Finding the perfect house is never easy. Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile--to say nothing of making it into a home--is even harder.
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Oct 26, 2008
Cathy
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I picked up this book because it is about a man with a young family restoring an old mansion in Akron, OH. Having lived in that area for 10 years..I was curious. It is at times funny and sad. He gives a good mental pictures of the house and how completely awful it is. Big holes in the roof, animals, walls crumbling, no plumbing or electricity.
He talks about his love for his wife and child..his role as a father to provide for them (the house) but also how he feels guilty about neglecting More...
He talks about his love for his wife and child..his role as a father to provide for them (the house) but also how he feels guilty about neglecting More...
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Dec 26, 2009
Chris
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I love old houses. I love the idea of taking a rundown ramshackle of an awesome old house and restoring it. Peeling pack the layers and finding the story and treasures it has to tell and share. It is part of what appealed to me about photographing old buildings. So this story about a guy who loves to work on his house and goes in search of a new house for his growing family and settles on a totally unrealistic mansion estate is terrible neglect and disrepair is an awesome inspiring story. I
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Jun 18, 2008
Maya
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Just enjoyable start to finish. As someone who lives in an older home (of the "semi-remarkable" variety, by the author's description), I have to admire anyone with the vision to take on a project of this magnitude.
Given my own experience with home renovation and those of my friends, I expected a certain level of discomfort to accompany my reading, the kind born of familiarity with impending disaster--but no. Giffels manages to carry the reader along on a tide of optimis
Given my own experience with home renovation and those of my friends, I expected a certain level of discomfort to accompany my reading, the kind born of familiarity with impending disaster--but no. Giffels manages to carry the reader along on a tide of optimis
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Apr 10, 2010
Katy
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This was a really great memoir! I mean, yeah, I generally have a weakness for memoirs...but this one is in my top favorites!
Sure, the story wasn't that unusual or striking...at least, not when you skim through the back of the book. "Family...blah blah...new house...blah blah...baby...blah blah...building a family." Sounds a little sentimental, right?
Wrong.
Yes, "All the Way Home" had it's cutesy moments, but they were all deserved. When litt More...
Sure, the story wasn't that unusual or striking...at least, not when you skim through the back of the book. "Family...blah blah...new house...blah blah...baby...blah blah...building a family." Sounds a little sentimental, right?
Wrong.
Yes, "All the Way Home" had it's cutesy moments, but they were all deserved. When litt More...
Jul 23, 2011
Megan
rated it:
our homes may not be historical but I feel like I have lived through some of this...and then wondered if Jeff shares any of David's thoughts...
Finding the perfect house is never easy. Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile—to say nothing of making it into a home—is even harder.
With their infant son in tow, David Giffels and his wife comb the environs of Akron, Ohio, in search of just the right house for their burgeoning family. Running through David's head the whole More...
Finding the perfect house is never easy. Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile—to say nothing of making it into a home—is even harder.
With their infant son in tow, David Giffels and his wife comb the environs of Akron, Ohio, in search of just the right house for their burgeoning family. Running through David's head the whole More...
Apr 26, 2010
Brian
rated it:
This title was featured in the "Great Reads" blog from Columbus Metropolitan Library. I picked it up because of the recommendation and to read a firsthand account of home renovation. I've found that I enjoy journalistic nonfiction, and this looked like a good break from the F&SF stuff I generally read.
I expected a little bit more human interaction from this book. It's subtitled "Building a Family in a Falling-Down House", but would more accurately read "T More...
I expected a little bit more human interaction from this book. It's subtitled "Building a Family in a Falling-Down House", but would more accurately read "T More...
May 24, 2010
Jen
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I picked this up at the Ohioana Book Festival, where I was in fact sharing a table with David Giffels. His voice is like David Sedaris meets This Old House meets northeast Ohio midwest work ethic gone mad; I'm happy to have read this and met him. The story of his mega-remodeling project on an Akron, Ohio mansion is full of all the usual tales of mishaps, raccoon-in-attic shenanigans, and divorce-threatenings as the projects careens from room to disastrous room. But, hands down, the best part is
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Aug 10, 2008
Angela
rated it:
I am loving this book! Having grown up in akron, I figured I would like reading about my hometown but I never thought I would like it so much. David is a talented writer with great snarky comments. We see the world the same way. I always wondered if I could buy one of those dreamy houses and fix it up. Now I can simply live vicariously.
Aug 03, 2011
I read this for a book club and was surprised at how riveting it was! It helps that I live nearby Akron (in Cleveland) and live in my own almost 100 year old home. I also related to this couple because they bought their house around the same time as me, when they were starting a family 10 years ago, and also decided to live in an old historic home with lots of character. This house has so many stories, from animals in the attic, to a Miss Havisham type old lady who almost doesn't leave, even
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Jul 17, 2010
Charles
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I met Mr. Giffels when I was working at The University of Akron. At first I thought he was a grad student or a adjunct faculty member like myself. Little did I know he was such a big deal, which was actually even was funnier once I realized I had heard his interview on the Diane Rehm show when the book was first published. If you haven't heard the interview it is available streaming and in podcast.
