false 7000112 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.]]> 11741 24 1056302 book 1980 Housekeeping: A Novel total:5750|5:2106|4:1809|3:1223|2:463|1:149| 5750 22510 8327 1027 7491 3.84 17079 3699 75997431 1797553 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5465 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 2 20 false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 28 07:59:13 -0700 2009 Tue Nov 03 08:49:43 -0800 2009 Housekeeping falls into one of my favorite literary sub-genres: (mostly) plotless, character-driven novels (e.g. To the Lighthouse, In Search of Lost Time). I'd seen the Pen/Faulkner A...more...]]> 34594489 721021 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 4 24 false Fri Oct 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 14:46:27 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 19:27:26 -0700 2008 Housekeeping:

1) I think Housekeeping is a great book.
2) Finishing Housekeeping gave me a palpable sense of relief.

Housekeeping is darker and more intense than the author’s better-known Gilead . The former is also...more...]]> 626797 30920 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 15 false Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Sat Apr 07 22:13:16 -0700 2007 Wed Dec 16 17:41:47 -0800 2009 more...]]> 23384328 269132 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 2 8 false Sun Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat May 31 11:44:26 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 13 20:14:25 -0700 2008
The thin...more...]]> 3622308 210421 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 3 2 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 26 20:28:18 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 02:19:19 -0800 2009
So then, are those characters which are not worth writing about worth writing about brilliantly?

That was the question this book left me asking. Essentially, this book can be r...more...]]> 5483148 121774 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 2 false Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Sep 01 10:30:51 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 08:15:57 -0800 2009 more...]]> 41037564 148664 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 3 false Sat Dec 27 16:31:36 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 27 16:45:08 -0800 2008
Somehow, though, it remains also one of most hum...more...]]> 3859301 216284 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 2 2 false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Jul 31 11:53:28 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 31 11:56:26 -0700 2007 more...]]> 30371099 902532 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 2 false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 08:39:20 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 08:44:49 -0700 2008 28929834 1384788 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 4 false Thu Jul 31 18:06:48 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 01 06:05:27 -0700 2008 ]]> 31018776 1224122 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 1 5 false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 23 18:21:41 -0700 2008 Sat Aug 23 18:23:11 -0700 2008
The ending really sucks, just like the middle and the beginning.]]> 41630530 1717549 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 1 true Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Jan 02 13:15:42 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 13:17:43 -0800 2009 here for the imdb.com link to the 1987 movie. I've never heard of it, but I really like Christine Lahti. In addition, a lot of the reviews are very complimentary. May...more...]]> 50594732 1717653 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 3 1 false Sat Mar 28 10:56:17 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 27 04:46:30 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 28 10:56:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 14827541 885220 542245 0374525188 9780374525187 15 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175646271m/542245.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175646271s/542245.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/542245.Housekeeping_A_Novel 4.10 100
A modern classic, Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, the eccentric and remote sister of their dead mother. The family house is in the small town of Fingerbone on a glacial lake in the Far West, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transcience.]]> 1980 0 1 false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Thu Feb 07 10:28:08 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 07 10:42:32 -0800 2008 more...]]> 12120838 763514 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 3 1 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 09 20:40:25 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 09 20:40:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 10313132 307208 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 2 1 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 12 06:48:30 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 02 07:09:29 -0800 2008
I can see why book lovers like her. She vividly details eac...more...]]> 5626494 325123 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 4 1 false Tue Sep 11 17:19:12 -0700 2007 Tue Sep 04 06:12:26 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 09 18:25:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2682249 87259 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 3 1 false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jul 03 13:54:05 -0700 2007 Mon Feb 04 10:57:51 -0800 2008
That said, it is a very beautiful read. Robinson clearly takes delight in writing for the sake of writi...more...]]> 2563994 163355 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 3 1 false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 30 09:40:29 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 07 12:25:01 -0700 2007
This is a reflection on the book, not of the activity. Though, Thursday we are cleaning house and I might have some more OCD tips for you.

Time Magazine named Housekeeping one of the 100 All Time No...more...]]> 44078723 1384976 11741 0312424094 9780312424091 971 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699m/11741.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166485699s/11741.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11741.Housekeeping 3.91 5750 Housekeeping is the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, their eccentric and remote aunt. The family house is in the small Far West town of Fingerbone set on a glacial lake, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck, and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transience.
</div>]]> 1980 5 2 false Sun Jan 25 17:46:27 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 23 12:15:05 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 17:46:27 -0800 2009 more...]]> 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=7000112