{"product_id":"american-romantic-9780544538672","title":"American Romantic","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\"A master American novelist.\" --\u003cem\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Ward Just is both a writer's writer and an astute tracker of human souls under duplicity and duress . . . \u003cem\u003eAmerican Romantic\u003c\/em\u003e, his eighteenth, is one of his finest.\"--Gail Godwin, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Harry Sanders is a young Foreign Service officer in 1960s Indochina when a dangerous and clandestine meeting with insurgents--ending in quiet disaster--and a brief but passionate encounter with Sieglinde, a young German woman, alter the course of his life. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Absorbing the impact of his misstep, Harry returns briefly to Washington before eventual assignments in Africa, Scandinavia, and the Mediterranean. He marries the captivating May, who is fleeing her own family disappointments in worn-out upper New England and looking for an escape into Harry's diplomatic life. On the surface, they are a handsome, successful couple--but the memory of Sieglinde persists in Harry's thoughts, and May has her own secrets too. As Harry navigates the increasingly treacherous waters of diplomacy in an age of interminable conflict, he also tries to narrow the distance between himself and the two alluring women who have chosen to love him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eWARD JUST's seventeen previous novels include \u003ci\u003eForgetfulness\u003c\/i\u003e, the National Book Award finalist \u003ci\u003eEcho House\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Dangerous Friend\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Cooper Prize for fiction from the Society of American Historians, and \u003ci\u003eAn Unfinished Season\u003c\/i\u003e, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51635293487378,"sku":"9780544538672","price":11.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_66fec5c9-ea80-43a6-b130-e95c75f5d311.jpg?v=1759228455","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/american-romantic-9780544538672","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}