The Cloud Sketcher

In a tiny village in Finland, Esko Vaananen is at the brink of despair -- he loves a woman he can never have. Suddenly, in the magical light of the aurora borealis, he has a vision of an impossibly tall building rising gracefully from the frozen lake and disappearing into the clouds above him. This pilvenpiirtaja -- cloud sketcher or skyscraper -- sparks a lifelong quest for beauty in Esko. He will pursue and protect these two passions -- his vision and his love -- no matter how great the cost, for the rest of his life. It is a journey that leads him into the Bolshevik revolution and the Jazz Age nightclubs of New York City and to strike a Faustian bargain with a ruthless gangster -- all in the pursuit of artistic perfection and impossible, unattainable love.

Author: Richard Rayner
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 03/19/2002
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.67lbs
Size: 8.06h x 5.32w x 1.03d
ISBN: 9780060956134

Review Citation(s):
Booksense '76 Mar/Apr 2002 03/01/2002 pg. 1

About the Author
Rayner, Richard: -

Born in England, Richard Rayner now lives in Los Angeles. His previous books include the memoir The Blue Suit and the novels The Cloud Sketcher, L.A. Without a Map, and Murder Book. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and many other publications.