A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth

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Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (December 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780547341538
ISBN-13: 978-0547341538
ASIN: 0547341539
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

In a world where privacy is increasingly passé, A Voice From Old New York may seem quaint. Auchincloss follows the traditional autobiographical form: confessions of petty crimes and sexual dysfunction and recollections of childhood education and upbringing, followed by his career as an attorney and a novelist. He relegates his wife and children to cameo appearances. As in his other works, Auchincloss is at his best as a detached observer and bemused critic of his East Coast upper-class society, though, as some critics note, a “note or two of snobbery is inevitable” in this somewhat self-indulgent memoir (Boston Globe). Despite its flaws, fans may still relish the final glimpse that Auchincloss offers us into a fading way of life, as well as wish to sample some of his other books about the manners of the Northeastern upper class. From Booklist Readers who were saddened by the thought that Louis Auchincloss’ death earlier this year at the age of 92 meant an end to his long string of novels and stories will welcome this memoir. In his trademark graceful style, Auchincloss takes us through his childhood in New York City, Long Island, and Bar Harbor, Maine; his boarding-school days; his stint at Yale; his wartime service; and his early legal career, all of which will resonate with readers familiar with his fiction. It was at Yale that he discovered the joys of literature and the lure of writing. When his first novel was rejected, he turned to law instead. The most straightforwardly autobiographical portion of the book ends when he decides to take a break from law in order to write full time. In the later chapters, he offers reflections on memorable people, social customs and class (which he quickly recognized as a preoccupation in his writing), and even animals. Incisive, perceptive, open-minded, open-hearted, and civilized, just like the rest of his work. --Mary Ellen Quinn A Voice from Old New York: A Memoir of My Youth