Got this from the library and then realized I own it.

This was beautiful and fascinating! I laughed out loud at several parts.

One part I marked, pp. 318-9: "There is nothing more thrilling in this world, I think than having a child that is yours, and yet is mysteriously a stranger. You are the gate through which it came into the world, and you will be allowed to have charge of it for a period; after that it will leave you and blossom out into its own free life—and there it is, for you to watch, living its life in freedom."

Most of her stories (which are interesting in themselves) show some sort of reflection on the times or customs, serving to make the stories themselves, and the people in them, much more interesting.

One theme which kept surprising me somehow was the idea that if you are not good at something, you should recognize that and stop doing it. This seemed to allow her the freedom to find what she was good at and enjoyed and do that wholeheartedly.

This is the book I was reading and had to set aside when I went into labor with Lucia.