House

Tracy Kidder is a master of nonfiction writing. I’ve read most of what he has written including what I consider to be his masterpiece, “Soul of a New Machine.” “House” is as entertaining and insightful as any of Kidder’s books. It gave me a new appreciation for those who work with their hands. Over the years I’ve had many people in my houses doing various types of repairs and constructions. I’ve always respected their skill, but I don’t think I knew much about their spirit until I read “House.” I once told a plumber, “You know, Earl, what you do is amazing. What I do (teaching high school English) is nothing.” He looked at me with a quizzical look. I said, “If I don’t show up, they’ll find another person with an English degree to do what I do. If you don’t show up, people can’t flush their toilet. Now, you tell me who is more important?” He grinned and went on fixing the drain he was working on. I have the same kind of respect for Tracy Kidder. Lots of people can write. Many of them can write well. Tracy Kidder writes the way the building crew in “House” worked: with spirit, precision, and soul.

Sometimes I read something and I think, "How did the writer ever get these people to share so much?" This is one of those books. Judith and Jonathan Souweine have hired an architect and builders to construct their New England dream home. I've never built a home and don't plan to. That's okay. This book is not a how-to. It's a "here's what happened as one house got built" book. Kidder, no beginner in the field of narrative nonfiction, zeroes in on the key individuals involved in this particular construction project: the architect, an old friend of the Souweines; and the four men who comprise the entire Apple Corps building company, each uniquely gifted and together a generally well-coordinated team. The story follows the arc of the building, and the book is sectioned as the main stages of construction, beginning with The Contract. There's more drama here than one might expect, but not the sort of drama one would expect. And along the way, we learn about some of the finer aspects of home construction. While not the conventional cautionary tale about the commonly known pitfalls of building your own home, the book does provide wonderful insight into the building of one particular home but a set of individuals, each of whom had their own stake in what was being created. I'd recommend it for anyone curious about what makes wood a home.

I originally read this book when we built a house in 1989. Reread it as we built a house this summer. Love Kidder's prose.. really need to be involved in house building or renovation to appreciate how building a house is more than just hiring a crew.. Ours became family and I made the cookies.

I've served in all three capacities covered in this book: customer, builder, and designer. I can say without reservation that the process as relayed by Kidder is unerringly accurate. He perfectly captures the excitement and the angst the customers experience, the pride and the frustration of the builders, and the high art and compromise of the designer. There's a bit of geographic bias here, as all the parties involved are New Englanders, and some of their behaviors are apparently local to the area (the unwillingness to negotiate comes to mind). I identify most strongly with the builders, and frankly I'm afraid I would've told the customers to take a long walk off a short pier long before the house was finished. If you're building or considering building a new home, I strongly recommend this.

I first read "House" when it newly-published. It was the book that enticed me to become both a non-fiction reader and writer. Kidder's story is both factual and far better story telling than most novelists' efforts. He is himself a builder who observes detail and cobbles it into an unforgettable story. I read it then, I read it now and I will certainly read it again.

We're going through a major remodel, so I jumped at the opportunity to read this book. It's been a pretty good read, with fairly accurate descriptions of each party's position during the construction project. All parties come across as sympathetic and genuine, which make their conflicts more real. My biggest disappointment is that I wanted the analysis to be deeper so that I could takeaway lessons about what to do and what to avoid, but this isn't that kind of book.

First read this in 1987. Love construction and the “process.” Excellent characters and how you get to know them. Lots of behind the scenes, hard discussions, and the work ethic and perfectionism of Apple Corps.

A gift, I read it long ago

good