I know I read [b:Any Human Heart|77866|Any Human Heart|William Boyd|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386912980s/77866.jpg|2237564] some years ago, and it was a fictional autobiography, but nothing about it especially stuck in my mind. Sweet Caress fell into my hands as it was lent to me by someone in my book group who thought I would enjoy it. Boyd seems to specialise in these "autofictions". Yes, I did enjoy this in an easy-reading way, and he did a pretty good job of writing as a woman (even if I belong to the group who don't believe that most women obsessively study and compare their lovers' penises). It's a little like Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet series in that it spans much of the 20th century, but somehow it was much less engaging, perhaps because everything is seen from Amory's viewpoint.

I guess the most striking feature is that it brings home just how much Amory's generation (born 1908) was affected by war throughout the century. Her father returned psychologically damaged from WWI; she loses her brother in WWII as well as experiencing action herself as a photo journalist; her husband is as damaged as her father was by his experiences in WWII, and for good measure Amory goes to Vietnam in 1966 (this section was the one I found the least convincing). The photos were an odd touch, especially as most of them cannot be considered great photos by any means -- Boyd specifically said he didn't pick ones that were "too good". Amory is obviously intended to be a jobbing photographer, not a genius. At the same time, her determination and independence were well conveyed.

There's good writing here and I especially liked the final chapter, but at the same time I kind of wonder what the point is. I could read the autobiography of a real person, such as [a:Martha Gellhorn|162626|Martha Gellhorn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332769689p2/162626.jpg], and it would be at least as fascinating.