These memoirs offer a fascinating glimpse of mid-20th century literary life from the point of view of a woman born before the arrival of feminism.

When war broke out, Elizabeth Jane Howard was 16, with plans to become an actress. She met Peter Scott, son of Captain Scott of the Antarctic, when she was 17 and married him shortly after her 19th birthday. She had wanted to write since the age of eight and, after her disastrous marriage, this is what she set out to do -- along with her quest for love. Her circle of friends and lovers included some of the most fascinating writers and thinkers of the day -- Arthur Koestler, Cyril Connolly, Laurie Lee, Cecil Day-Lewis and Ken Tynan. She married three times, most famously and tempestuously to Kingsley Amis. Along the way, she managed to write 12 novels, though goodness knows how she found the time.