The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old And New

"For decades, Annie Dillard has beguiled those in search of truth and beauty in the written word with the lyrical splendor and wakeful sagacity of her prose."

"To my mind, this compilation of Annie Dillard’s essays would be worth reading for this line alone (from my favorite of her essays, “Total Eclipse”): “It was as though an enormous, loping god in the sky had reached down and slapped the earth’s face.” The collection includes her close observations of nature (from 1974’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek); sharply etched memories of her rough-and-tumble youth (from 1987’s An American Childhood); and much more. Earlier this year, Dillard, then 70, told me why she’s no longer writing books: “I had good innings, as the British say. I wrote for 38 years at the top of my form, and I wanted to quit on a high note.” The Abundance makes abundantly clear what a gift those good innings have been."