{"product_id":"9780547524238","title":"The Rector of Justin: A Novel","description":"\u003cb\u003e“[A] certifiable masterpiece” from the acclaimed chronicler of New York City’s old money elite (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Observer\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Widely considered Louis Auchincloss’s greatest novel, \u003ci\u003eThe Rector of Justin\u003c\/i\u003e is an astute dissection of the social mores of the Northeast’s privileged establishment. The story centers on Rev. Frank Prescott, the charismatic founder and rector of a prestigious Episcopal school for boys. With laser-sharp insight, Auchincloss delivers a prismatic portrait of this commanding and complicated man through the eyes of those who knew—or thought they knew—him best.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Seamlessly interweaving multiple points of view—from an adoring teacher to that of a rebellious daughter—\u003ci\u003eThe Rector of Justin \u003c\/i\u003epresents a social history of the eighty years of his life: the sources of his virtues and failings, his successes, his love, and his crises of faith.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e As Jonathan Yardley put it in the\u003ci\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, “Auchincloss is one of the most accomplished and distinctive writers this country has known . . . [and] Frank Prescott is one of the great characters in American fiction.”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A daring and ambitious book . . . Its poise and taste and intelligence strike one on every page, as do its unerring knowledge and literary skill.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “[\u003ci\u003eThe Rector of Justin\u003c\/i\u003e] should sit on the shelf of any serious reader of American fiction.” —Jay Parini, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A taut and elegant study of a distinguished American whose closest friends cannot decide whether they like or detest him.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Fascinating . . . We do come to feel the reality, the complicated reality, of Francis Prescott.” —\u003ci\u003eSaturday Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “My favorite of Auchincloss’s novels. Both decadent and demanding, high-hat and frank . . . A subversive in lace-up oxfords and rep tie.” —Amy Bloom\u003cbr\u003e  ","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47123814318320,"sku":"9780547524238","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780547524238_p0.jpg?v=1769896021","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780547524238","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}