House

By: Tracy Kidder

Narrated by: Adrian Cronauer

Why on earth should the nail-by-nail building of a house hold any fascination for anyone? Because when you put a lawyer, an architect, and a hippie builder together, that spells trouble. Kidder tells his story so well that you can’t help but take sides.

©1985 John Tracy Kidder (P)1986 Recorded Books, LLC

Just read it for the second time

I first read this perhaps 20 years ago. When was it written? I was enchanted by Mr Kidder's insight into all the personalities that went into building this house. As a Realtor, it felt so real back then and it still did today. The hurt feelings, the worry and rejection, the questioning if they were being taken advantage - it all made so much sense. And (spoiler alert) it amazed me, yet it didn't, that the owners were oblivious to the pain they caused the builder. I loved that the publisher contacted the owners two years later and asked them about their experience.

perfect to listen to as we start our house project

the level of detail about each person's experience and perspective was fascinating. I will share this with other architects or people building a house.

brilliant narration of a well written book

truly enjoyed this book. Highly recommend to anyone contemplating building buying or dreaming about a new home.

Good book, well read

Would you listen to House again? Why?

I began reading the book long ago, but found the time to listen to the story. It is a good narrative of the process of building a house.

I love this book

As a person who has both done some carpentry and hired somebody to build an addition this book gave me such insight into both perspectives- giving me a sense of peace rather than outrage when talking about money.

Tracy Kidder manages to make the seemingly mundane completely fascinating. I recommend his books to anyone, especially those new to non-fiction as his books read, as compelling and easy as any novel.