{"product_id":"book-h9ao","title":"The Questions That Matter Most","description":"\u003cp\u003eLong acclaimed as one of America's preeminent novelists, Jane Smiley is also an unparalleled observer of the craft of writing. In \u003cem\u003eThe Questions That Matter Most\u003c\/em\u003e this Pulitzer Prize-winning writer offers steady and penetrating essays on some of the aesthetic and cultural issues that mark any serious engagement with reading and writing. Beginning with a personal introduction tracing Smiley's migration from Iowa to California, the author reflects on her findings in the varied literature of the Golden State, whose writers have for decades litigated the West's contested legacies of racism, class conflict, and sexual politics through their pens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eAs she considers the ambiguity of character and the weight of history, her essays provide new entry points into literature, and we lucky readers can see how Smiley draws inspiration from across the literary spectrum to invigorate her own writing. With enthusiasm and meticulous attention, Smiley dives beneath surface-level interpretations to examine the works of Marguerite de Navarre, Charles Dickens,\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: start\"\u003eAnthony Trollope, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Franz Kafka, Halldór Laxness, and Jessica Mitford. Throughout, Smiley seeks to think harder and, in her words, with \"more clarity and nuance\" about the questions that matter most.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Recorded Books, Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49353846423856,"sku":"BDh9ao","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49503802392880,"sku":"ZEh9ao","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio MP3-CD","offer_id":49503802458416,"sku":"ZMh9ao","price":45.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/h9ao-cover.jpg?v=1761188532","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-h9ao","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}