Randall Jarrell

The fourth and final collection of Jarrell's essays and reviews reflects all the facets of the poet's talent. It contains virtually all the criticism that wasn't collected in the previous three volumes, Poetry and the Age (1953), A Sad Heart at the Supermarket (1962), and The Third Book of Criticism (1969). Its subjects range from poetry criticism to Ernie Pyle as a war reporter and the joy of owning a sports car.

Meet Olga, Masha, and Irina, warm and cultured young sisters who were reared in the exciting hubbub of Moscow, but have been living in the dull, gossipy backwaters of Russia for far too long. With their father's passing, and the ordinary grip of day-to-day life slowly suffocating them, the urge to return to the city with its rich and exciting life rises to a fever pitch.