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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America
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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America Paperback - 1998

by Jonathan Raban


From the publisher

NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - An exhilarating, often deliciously funny and "beautifully written voyage of discovery" (Chicago Tribune) that is at once a travelogue, a social history, and a love letter to America. - From the bestselling, award-winning author of Bad Land In 1782 an immigrant with the high-toned name J. Hector St. John de Crvecoeur--"Heartbreak" in English--wrote a pioneering account of one European's transformation into an American. Some two hundred years later Jonathan Raban, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, arrived in Crvecoeur's wake to see how America has paid off for succeeding generations of newcomers. In the course of Hunting Mr. Heartbreak, Raban passes for homeless in New York and tries to pass for a good ol' boy in Alabama (which entails "renting" an elderly black lab). He sees the Protestant work ethic perfected by Korean immigrants in Seattle--one of whom celebrates her new home as "So big! So green! So wide-wide-wide!"--and repudiated by the lowlife of Key West. And on every page of this peerlessly observant work, Raban makes us experience America with wonder, humor, and an unblinking eye for its contradictions.

From the jacket flap

A New York Times Notable Book
"In an era of jet tourism, [Jonathan Raban] remains a traveler-adventurer in the tradition of . . . Robert Louis Stevenson."
--The New York Times Book Review In 1782 an immigrant with the high-toned name J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur--"Heartbreak" in English--wrote a pioneering account of one European's transformation into an American. Some two hundred years later Jonathan Raban, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, arrived in Crevecoeur's wake to see how America has paid off for succeeding generations of newcomers. The result is an exhilarating, often deliciously funny book that is at once a travelogue, a social history, and a love letter to the United States.
In the course of Hunting Mr. Heartbreak, Raban passes for homeless in New York and tries to pass for a good ol' boy in Alabama (which entails "renting" an elderly black lab). He sees the Protestant work ethic perfected by Korean immigrants in Seattle--one of whom celebrates her new home as "So big! So green! So wide-wide-wide!"--and repudiated by the lowlife of Key West. And on every page of this peerlessly observant work, Raban makes us experience America with wonder, humor, and an unblinking eye for its contradictions. "Raban delivers himself of some of the most memorable prose ever written
about urban America." --Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times "When Raban describes America and Americans, he is unfailingly witty
and entertaining." --Salman Rushdie

Details

  • Title Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America
  • Author Jonathan Raban
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition 1st
  • Pages 384
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, New York, New York
  • Date 1998-11-03
  • ISBN 9780375701016 / 037570101X
  • Weight 1 lbs (0.45 kg)
  • Dimensions 8 x 5.2 x 0.9 in (20.32 x 13.21 x 2.29 cm)
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: 20th Century
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - Description and travel, United States - Social life and customs -
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 98026450
  • Dewey Decimal Code 973.928

Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 11/15/1998, Page 68

About the author

JONATHAN RABAN is the author of the novels Surveillance and Waxwings; his nonfiction works include Passage to Juneau, Bad Land, and Driving Home. His honors include the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/West Creative Nonfiction Award, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award, and the Governor's Award of the State of Washington. He died in 2023.
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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures)

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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)
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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)

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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)
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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)

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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)
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Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America (Vintage Departures Edition)

by Raban, Jonathan

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