Thinking about fixing up my own father's broken down house, I thought it was time to giv More...
Thinking about fixing up my own father's broken down house, I thought it was time to giv More...
Sep 12, 2011
Brenda
rated it:
Giffels story is entertaining, but he comes off like an asshole and he tends to overwrite. One such example is when he describes his lust for a psychic who comes to visit. He uses a whole page to tell us he's mentally cheating on his pregnant wife who's standing there next to him, and one of those paragraphs employs some cheap ROGER RABBIT reaction to her hotness. Fine. She was beautiful. But worth an entire page complete with sound effects? While the overall story kept me engaged, I sometimes f
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Jan 15, 2009
Derf
rated it:
A thoroughly enjoyable read: funny, engaging and occasionally sweet, but without being girlie about it. Giffels is a wonderful writer and the book is full of beautifully crafted passage, unique observations and unexpected pop-culture tie-ins. Thirty-something hipster foolishly purchases a decrepit mansion and attempts to bludgeon it into livable shape, while thinking great thoughts... and not-so-great thoughts, as well.
The title makes it sound like a chick book, but it's not, althou More...
The title makes it sound like a chick book, but it's not, althou More...
Aug 16, 2009
Chris
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I thought this might just be a repeat of Michael Ruhlman's House, but it might actually be even better. A few years back, David Giffels and his family bought a 1913 mansion in Akron that was days from being condemned and torn down, and being an inveterate fixer-upper, Giffels did his best to fix it all himself.
(No, he hasn't seen The Money Pit.)
The story is funny and touching, as such things should be, and Giffels can write. You can feel the collapsing grandeur of the hou More...
(No, he hasn't seen The Money Pit.)
The story is funny and touching, as such things should be, and Giffels can write. You can feel the collapsing grandeur of the hou More...
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Apr 26, 2009
Betsie
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I have checked this book out from the library 3 times before I actually got around to reading it, but I am really glad I did. The author actually gave me great insight into my husband's handy man mind! I now have a better picture for the driving need to get "stuff" done. It's not just about escaping the kids or the world, it's about providing for and proving to the family that he can take care off us.
If you have seen The Money Pit, then you will have a sense of what this More...
If you have seen The Money Pit, then you will have a sense of what this More...
Aug 17, 2008
Michael
rated it:
Linda bought a proof copy in paperback (not the hardback) off the Internet. Apparently it isn't considered very ethical to sell these review copies this way ...
He tells a good story and he's a very engaging writer. I suspect his main problem is that mostly men don't read this sort of think. Most of the reviews I see here were by women but I'm pretty sure he thought he was writing this for other "guys" - well, for that small number of guys who read house renovation books More...
He tells a good story and he's a very engaging writer. I suspect his main problem is that mostly men don't read this sort of think. Most of the reviews I see here were by women but I'm pretty sure he thought he was writing this for other "guys" - well, for that small number of guys who read house renovation books More...
Sep 27, 2008
Jennifer
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I LOVED this book. It is one that I didn't want to put down. First of all, David Giffels is hilariously funny at telling his story. His humor & manner of storytelling reminded me of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson, which I also loved (thank-you Stephanie). Second, like me, David is a perfectionist - even if he has no idea how to go about doing something, he spends a lot of time thinking about the perfect way to tackle the project at hand.
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Jun 17, 2008
Eden
rated it:
Wow. I had to reread this book and sink my teeth into it more than once. Giffel really hooked me and I just happened across this book. It is the story of one man becoming a father and growing a family as he restores the decrepit, old mansion that he and his wife bought as young thirtysomethings just starting out in life.
I love the whole concept of restoring a house and making something old new and beautiful again. Giffel has made me want my own old house to work and slave against an More...
I love the whole concept of restoring a house and making something old new and beautiful again. Giffel has made me want my own old house to work and slave against an More...
Jun 03, 2008
Amy
rated it:
You've heard the old adage, "stranger than fiction". Well, this book about buying and remodeling an old house while at the same time, building a family is just this.
I had lots of respect for columnist, David Giffels, before and have even more now, but the man is insane!
Most people go to work and when they come home want to relax -- not Giffels. He is easily bored and looking for that next BIG home project.
Gina Giffels says that most women say they More...
I had lots of respect for columnist, David Giffels, before and have even more now, but the man is insane!
Most people go to work and when they come home want to relax -- not Giffels. He is easily bored and looking for that next BIG home project.
