SOURCE: "Boyle's Moral Essays Chart the Century's Contours," in Christian Science Monitor, June 19, 1985, p. 21.

In the following review of Words that Must Somehow be Said, D'Evelyn claims the book is a valuable record of the twentieth century as Boyle recounts her life experiences artfully and with skill.

Kay Boyle is best known for her short stories. Words that Must Somehow be Said, which collects her occasional nonfiction prose of more than five decades, combines the discipline of the short story and the passion of the writer's involvement in the political and social crises of her own time.

The pieces range from book reviews to long, meditative essays of great artistic interest. The earliest piece is a book review of William Carlos Williams's In the American Grain, and Boyle recognized it for what it has since proved to be, a classic work of nonfiction prose.

To discover the contours...