In the late 1930s, a young man who has been turned out of his home discovers his destiny on the vast Adirondack estate of one of the nation's wealthiest men, where several extraordinary men and women contribute to his education. Reader's Guide included. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.
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The hero of this dazzling novel by American master E. L. Doctorow is Joe, a young man on the run in the depths of the Great Depression. A late-summer night finds him alone and shivering beside a railroad track in the Adirondack mountains when a private railcar passes. Brightly lit windows reveal well-dressed men at a table and, in another compartment, a beautiful girl holding up a white dress before her naked form. Joe will follow the track to the mysterious estate at Loon Lake, where he finds the girl along with a tycoon, an aviatrix, a drunken poet, and a covey of gangsters. Here Joe’s fate will play out in this powerful story of ambition, aggression, and identity. Loon Lake is another stunning achievement of this acclaimed author.“Powerful . . . [a] complex and haunting meditation on modern American history.”–The New York Times“A genuine thriller . . . a marvelous exploration of the complexities and contradictions of the American dream . . . Not under any circumstances would we reveal the truly shattering climax.”–The Dallas Morning News“A dazzling performance . . . [Loon Lake] anatomizes America with insight, passion, and inventiveness.”–The Washington Post Book World“Hypnotic . . . tantalizes long after it has ended.”–Time“Compelling . . . brilliantly done.”–St. Louis Post-Dispatch“A masterpiece.”–Chicago Sun-Times
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