Gina Giffels says that most women say they More...
Apr 14, 2009
Liz
rated it:
I flew through this book! Having met David and his wife a few times, it definitely helped me visualize the story, plus knowing of the house beforehand helped. It's a great tale, relating to my own renovation worries, feeling his struggle in the balance of life and his music references. It's always interesting to me to learn about real people's history, especially the early 1900s when our twon was growing in leaps and bounds. Seriously, take the time to read and enjoy this book, it is wonderful.
Aug 09, 2010
Susan
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What a great read. I started it Sunday evening and ending up reading it straight through till 2am. Work might be tough today. I, like so many others, at one time had a fantasy of rescuing a diamond in the rough (though never to the scale of this house!) and mainly through my own force of will bringing it back to something that is livable and even beautiful. I think it's worked out for the best that I live in a small, mostly trouble-free house and just read someone else's memoir of tackling su
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Jul 03, 2010
Bill
rated it:
David Giffels is a bit of a icon around the Akron area; I recall when he was the wild-haired Young New Writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, and he's been a loyal son of the Rubber City before and since. Here he brings his very humane writing to a memoir of his family's move to a decrepit old mansion, and how they -- painfully, slowly -- made it their home. Giffels is funny, affecting and thoughtful, and this is well worth the read. But don't expect a home repair how-to book!
Feb 07, 2009
Anne
rated it:
This book speaks to my lifelong fantasy of buying a rambling wreck and fixing it up with my own two hands. Unfortunately, unlike David Giffels, I completely failed to pick up the skills to do so, and don't have the time and money anyway. So this book was a great escape into the Giffels' amazing and ongoing adventure with an extreme grand wreck of a house in Ohio. Loved.
Feb 25, 2009
April
rated it:
This was a fun book, especially because I had just bought a house and had a baby. Giffels deals with life and home ownership with humor and a good dose of mania. A great read for anyone wanting to fix up a home, or dealing with loss in their lives. Giffels fixes a home to deal with loss, and I think he finds a lot of himself through his efforts.
Jan 07, 2010
Charlene
rated it: 
Another read that needed a mint for the bad aftertaste.
Readable story of a man who becomes manically obsessed with refurbishing a ruined wreck of a house in Akron, Oh. By the time the book ends we're treated to two miscarriages, the author screaming at his 2 year old, his adulterous, lustful thoughts and many construction mishaps and a ghost story (which was quite silly and gives one the impression that all "psychics" are shysters). I know this guy wants me to like him, I More...
Readable story of a man who becomes manically obsessed with refurbishing a ruined wreck of a house in Akron, Oh. By the time the book ends we're treated to two miscarriages, the author screaming at his 2 year old, his adulterous, lustful thoughts and many construction mishaps and a ghost story (which was quite silly and gives one the impression that all "psychics" are shysters). I know this guy wants me to like him, I More...
Jan 29, 2011
lee lee
rated it:
A great memoir...I don't think you have to love houses to enjoy this memoir, but if you *do* love houses, you'll probably LOVE the memoir more. :) The hardest thing about a first person narrator, particularly when that person is yourself, is to walk the line between despicable and perfect--a line that seems BIG, but is actually very, very tiny. Giffels ability to do this is what makes this book great, and it's probably also what made him successful at {re}building his home.
Aug 03, 2009
Jan
rated it:
The true life story of a young journalist and his wife who take on the task of restoring an old mansion (literally, falling down!) without going into debt. It will make you tired just reading about all the work they did. Make sure and check out the website for more before and after pictures- amazing!
Mar 01, 2010
Cathy
rated it:
I liked this, esp since i ALSO BOUGHT A FALLING DOWN HOUSE. It's verynicely written and tells more than just his story of buying this house/old mansion that had actually been condemned-it's the story of making an impracticle dream come true and a story of a young family. Like his writing style.
Jul 02, 2009
Carol
rated it:
The incredible true story of how Giffels and his wife bought and rehabbed a decaying mansion - nearly destroying themselves in the process - will make every homeowner feel a little better about the quirks and inconveniences of their own home. The Marley and Me of house books!
Jan 01, 2011
Jason
rated it:
Kind of an interesting hybrid genre: the home improvement narrative. I read this it involved the renovation of a condemned mansion in Akron, Ohio--a city where I once lived--but really got into it because of the author's sense of humor and continually punk rock song references.
Sep 02, 2011
Patty
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There are moments in this book that stopped me cold and had me reread a sentence over and over again, beautiful moments of well-crafted, thought-provoking sentences. They seem to be a rare commodity nowadays. Other times, I laughed out loud in recognition of our human foibles, the audacity of taking on a falling-down house, of restoring the romance of an earlier time, on seeking out the challenge and removing yourself from other pressing requirements to focus too intently on your moment of obses
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