A Book of Common Prayer

(Paperback)

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An engrossing examination of political and personal life in Central America, from the award-winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking. Writing with the economical swiftness and concentrated perception that has made her one of Americas most distinguished writers, Joan Didion creates a gleaming novel of innocence and evil.
Set in the ruined Central American nation of Boca Grande, A Book of Common Prayer is the story of two American women and their conflicting experiences of wealth, politics and personal history. We follow the intriguing life of Grace Strasser-Mendana an American expatriate and member of one of Boca Grandes most influential families alongside the story of Charlotte Douglas, whose daughter Medin has run off with a group of Marxist radicals. What follows is an exploration of the womens ability to make sense of the behaviour that surrounds them, as their worlds are made hazy by the atmosphere of evil and innocence that envelops their strained and entangled lives.

Writing with her inimitable mix of candid emotional frankness and razor-sharp political astuteness, Joan Didions third novel is at once utterly particular whilst emblematic of an age of unscrupulous authority and seemingly inevitable bloodshed.

Reviews

An articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time, a memorable voice. New York Times Book Review

A pioneer of New Journalism, she brilliantly chronicled Americas cultural and political life. Guardian

She writes with a razor John Leonard, New York Times

Didion's mordant lucidity is like L.A. sunlight, a thing so bright sometimes it hurts. Time

PRAISE FOR THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING
'Her poetic writing has a spell-like charm that is profoundly affecting.' Observer

'This brave book maps a yearwhen the world flipped over to expose the underside of cool where things go bad. The Times

'The subject may be bleak, but her tender treatment makes it a book that we should all read.' Daily Mail

Author Bio

Joan Didion is one of America's most respected writers, her work constituting some of the greatest portraits of modern-day American culture. Over the four decades of her career, she has produced widely-acclaimed journalistic essays, personal essays, novels, non-fiction, memoir and screenplays. Her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking won the National Book Award in 2005.