MAP OF ANOTHER TOWN

Those who remember Mrs. Fisher's virtuoso performances in her witty cook-books must enlarge their frame of reference — the author's skill is extended to an appreciation of a town and tempo which is a rare treat. The timeless beauty of Aix de Provence, delicately and incisively perceived, is so fused with the author's own fluctuating and most feminine sensibilities that the reader finds himself absorbed in an inner life of memory, a conscious growth of understanding. During her two sojourns in Aix de Provence with her two young daughters, the author intuits, observes the sights, sounds and humanity of the "town". The pure sensate joy of perceiving the many qualities of light, the texture of aging stone, the lyric beauty of the fountains, is brilliantly communicated. The humanity is presented, not in repose or crystallized as originals, but responding, interacting in the fellowship of humanity- the fragile, taut pride of old residents, the ragged courage and despair of the mendiants and the war-ravaged, the Olympian gentleness and courtesy of a talented doctor, the lively gaggle of students. Throughout the author retains her own identity as the American outsider, yet indulges in a deep appreciation of the Gallic provincial identity. A refreshing guide for the senses and spirit.