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4th out of 40 books
—
12 voters
All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House
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 time are the lyrics of a Replacements song, ". ....more
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 time are the lyrics of a Replacements song, ". ....more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
May 27th 2008
by William Morrow
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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 them, be...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 them, be...more
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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 read...more
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 optimism.
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 optimism.
Apr 10, 2010
Katy Major
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone, but Ohioans and those who live in Akron, Ohio, especially - some interesting trivia
Recommended to Katy by:
Mr. Brooks
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 little Evan watches his daddy (the author) build up walls an...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 little Evan watches his daddy (the author) build up walls an...more
Jul 23, 2011
Megan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Megan by:
Mom
Shelves:
non-fiction,
memoir
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 time are the lyrics of a Repla...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 time are the lyrics of a Repla...more
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 "There's This House I'm Fixing, and Oh...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 "There's This House I'm Fixing, and Oh...more
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...more
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.
1 like · like · see review
Aug 03, 2011
Jill
added it
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 to...more
I really enjoyed this book. Took a little while to get into it- and get into his style- but once I did I was totally sold. I have lived in Akron my whole life, and his local references were so unique. I have owned 2 houses in my life, and can relate to a lot of the mechanical issues of the home as well as the way he personifies his house and the importance it has for him. I also enjoyed the way he portrayed his family/friends, and also the chapters by his wife. (she must be a saint for putting u...more
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 give All The...more
Thinking about fixing up my own father's broken down house, I thought it was time to give All The...more
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...more
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 house he bought, and it's e...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 house he bought, and it's e...more
An enjoyable memoir about fixing up an old house in the hopes of making a diamond in the rough shine to its fullest. It is a story that anyone who has purchased that fixer-upper will relate to. It describes the romantic notions, the stark realities, and the astonishing surprises while finding the humor and hope in every situation. I enjoyed it. I wished there had been more character development or dialogue among characters--but it was a memoir. There were times where the writing seemed forced o...more
Apr 07, 2012
Art Noose
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone attempting a home renovation project
I think this is the last in a series I've been reading about people doing what I want to do except with more money than I have. This has been my favorite, though.
The author is a writer who decides with his wife to buy a huge manor in a tremendous state of disrepair in Akron, Ohio, former capital of rubber manufacturing. While it could have fallen into the narrative trapping of "young cosmopolitan couple buys old house," there's enough humanity in the story to make it compelling.
I can identify wi...more
The author is a writer who decides with his wife to buy a huge manor in a tremendous state of disrepair in Akron, Ohio, former capital of rubber manufacturing. While it could have fallen into the narrative trapping of "young cosmopolitan couple buys old house," there's enough humanity in the story to make it compelling.
I can identify wi...more
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 book is about. David and...more
If you have seen The Money Pit, then you will have a sense of what this book is about. David and...more
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 (that have no pictures......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 (that have no pictures......more
Sep 27, 2008
Jennifer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Amanda, Stephanie, Nathan, Crystal
Recommended to Jennifer by:
NPR's Diane Rehm show
Shelves:
non-fiction
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....more
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 and turn into...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 and turn into...more
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 have a hard time getting their husbands to do...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 have a hard time getting their husbands to do...more
The short review is, I don't know or care enough about houses to appreciate this book. I don't know wainscoting from a waistcoat. My dream house is a two-story condo near a downtown art district, whose lawn I won't have to mow.
Ultimately, I found this book focused a little too much on the house, and not enough on the human drama, which I thought was vastly more interesting. Yet, by the end, I was disappointed to learn that (spoiler!) the house isn't done at the time of writing, and likely won't...more
Ultimately, I found this book focused a little too much on the house, and not enough on the human drama, which I thought was vastly more interesting. Yet, by the end, I was disappointed to learn that (spoiler!) the house isn't done at the time of writing, and likely won't...more
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.
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 such...more
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!
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.
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.
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'm supposed to like him,...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'm supposed to like him,...more
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.
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!
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.
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All the Way Home is the engaging tale of a young father's struggle to restore a house and find his way home."
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