Athill, and annotated with her own delightful notes, this collection-rich with Athill's characteristic wit, humor, elegance, and honesty-reveals a sharply intelligent woman with a keen eye for the absurd, a brilliant turn of phrase, and a wicked sense of humor. Covering her career as an editor, the adventure of her retirement, her immersion in her own writing, and her reactions to becoming unexpectedly famous in her old age-including gossip about legendary authors and mutual friends, sharp pen-portraits, and uninhibited accounts of her relationships- Letters to a Friend describes a flourishing friendship and offers a portrait of a woman growing older without ever losing her zest for life.