The Journey Down

Bernstein's fictional account of her famous affair with Thomas Wolfe, 20 years younger than she, is an earnest, well-structured attempt to convey the turbulence of their relationship. Told in the third person, the novel, long out of print, also includes many characters from Bernstein's autobiography (see An Actor's Daughter, below). Here the male character is portrayed as a creator with mercurial moods. ""You never knew,stet comma with him. He might be delighted, he might be furious, he might just retire into that vast interior region of his and give no sign of life, he might be like a graven image for hours on end.'' The female character wishes only to love her man. ``While I live and breathe I love you.'' Although this title has much literary and historical significance, it doesn't quite stand on its own as a novelunfortunately, the joy of the relationship is described rather than left for the reader to discover, and the agony drips on every page. (October)