May Sarton

The Birth of a Grandfather

Grandfathers are generally produced by the birth of grandchildren. But Sprig Wyeth needed more than the arrival of his first grandchild to welcome that role. This is the story of the Wyeth family, set in Cambridge, Massachusetts (and in the summer, Maine): the very old, who are looking back; Spring and his wife Frances, who are finding their way in the midst of youthful hopes that refuse to fade away; and the young, embarking on adulthood, sometimes with anger. As Sprig struggles to reach past his reserve so that he can be there for his wife and children, and for a friend who needs him, the other characters likewise find their way to what self-fulfillment means.

"A serious novel of family relationships, particularly about the shifts and changes that occur in families in the middle years. . . . All of the Wyeths and their friends move and talk in that atmosphere of breadth and clarity which Sarton has made her own." —San Francisco Chronicle

"Shrewd and compassionate assessments. . . . Very good indeed." —Christian Science Monitor