We had collected a black Subaru Forester from JFK airport and set off on an unusual 2,000-mile pilgrimage through the literary heart of New England. It also doubled as a search for good food and long, uninterrupted conversations on the open road. It is hard to imagine a more concentrated patch of American literary history. open image in gallery Long hours in the car created a space for family conversations that ordinary life rarely allows ( The Independent )As the miles accumulated, something subtle shifted. Every literary house seemed to carry the same lesson: recognition and talent rarely arrive at the same time.