{"product_id":"9781616204501","title":"The Transcriptionist: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Haunting and provocative . . . Rowland’s writing is compelling and masterful.” —Delia Ephron, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Lion Is In\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e Once, there were many transcriptionists at the \u003ci\u003eRecord,\u003c\/i\u003e a behemoth New York City newspaper, but new technology has put most of them out of work. So now Lena, the last transcriptionist, sits alone in a room—a human conduit, silently turning reporters’ recorded stories into print—until the day she encounters a story so shocking that it shatters the reverie that has become her life. This exquisite novel, written by an author who spent more than a decade as a transcriptionist at the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times,\u003c\/i\u003e asks probing questions about journalism and ethics, about the decline of the newspaper and the failure of language. It is also the story of a woman’s effort to establish her place in an increasingly alien and alienating world. “\u003ci\u003eThe Transcriptionist\u003c\/i\u003e is suffused with prescient insight into journalism, ethics, and alienation . . . A thought provoking, original work.” —\u003ci\u003eNew York Journal of Books \u003c\/i\u003e “Rowland seems that rare thing, the naturally gifted novelist . . . [She] deftly maps a very specific kind of urban loneliness, the inner ache of the intelligent, damaged soul who prefers the company of ideas and words to that of people . . . That urge—to make words holy—is at the heart of this novel’s strange, sad beauty.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e “\u003ci\u003eThe Transcriptionist\u003c\/i\u003e holds many pleasures . . . [and] can be read through many lenses . . . Rowland plays with the notions of truth and reliability . . . Sharp and affecting.” —\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e “A strange, mesmerizing novel . . . about the decline of newspapers and the subsequent loss of humanity—and yes, these are related.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist, \u003c\/i\u003estarred review “Ambitious and fascinating . . . Disturbing and powerful.” —\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e “Entering the city Rowland creates, with its tightly strung dialogue and soulful, lonely citizens, is a memorable experience.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e “Unforgettable. Written with such delight, compassion, and humanity it’s newsworthy.”—Alex Gilvarry, author of \u003ci\u003eFrom the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47055685714160,"sku":"9781616204501","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781616204501_p0.jpg?v=1763854417","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781616204501","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}