand that one biography can’t possibly answer every question, and it’s understandable that Marrs followed her own instincts as she chose the stories and information to include. However, as I finished reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel that Marrs had difficulty representing objectively a person she considered a personal friend.

Being from the South, and specifically from a family in Mississippi, loving Miss Eudora is almost a natural inclination. I have always been in awe of her writing, the beauty of her words, and her remarkable ability to craft engaging stories and narratives. While I had a general understanding of her personal life, this book truly captivated me.

Suzanne Marrs does an outstanding job of piecing together the various aspects of Miss E's career, loves, challenges, and triumphs. She manages to do so without overinflating the status of this iconic and highly acclaimed writer. It is evident that she conducted an extensive amount of detailed and thoughtful research, unearthing facts that may have never been revealed or were previously unknown. She treats her subject with respect, perhaps a touch too much at times. I felt that there were certain topics that she deliberately avoided, but it could also be that they were glossed over due to a lack of concrete evidence. Nevertheless, there is an abundance of detail here, and the biographical content is rich and engaging, especially for fans of Welty.

I particularly enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Miss Eudora's writing habits, such as taking the typewriter to bed when a desk wasn't necessary. Marrs also delves into the deep and complex relationship between Welty and her mother, handling it with great care and thoroughness. She covers the WPA years and Welty's photography efforts with the same level of attention as her writing. I found it fascinating to read more about "The Golden Apples" and "The Ponder Heart," and the processes Welty went through to bring these works to publication. Marrs emphasizes her subject's meticulous attention to editing, revising again and again until the work was complete. Welty's prose has a poetic rhythm, and Marrs explores her gift of language in great detail, with excellent results.

After reading this biography, I have a much better understanding of why Eudora Welty's work is so impressionistic and emotionally moving. If you are a fan of Eudora Welty and, for some strange reason, haven't read this book yet, I highly recommend that you do. It has made me go back and reread several of her stories, and I now have a newfound appreciation for them, having a clearer picture in my mind of Miss E typing those words and, in many cases, retyping them countless times. This book is rich in detail and should be considered the definitive work on this great American writer.

This is one of the most comprehensive biographies that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

It is not only comprehensive but also poignant, as it meticulously follows Welty's life journey from her childhood days all the way through to her final moments.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting a detailed and vivid account of Welty's life, filled with both the joys and sorrows that she experienced.

Every page seems to bring a new and interesting aspect of her life to light, making it a truly memorable read.

Whether you are a fan of Welty's work or simply interested in learning more about her life, this biography is sure to captivate and engage you from start to finish.

It is a must-read for anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of this remarkable woman and her contributions to the literary world.

If you have a burning desire to know every single detail about Eudora Welty, then this particular book might seem like the perfect choice for you.

However, if your intention is to simply enjoy a nice, quiet biography of one of America's most beloved writers, you're in for a bit of a challenge. I must admit that I found this book to be extremely detailed - perhaps even overly so.

The paragraph structure was rather convoluted and difficult to follow. The paragraphs themselves were far too long, making the reading experience feel more like a chore than a relaxing pastime.

It seemed as if the author was determined to cram every possible piece of information into each paragraph, without much regard for the reader's comfort or ease of comprehension.

Overall, while this book may be a treasure trove of information for those who are truly dedicated to studying Eudora Welty, it might not be the best option for the casual reader looking for a more enjoyable and accessible biography.

I heard mediocre things about this when it came out, so I didn't bother. However, I found it on a sale table and picked it up. To my surprise, I discovered for myself that it is indeed mediocre.

It is useful for facts, facts, facts. And so it will become yet another one of those bios that I flip through the index to find out what I want to know. For instance, in Ms Welty's case, I'll look up Ross MacDonald to learn about their "romance" or extended epistolary flirtation or whatever it was. Maybe I'll also look up individual books or stories to see what the author has to say about them.

A couple of things I did learn from this book are as follows. That Ms Welty didn't like Carson McCullers, with no real reason given except that she had a cigarette cough. That she spent 3 days with Henry Miller at the behest of publishers, and she found him unobservant and humorless. She was also offended when he offered to hook her up with his publisher of "pornography" so she could make a quick buck, as he clearly misread the world of a sophisticated Southern lady. That her "romance" around WWII with a man she intended to marry was entirely devoid of any accelerated blood flow, meaning it was far from sex-based.

