{"product_id":"the-cloud-sketcher-9780060956134","title":"The Cloud Sketcher","description":"In a tiny village in Finland, Esko Vaananen is at the brink of despair -- he loves a woman he can never have. Suddenly, in the magical light of the aurora borealis, he has a vision of an impossibly tall building rising gracefully from the frozen lake and disappearing into the clouds above him. This \u003cem\u003epilvenpiirtaja\u003c\/em\u003e -- \"cloud sketcher\" or skyscraper -- sparks a lifelong quest for beauty in Esko. He will pursue and protect these two passions -- his vision and his love -- no matter how great the cost, for the rest of his life. It is a journey that leads him into the Bolshevik revolution and the Jazz Age nightclubs of New York City and to strike a Faustian bargain with a ruthless gangster -- all in the pursuit of artistic perfection and impossible, unattainable love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRayner, Richard:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eBorn in England, Richard Rayner now lives in Los Angeles. His previous books include the memoir \u003cem\u003eThe Blue Suit\u003c\/em\u003e and the novels \u003cem\u003eThe Cloud Sketcher\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eL.A. Without a Map\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eMurder Book\u003c\/em\u003e. His work has appeared in the \u003cem\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, and many other publications.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50409430548754,"sku":"9780060956134","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c37626da-c059-4e72-babf-cd5b414affa7.jpg?v=1729287224","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-cloud-sketcher-9780060956134","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}