Tracy Kidder takes readers to the heart of the American Dream: the building of a family's first house with all its day-to-day frustrations, crises, tensions, challenges, and triumphs.
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Tracy Kidder takes readers to the heart of the American Dream: the building of a family's first house with all its day-to-day frustrations, crises, tensions, challenges, and triumphs.
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Add this copy of House to cart. $1.66, very good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Item may have minor cosmetic defects such as marks wears cuts bends or crushes on the cover spine pages or dust cover. Shrink wrap dust covers or boxed set case may be missing. Item may contain remainder marks on outside edges which should be noted in listing comments. Item may be missing bundled media.
Add this copy of House to cart. $1.68, good condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Fast &-Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of House to cart. $1.69, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of House to cart. $1.69, good condition, Sold by Greenworld Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Good condition. It may show normal signs of use such as light writing highlighting or library markings but all pages are intact and the book is fully readable. A solid complete copy that's ready to enjoy.
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.02, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books East rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Glendale Heights, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Book is in very good condition and may include minimal underlining highlighting. The book can also include From the library of labels. May not contain miscellaneous items toys dvds etc. We offer 100% money back guarantee and 24 7 customer service.
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.12, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.29, good condition, Sold by Aspen Book Company rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
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Seller's Description:
Good. A well-loved companion. Corners and cover might show a little wear and you could find some notes or highlights. The dust jacket might be MIA it might have been a library book and extras aren't guaranteed-but the story's all there!
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.49, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.49, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
Add this copy of House to cart. $2.49, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1999 by Mariner Books.
I have to state up front that I am a fiction reader for the very reason that many advocate non-fiction. I think that you can learn a lot more from fiction, at least learn a lot more about the important stuff in life. That said, I did learn a lot from this book. I have some knowledge of the building trades but I did learn about building here and the jargon used throughout the book made sense. I also learned about architecture and, even though, I'm not a big fan, I've been picking out Greek Revival architecture in my neighborhood.
But what was most interesting, for me, was the character development and what we can ultimately learn about human nature. One of the major themes of the book is the appreciation for craftsmen working their craft and how that comes up against the limits imposed by our turbo-capitalist economy. To a certain extent the book is about the conflict between the yuppie client and the craftsmen who are building the house. Not to give too much away, but, yet again, the yuppie is able to grind away on the workers so that they end up making no profit on the deal while sacrificing and literally risking their bodies and lives in the process. The convoluted order of the world is maintained.
Kidder is an excellent writer and the prose is very good, well beyond the simple unobtrusiveness necessary to tell a story. I recommend it, especially if you are contemplating building a house or putting on an addition or tackling a major remodel.
