New York, NY: Ecco (2009)

New in paperback.

“One of the cleverest crafters of prose writing today tackles the country’s most fascinating and frustrating city. . . . With her usual keen eye for the quirky and outrageous, Reed finds much to amuse the reader in this delightful volume.” —Cokie Roberts

Julia Reed was sent to New Orleans on assignment in 1991 and fell in love with the famed city. Fifteen years later, she finally bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks later, Huricane Katrina struck. Using her house as the book’s metaphorical meeting place, she traces the fates of all who enter—from Antoine, her beloved homeless handyman, to Joann Clevenger, the heroic Auntie Mame-like restaurateur, to the private detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen.

Rich with sumptuous details and with the author’s trademark humor well in the fore, The House on First Street is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly fascinating tribute to our country’s most original city.