Benjamin Wood

Ben Wood is a larger-than-life figure, an American architect who re-imagined both the heart of New York and the heart of Shanghai and in this unique memoir, he tells a thousand outrageous and wonderful stories from the back blocks of the American South in the 1950s through to the glittering skylines of the 21st century. His design of the Xintiandi area of Shanghai set the standard for urban renewal across all of China's cities, but that's just the...

For twenty years, Daniel Hardesty has borne the emotional scars of a childhood trauma which he is powerless to undo, which leaves him no peace. One August morning in 1995, the young Daniel and his estranged father Francis--a character of irresistible charm and roiling self-pity--set out on a road trip to the North that seems to represent a chance to salvage their relationship. ... But with every passing mile, the layers of Fran's mendacity and desperation...

Nursing home assistant Oscar Lowe is drawn into the opulent world of the charismatic Bellwether siblings and falls in love with medical student Iris before realizing the dangers posed by troubled Eden Bellwether, who believes he can heal people with his music.