Overall, while the book has its useful facts, it doesn't offer much in terms of depth or excitement.

Eudora Welty's fiction is remarkable for its richness and nuance, especially considering she was a female writer of her time. As an enthusiastic reader and admirer of her work, I never found her to be conventional or dull, despite any outward appearances. I have read her correspondence with Kenneth Millar/Ross Macdonald and William Maxwell with great pleasure.

Then, with great anticipation, I read Ms. Marrs' biography of Ms. Welty. However, I was disappointed. The format is terrible, and Ms. Marrs' writing leaves much to be desired. She tells Ms. Welty's story in a gossipy tone, as if she is sharing it while standing on your porch, holding a casserole, and rushing to a Tupperware party.

In this portrait, there is little depth to Ms. Welty. She seems superficial in her emotions, except for her "devoted" friendships. Ms. Marrs suggests that perhaps Ms. Welty felt too deeply to process anything other than in her writing. However, in the same paragraph, she describes how a happy event or the presence of a friend could quickly alleviate Ms. Welty's sadness.

The book is basically a travelogue of Ms. Welty's 92 years on Earth. Her love for Jackson, Mississippi, and her garden is mentioned, but it doesn't seem to keep her at home for long. The format is also confusing, jumping back and forth in time and introducing people without proper context.

Overall, the book lacks substance. Some paragraphs seem like they were written for a college paper, and it fails to fully explore Ms. Welty's humanity. It elevates her to near sainthood, stripping her of any real emotions other than "irritation," "annoyance," or "frustration." The one instance of her addressing depression is barely touched upon.

Ms. Marrs recounted Ms. Welty's social and writing calendar but didn't get past the surface. Perhaps she feels the need to be gracious and protective, but in doing so, she has robbed Ms. Welty's admirers of a deeper understanding of her work. The kinship between author and reader comes from recognizing emotional and intellectual similarities, which is where Ms. Welty's focus on "confluence" comes in.

Ms. Marrs wants us to believe that she is the only one with access to all of Ms. Welty's documents and that she is the only one telling the truth. However, this doesn't necessarily make her the best person to tell Ms. Welty's life story. If you love Eudora's work and don't want to be disappointed, it's best to skip this book.

Taking it slowly on this one.

As a writer with a burning desire to publish my very first novel, I am extremely eager to understand the journey that those who came before me undertook.

For her time, she was truly one brave soul.

She dared to venture into the unknown, to put her thoughts and ideas onto paper and share them with the world.

I long to know more about her experiences, the challenges she faced, and the triumphs she achieved.

What were the obstacles that she had to overcome? How did she find the courage to keep going when the going got tough?

These are the questions that萦绕 in my mind as I strive to make my own mark in the world of literature.

I hope that by learning from her story, I can gain the inspiration and guidance I need to succeed.

Give me more!

I have long grappled with understanding Eudora Welty. Growing up in the South, I've endeavored to read renowned southern authors like Ms. Welty. However, I've struggled to truly "get" her, which is why I'm hoping this biography will offer some clarity. Here's what Ms. Welty herself thought about biographies:

“I’ve always been tenacious in my feeling that we don’t need to know a writer’s life in order to understand his work and I have really felt very opposed to a lot of biographies that have been written these days, of which the reviewers say they’re not any good unless they reveal all sorts of other things about the writer..... It’s brought out my inherent feeling that it’s good to know something about a writer’s background, but only what pertains.”

The author of this book, Suzanne Marrs, says:

“I attempt to present Eudora Welty’s life as fully as possible by allowing many voices to guide me – the voices in her fiction; the voices in her letters to friends, editors, colleagues; the voices of individuals who knew her not as a marble statue, but as a living, breathing, changing, developing, witty, sensitive, and complicated personality. Over the course of her ninety-two years, Eudora engaged the world with all her powers and never retreated into a single, narrowly defined role. Openness to experience complemented her creative genius and helped her to produce some of the most memorable fiction of the twentieth century. She was not the contentedly cloistered “Miss Eudora” in whom so many believed or wanted to believe, but was someone far more compassionate and compelling: a woman and a writer with a “triumphant vulnerability... to this mortal world.”

