An Unfinished Season
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Book Overview
A PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST
WINNER OF THE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR FICTION
"Stunning."--USA Today
"A master American novelist." --Vanity Fair Set in Eisenhower-era Chicago, An Unfinished Season brilliantly evokes a city, an epoch, and a shift in ideals through the closely observed story of nineteen-year-old Wilson Ravan. In his summer before college, Wils finds himself straddling three worlds: the working-class newsroom where he's landed a coveted job as a rookie reporter, the whirl of glittering North Shore debutante parties where he spends his nights, and the growing cold war between his parents at home. With unparalleled grace, Ward Just brings Wils's circle to radiant life. Through his finely wrought portraits of a father and son, young lovers, and newsroom dramas, Just also stirringly depicts an American political era.
WINNER OF THE HEARTLAND PRIZE FOR FICTION
"Stunning."--USA Today
"A master American novelist." --Vanity Fair Set in Eisenhower-era Chicago, An Unfinished Season brilliantly evokes a city, an epoch, and a shift in ideals through the closely observed story of nineteen-year-old Wilson Ravan. In his summer before college, Wils finds himself straddling three worlds: the working-class newsroom where he's landed a coveted job as a rookie reporter, the whirl of glittering North Shore debutante parties where he spends his nights, and the growing cold war between his parents at home. With unparalleled grace, Ward Just brings Wils's circle to radiant life. Through his finely wrought portraits of a father and son, young lovers, and newsroom dramas, Just also stirringly depicts an American political era.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:061856828X
ISBN13:9780618568284
Release Date:May 2005
Publisher:Mariner Books
Length:251 Pages
Weight:0.62 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.5" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Beautiful
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
What it was like to be 19 in the 1950's in the Midwest...excellent book, especially for those of us who lived through the era at the same age (albeit on the East Coast). A great story, well-written, which makes you think and remember with pleasure and the occasional wince what it was like in that era to be on the cusp of manhood, and then just past it.
Economical in words, generous in depth.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This is my first book by Ward Just but I will definitely go back and read some of his earlier work. I was consistently impressed with the economy of his words versus the depth he was able to impart through them, both in his description of people, places and situations. It is one of those books whose passages I will revisit in my mind for a long time. This is a beautifully written novel, deceptively simple at first but filled with thought provoking "life lesson" moments and comments. I am awed by the talent of this writer.
Excellent, Very Thoughtful 1950's USA !
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Set between Winter, 1953, and Autumn, 1954 (except at the very end), this is a very, very fine look at the world seen through a very intelligent and sensitive 19 year old only (male) child, and his days in and around the great city of Chicago. Living a priviledged life literally on the golf course/ country club, this book grabs you from the first line, with the descriptions of union troubles and strikes at his father's paper plant, and his father skating in the nearby pond. The 1st person narrator (i.e. the 19 year old) is much quieter and more thoughtful than Dad, the team player who see his business torn apart by the strike. He seeks freedom beyond this narrow confine in the jazz clubs of the city, and the debutante balls among the upper crust, meeting many unusual people, including a psychiatrist with an unusual secret, plus his daughter whom our 19 year falls for. There's a lot going on between the lines, and the prose is perfect thruout. The ending seems very vague, but that may be the author's intention. All in all, a very worthy effort by Mr. Just.
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