The Master's Wife

Accustomed to keeping house for her husband and three daughters in the country, Buck was plunged into urban academia when her husband was appointed headmaster of Branford residence hall at Yale in 1942. For 17 years, she and Steve met with, cared for, entertained and were entertained by Yalies from every class of society, who made the Bucks' residence their home away from home. As she recounts the family's experiences, ``the shortest, gladdest years of life,'' in this graceful memoir, we are brought into the warm, domestic ambience created by a self-designated ``mother in residence.'' Interesting, sometimes exhausting, the life of the master's wife, as shown here, was enriched with enduring memories and friendships. (Dec.)