This family saga from a National Book Award finalist is a โbrilliantly orchestrated tale of several generations of Washington, D.C., insidersโ (Booklist).
In this epic and acutely observed novel, three generations of a family of Washington power brokers vie for influence over the fate of the nation. In the 1930s, Sen. Adolph Behl and his wife, Constance, buy historic mansion Echo House with the vision of transforming it into Washingtonโs greatest salonโan auspicious base camp from which the senator can launch his โfinal ascent,โ and son Axel can prepare his first.
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Across decades of secrets, betrayals, victories, and humiliations, the Behl family will fight to remain near the center, and behind the scenes, of American political powerโfrom the New Deal to Watergate and beyond.
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โA fascinating if ultimately painful fairy tale, complete withย .ย .ย . a family curseย .ย .ย . The decline of the Behls represents the decline of Washington from the bright dawn of the American century into the gathering shadows of an alien new millennium.โ โThe Washington Post
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โPuts the standard run-of-the-mill Washington novel to shameย .ย .ย . It is Mr. Justโs intimate portrait of the city that makes his book so convincing.โ โTheNew York Times
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โWill be read in a centuryโs time by anyone seeking to understand how we lived.โ โDetroit Free Press
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โ[Wardโs] stories put him in the category reserved for writers who work far beyond the fashions of the times.ย .ย .ย . Masterpieces of balance, focus, and hidden order.โ โChicago Tribune
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โHe has earned a place on the shelf just below Edith Wharton and Henry James.โ โNewsweek