Rose, author of Parallel Lives and Jazz Cleopatra employs Proust less as the subject of her rambling memoir than as a reference point, using his observations to review one year in her life, where, for example, her friend Annie Dillard has a cancer scare, Rose fights with a landlady over potted palms and banana trees, prepares a dinner honoring Salman Rushdie, and recounts her mother moving toward death. The desire for originality and its difficulty, and attempts to stop passing time are among the Proustian themes Rose ponders. No index, bibliography, or notes. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)