Kennedy Fraser. Ornament and Silence: Essays on Women's Lives. New York, Knopf, 1996.

In 13 superb essays that first appeared in Vogue and The New Yorker, Kennedy Fraser explores the uniquely female voice and presence in literature and art. Interspersing vignettes from her own life with history and anecdotes surrounding such notable literary personages as Virginia Woolf and Edith Wharton, Fraser provides a personal, informative, brilliant, and compassionate book.