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Idyll Banter

Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town

Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town

Weekly Excursions to a Very Small Town

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

Read by Chris Bohjalian

By Chris Bohjalian
On Tour

Read by Chris Bohjalian

Best Seller
Paperback $15.00

May 24, 2005 | ISBN 9781400052363

Ebook $11.99

Dec 16, 2003 | ISBN 9781400080717

Audiobook Download $12.95

Dec 16, 2003 | 270 Minutes

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    Idyll Banter by Chris Bohjalian
    Paperback
    May 24, 2005 | ISBN 9781400052363
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    • Paperback $15.00

      May 24, 2005 | ISBN 9781400052363

    Ebook
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    • Ebook $11.99

      Dec 16, 2003 | ISBN 9781400080717

    Audio
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    About Idyll Banter

    Years ago, Chris Bohjalian and his wife traded their Brooklyn co-op for a century-old Victorian house in Lincoln, Vermont (population 975). Bohjalian, a bestselling novelist, began chronicling life in that gloriously quirky little village with a wide variety of magazine essays and his newspaper column, “Idyll Banter.” These pieces, written over the course of twelve years, are honest, funny, and deeply affecting reflections on the unique idiosyncrasies of small-town life (annual outhouse races) and the universal experiences (our hunger for neighborliness) that unite us all.

    About Idyll Banter

    In March 1986, while living in Brooklyn, Chris Bohjalian and his wife were cab-napped on a Saturday night and taken on a forty-five-minute joy ride in which the driver ignored all traffic lights and stop signs. Around midnight he deposited the young couple on a near-deserted street, where police officers were about to storm a crack house. Bohjalian and his wife were told to hit the ground for their own protection. While lying on the pavement, Bohjalian’s wife suggested that perhaps it was time to move to New England.

    Months later they traded in their co-op in Brooklyn for a century-old Victorian house in Lincoln, Vermont (population 975), and Bohjalian began chronicling life in that town in a wide variety of magazine essays and in his newspaper column, "Idyll Banter."

    These pieces, written weekly for twelve years and collected here for the first time, serve as a diary of both this writer’s life and how America has been transformed in the last decade. Rich with idiosyncratic universals that come with being a parent, a child, and a spouse, Chris Bohjalian’s personal observations are a reflection of our own common experience.

    "Chris Bohjalian is a terrific columnist—thoughtful and thought-provoking. Just like me! No, really, this guy is good." —Dave Barry, author of Boogers Are My Beat


    “The best book I’ve ever read about life in a contemporary village. There’s no doubt that Chris Bohjalian has established himself as one of America’s finest, most thoughtful, and most humane writers.”
    —Howard Frank Mosher

    About Idyll Banter

    In March 1986, while living in Brooklyn, Chris Bohjalian and his wife were cab-napped on a Saturday night and taken on a forty-five-minute joy ride in which the driver ignored all traffic lights and stop signs. Around midnight he deposited the young couple on a near-deserted street, where police officers were about to storm a crack house. Bohjalian and his wife were told to hit the ground for their own protection. While lying on the pavement, Bohjalian’s wife suggested that perhaps it was time to move to New England.

    Months later they traded in their co-op in Brooklyn for a century-old Victorian house in Lincoln, Vermont (population 975), and Bohjalian began chronicling life in that town in a wide variety of magazine essays and in his newspaper column, "Idyll Banter."

    These pieces, written weekly for twelve years and collected here for the first time, serve as a diary of both this writer’s life and how America has been transformed in the last decade. Rich with idiosyncratic universals that come with being a parent, a child, and a spouse, Chris Bohjalian’s personal observations are a reflection of our own common experience.

    "Chris Bohjalian is a terrific columnist—thoughtful and thought-provoking. Just like me! No, really, this guy is good." —Dave Barry, author of Boogers Are My Beat


    “The best book I’ve ever read about life in a contemporary village. There’s no doubt that Chris Bohjalian has established himself as one of America’s finest, most thoughtful, and most humane writers.”
    —Howard Frank Mosher

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Listen to a sample from Idyll Banter

    Also by Chris Bohjalian

    Water Witches
    The Red Lotus
    Wingspan
    The Flight Attendant
    The Sleepwalker
    See all books by Chris Bohjalian

    Also by Chris Bohjalian

    Water Witches
    The Red Lotus
    Wingspan
    The Flight Attendant
    The Sleepwalker
    See all books by Chris Bohjalian

    Also by Chris Bohjalian

    Water Witches
    The Red Lotus
    Wingspan
    The Flight Attendant
    The Sleepwalker
    See all books by Chris Bohjalian

    About Chris Bohjalian

    CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the author of twenty books, including The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; The Double Bind; and Midwives which was a number one New York Times bestseller and a selection of Oprah’s Book Club. Chris’s… More about Chris Bohjalian

    About Chris Bohjalian

    CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the author of twenty books, including The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; The Double Bind; and Midwives which was a number one New York Times bestseller and a selection of Oprah’s Book Club. Chris’s… More about Chris Bohjalian

    About Chris Bohjalian

    CHRIS BOHJALIAN is the author of twenty books, including The Guest Room; Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands; The Sandcastle Girls; Skeletons at the Feast; The Double Bind; and Midwives which was a number one New York Times bestseller and a selection of Oprah’s Book Club. Chris’s… More about Chris Bohjalian

    Product Details

    Category: Literary Collections | Biography & Memoir

    Paperback | $15.00
    Published by Broadway Books
    May 24, 2005 | 240 Pages | 5-1/2 x 7-5/8 | ISBN 9781400052363

    Category: Literary Collections | Biography & Memoir

    Ebook | $11.99
    Published by Crown
    Dec 16, 2003 | 240 Pages | ISBN 9781400080717

    Category: Literary Collections | Biography & Memoir | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $12.95
    Published by Random House Audio
    Dec 16, 2003 | 270 Minutes | ISBN 9780739309155

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    Praise

    “Chris Bohjalian is a terrific columnist—thoughtful and thought-provoking. Just like me! No, really, this guy is good.” —Dave Barry

    “[Bohjalian] is writing about one of the most important issues in America today—how do we retain our sense of community. . . . Gentle . . . sensitive . . .heart-warming.” —Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

    “These essays carry a community connection and a humble grace. When words read this easily, you know they also carry a lot of work. Bohjalian is a reliable guide, moving from pastures to town steeple to the edge of the playground.” —Boston Globe

    “Whether you’re aching to escape the urban grind or yearning to have your small-town experience reflected back at you, you’ll do well to pick up Idyll Banter.” —Elle

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