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12/04/2009

Echo House by Ward Just

Echo House Echo House by Ward S. Just



My rating: 5 of 5 stars

scud: (noun) 1. swift movement: a swift smooth movement

2. clouds driven by wind: low clouds that are driven swiftly by the wind

3. sudden shower or gust: a sudden shower of rain or gust of wind


cross the Rubicon:(noun) to do something that commits you to a particular course of action
[Early 17th century. After the stream in N Italy that Julius Caesar crossed illegally with his army in 49 BC, making civil war inevitable:]
point of no return: a point at which any action taken commits the person taking it to a further course of action that cannot be avoided


This story is splendid generational historical fiction about the unseen family of power players in Washington, DC. Fascinating insight comes to light as the reader begins in the the salon of Echo House with the family scion Senator Adolph Behl and his wife Constance, a demanding perfectionist. Beginning with the Wilson administration, the years unfold. Players and Presidents come and go, but the Behl family remains. The Behl men are the "Invisibles", the men who get things done, who take care of things, who avoid the spotlight. The evolution of the Behls and our nation kept me spellbound and sad to see the book end. Knowing that this novel reflects reality is mind-numbing and a bit scary. DC is a tough town.

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