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	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
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Fiction & Related items

THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST

Ann Hood

An enthralling novel about loss, secrets, friendship and the healing power of love and literature by one of our most celebrated novelists, the bestselling author of THE KNITTING CIRCLE.

Ava’s twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group’s goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood?one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava’s story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man. Ava’s mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives. Ann Hood is the best-selling author of The Knitting Circle, The Red Thread, and Comfort and The Obituary Writer, among other works. She has been the recipient of a Best American Spiritual Writing Award, a Best American Food Writing Award, a Best American Travel Writing Award, the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction, and two Pushcart Prizes. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

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Book Published 2016-08-09 by W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. - New York (USA)

Comments

A love of words, of reading, propels the characters from heartbreak to discovery. Book groups—indeed, book lovers of all kinds—will delight in this compulsively and effortlessly readable novel.

THE BOOK THAT MATTERS MOST is an exhilarating celebration of all that books awaken within us: joy, love, wisdom, loss, solace. Ann Hood is a captivating storyteller—I devoured this novel.

Engrossing…I admire this graceful and intimate writer for her literary sleight of hand: you don’t so much read about her characters as you inhabit them.

[Ann Hood is] able to limn fundamental character truths via well-placed details. She has a knack for dramatic revelation that feels natural, possibly because she is so skilled at knowing what to leave out. Whether or not they think of themselves as bookish, readers of all stripes will enjoy cycling through these characters' lives and discovering their shared, mysterious past.

Ann Hood’s eye for the absurd, her masterful prose and vivid characters instantly draw you into this compelling story about mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and lovers. But it’s the delicate exploration of human fallibility – of love, loss, regret and redemption that make this one of those rare and wonderful books that truly matter.