I’m a big fan of Ward Just—a great American novelist who is not as well-known as he should be. He writes above all about the political world and the people in it– Chicago in the ’50s has been a rich subject for him and Washington. He has also written about Americans overseas, expat. life in Berlin in one book and in Paris in another. American Romantic takes place mostly in Viet Nam in the early 1960s—a place Just knows from his years covering the war there as a reporter for the Washington Post. His protagonist, Harry Sanders, not yet 30, idealistic and from wealthy liberal Connecticut, is a Foreign Service Officer in the embassy in Saigon just at the moment American troops are being drawn into war. Assigned to a dangerous mission, Harry has a harrowing experience in the jungle that changes his life forever. In the latter half of the book Harry is older, retired after a long diplomatic career and living in the South of France. The two women Harry loves—both appealing and more complex than even he knew–also play an important part in the story. In American Romantic—as in his other books—Just does an amazing job evoking the various places and time in which his story unfolds. His characters are substantive and so is his understanding of the political world.
I haven’t read American Romantic (yet) but always trust Prof. Pearlman for a great recommendation. Jill, if you haven’t read it, you should add Just’s earlier novel Forgetfulness to your pile.
Reggie IS a great dog (though known more as an eater than a reader). My dog Polly and I read War and Peace for this column a few years ago.
I have loved Reggie since the day I met him
he is truly the best dog ever and the 2 people he lives with
are great also Pat [library]
To me, Reggie is the true American romantic!