Thirty Homes in Thirty Years
Stevens pens her first book, a bold, autobiographical narrative of living in 30 different homes in Texas, Virginia, New York and Washington, D.C. Without judgment or recrimination, this autobiography reveals the impact Stevens’ family, friends, colleagues, husband and lovers had on her life as she moved through 30 houses in 30 years on her quest for “home.” With an authentic Texan voice that ranges from delightfully daring to insightfully uncertain, she tells of persistently changing houses and careers, from stay-at-home new mother married to a young doctor, to single mother raising two children while working as a landscape designer, to receptionist and stockbroker. The narrative also displays her fast-paced present-day life with lovers, friends and colleagues, as well as an exploration of what it is to be Texan. She’s witty, fun and sometimes hilarious in charmingly artless ways, as she moves through jobs, houses and cities. Stevens isn’t afraid to show the bleaker side of her life either: drugs, alcohol, never enough money or power, a dysfunctional family, discontentment, estrangement and a lack of love all cast shadows over parts of her life’s story. During the recounting of these darker days, the account becomes less compelling as the voice loses some of its unique quality, instead taking on a conventionally dramatic tone usually associated with corrupted circumstances. “I wanted a life full of intrigue and mystery, new environments, and new people...[a] temporary life with no fear of being trapped,” she says. She succeeded, as this well-written, refreshingly honest memoir confirms. The blunt reality of human nature in a cheerful, knowing tone.