Fragments of Stained Glass

``The way it was'' is the theme of this charming, rambling memoir that follows the author back and forth between the United States and Europe. Born in Holland to parents high-spirited and artistic, White ( The Death of the Orange Trees ) and her sister were early exposed in the 1940s to unconventional living. Immigrating to the United States from an idyllic homestead by the North Sea, the family did not easily adjust to an alien culture. Although her parents eventually returned to the homeland, the author, who attended Smith College (and writes humorously of her man-hunting classmates), continued to move as an elegant nomad between two worlds. She married sculptor Robert White and was also connected to Aldous Huxley, who, married to her aunt, supported her artistic aspirations. Other famous names highlight personal vignettes that capture the lifestyles of cultured families and illuminate some corners of their lives. (Apr.)