Oh dear, from this, one might anticipate a non-critical effort from the author. Are we star struck yet?

I haven't read an abundance of biographies of writers, but I feel this one doesn't strike the right balance between thoughtful analysis and mundane life events. Much of the book is based on the author's access to letters, interviews with those who knew Ms. Welty, and her own experience as a close associate and friend. Welty was interviewed and quoted extensively, especially in the last twenty years of her life (1980 – 2001). She received numerous awards and nearly forty honorary degrees. The book lists these events but doesn't delve too deeply.

This book is like a travelogue. It takes you to many places and showcases them, but less often explains why a particular event or fact is significant. That's not to say Ms. Marr doesn't try. Connecting Ms. W's life to the stories she was writing at the time is an interesting aspect of the book. But for me, since I didn't know or couldn't remember the content of the stories, it was only theoretically interesting. I admit that's more my issue than the biographer's. It made me want to follow along with my copy of Welty's collected stories, but at that rate, I'd never finish the biography! So, if you have a good memory of her short stories, this biography might be more engaging.

Maybe the biography is best used as a reference book that you consult regularly as you read Welty's works. It's presented in a nice linear fashion with chapter titles indicating the years covered. For me, though, I just don't have the time or inclination to make Eudora Welty that much of a project.

Ms. Welty lived and worked through the end of segregation in Mississippi. The 1960s was a violent time in the South, especially in Mississippi. Her contribution to bringing integration to her home state was significant and is effectively documented here. I was impressed by what she did as a writer, speaker, and individual to further integration. She worked behind the scenes through her fiction.

Suzanne Marr's biography is detailed and readable. I was able to see Ms. Welty as a real person with talent and a full life. Some might think she was a quiet old maid who lived in the family home all her life, but that's far from the truth. She was in a relationship for many years that at times seemed headed for marriage but ended unfulfilled. After that, she had a close relationship (apparently not sexual) with a married man, Ken Millar, a writer on the west coast. A significant portion of the book is based on letters between Eudora and these two important men in her life. She never married but had a rich life of close friends and professional associates. She traveled extensively and spent a lot of time in New York City. Her interest in cultural and artistic endeavors kept her busy attending various forms of entertainment.

She was famous and in demand as a speaker. Most of the book covers the time when she was well-known, which was most of her life. She was successful in selling her short stories to periodicals early in her career. She cared for her mother for many years, sometimes struggling to balance family responsibilities with her career. There were times when she had a dry spell in writing, notably for several years after her long-time agent died. She didn't publish any new fiction in the last two decades of her life.

The biography is filled with trips that are listed continuously, perhaps because all the dates and places were easily found in her papers. Here's an example of how closely her life is chronicled:

“After Cornell, Eudora spent three days in New York, read at Barry college in Georgia, went to Washington for a National Council meeting, regrouped for four days at home, traveled to receive two honorary degrees – from Washington University and Kent State University – paused for two weeks at home (attending family parties and New Stage meetings), then went to Harvard for another honorary degree before flying directly to Santa Barbara.”

Often, the people she visited at each stop are included. Maybe a bit too much detail for most of us! Do you really want to know who was at her house for dinner when she dropped the crab casserole on the kitchen floor?

This is a long and detailed look at Eudora Welty's life from birth to death. There are references to the books or stories she was working on at any given time. Her dry spells, especially towards the end of her life, and what she did to try to get back into writing fiction are interesting. In her 70s and 80s, she was busy receiving awards, doing readings, and attending conferences, but she still regularly tried to return to fiction. Her book The Collected Stories was published in 1980 during her writer's block period. She also wrote some autobiographical essays that became a popular book One Writer s Beginnings in 1983 and many book reviews. The book provides good coverage of Ms. Welty's feelings when important people in her life died. Since she lived to be ninety-two, many of her close friends and associates predeceased her.

This is a long book, and I read it gradually while also reading several other books, mostly less demanding than this one. The author writes about moments of great joy and great sorrow in Eudora Welty's life, but those events rarely come alive on the page. For me, this is a three-star book. I see it more as a reference book than one to read straight through. It took some determination to finish. I'm interested to see if the book achieves the goal of making Welty's fiction more understandable to me. I need to go back to her short stories and see if it makes a difference.