{"product_id":"schmidt-steps-back-9780345530530","title":"Schmidt Steps Back","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eTragic and redemptive . . . Updike had Rabbit, Roth has Zuckerman, Richard Ford has Bascombe and Begley has Schmidt. . . .  \u003ci\u003eSchmidt Steps Back\u003c\/i\u003e] is\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003ethe most ambitious novel  yet] in the Schmidt cycle.\"--\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Full of dark humor, compassion, and heart, \u003ci\u003eSchmidt Steps Back\u003c\/i\u003e is the most romantic installment yet of the drama that began with the acclaimed \u003ci\u003eAbout Schmidt\u003c\/i\u003e. Now seventy-eight, and just as passionate, sharp, and endearingly prickly as ever, Albert Schmidt faces a life alone, with only the crumbs of grandfatherly status and a less-than-demanding position at an international organization to sustain him. His only hope is Alice Verplanck, the French widow of a former partner, as elusive as she is beautiful. Whether his rusty seduction skills can lure her from Paris to the Hamptons won't be known, though, until Schmidt endures one more ordeal by fire. Hilarious, engrossing, and deeply poignant, \u003ci\u003eSchmidt Steps Back\u003c\/i\u003e is Louis Begley's finest novel yet. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eLook for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eSchmidt Steps Back\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Engaging . . . Begley gets as close to Schmidt as a diarist, inhabiting this man who has been seasoned by a long life.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Begley gets inside Schmidt's fertile WASP brain . . . with subtlety, intelligence, and wit.\"\u003ci\u003e--The Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"The novel grows in Begley's excellent intricacy . . . to the level of art rather than manners. . . . One cannot read one of the Schmidt novels without laughing.\"--\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Thoroughly absorbing . . .  a] cause for celebration.\"--Salon \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" A] superb tragicomedy . . . seductive, subversive, and commanding.\"--\u003ci\u003eBooklist (\u003c\/i\u003estarred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Ballantine Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/21\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780345530530\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.67lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.98h x 5.20w x 0.82d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/30\/2013 pg. 28\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Louis Begley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43568661430453,"sku":"9780345530530","price":12.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_00b1d1fe-89db-4f93-9cfb-9b11f347df1f.jpg?v=1706628328","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/schmidt-steps-back-9780345530530","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}