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Jul 13, 2011

Roland rated it:

Home Town is a profile/biography of an old Massachusetts town as seen (mostly) through the thoughts of a local cop who grew up there. The cop (Tommy O'Connor) suffers as all cops do from an excess of dealing with the lower strata of society. He makes up for it, though, with a generous spirit that somehow maintains its belief in the possibility of redemption. He also retains a sense of humor that has recognizable and appealing Irish Catholic and blue-collar roots.

When Kidder isn't writ More...

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Jul 04, 2009

Anna rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 27, 2011

Mary Lou rated it:

Home Town by Tracy Kidder ostensibly describes a typical American town in a meaningful way but I found it too uneventful and insignificant to care about and only finished because I skimmed to see if the end was worthwhile. For me, the answer is no. Northampton, Massachusetts may be the town where Jonathon Edwards lived and preached, where Smith College is located, and where Calvin Coolidge was mayor, but Kidder's description is too broad and all inclusive to be useful. He lays out in competent p More...

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Sep 22, 2009

Crystal rated it:

This is my first Tracy Kidder read, I'd like to read more, it's written so well and with a lot of humor and honesty which I appreciate.

Pressed for time here, I wholeheartedly agree with M Norton's August review : "A vivid, detailed and thoughtful social history of Northampton, Massachusetts." Home Town is a true biography of several Northampton natives and transplants, as Norton says, "deftly interlacing history and subtle social commentary. Police officer Tom O'Conn More...

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Aug 22, 2009

Melissa rated it:

A vivid, detailed and thoughtful social history of Northampton, Massachusetts, Home Town is vintage Tracy Kidder. He traces the ordinary lives of several residents, deftly interlacing history and subtle social commentary. Police officer Tom O'Connor emerges as the symbolic core of the book, and his personal and professional experiences draw the reader in. Laura Burmeister, a nontraditional student at Smith College, is another major character, and her story bridges the socioeconomic classes in More...

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Oct 14, 2009

Concord Newfree rated it:

Just could not get into this. I sat there wondering what was so special about this one town (the obvious answer was 'nothing,' which should not have been the point of the book but rather a reason to NOT write a book!). Sadly, this one read like a newspaper's encapsulated history of a town, and how many times do you read the local papers of a town in which you do not live? Those in the know already know, and those who have no connection with this particular town don't care. This project should More...

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Nov 29, 2010

Jaspreet rated it:

When Home Town by Tracy Kidder was nominated as a selection for the August book club meeting of the Professors and Partners book club in MA, I was excited about the prospect. I really enjoyed Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains, so I had high hopes for the selection. Unfortunately, I did not have a similar fondness for Hometown. At various points, I felt like I was in the middle of a very long episode of Praire Home Companion without the funny commercials and variety of voices.

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Dec 23, 2011

marcus rated it:

I was asked to read Home Town and after the first couple of pages I realized I had read it before. It was good enough I decided to finish reading it the second time.
Kidder takes us to Northampton, MA, the kind of town that exerts a hold on long term residents as well as those who move there for some reason. There are probably quite a few such towns or cities which seem to pull people in and make it difficult for people to leave. Right now, I'm sitting in the my house, in a town where I nev More...

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Feb 16, 2010

Melissa rated it:

This is my third Tracy Kidder book and it took me quite a while to get into. Eventually, I felt compelled to read it and thought about the "characters"—still do—when I wasn't reading it.

I've been thinking about how authors structure their books lately because I think I've been baffled by a couple. This book is divided into sections or parts and I'm not sure why the divisions come when they do. It might be more apparent on a second read, but I don't imagine I'll get to that. More...

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Jan 15, 2009

Marginalia2 rated it:

I read this book because it was selected by my book group—
The book was a string of vignettes strung out over three hundred pages. Some more interesting than others. I like Northampton, have been there, eaten there, have friends who graduated from Smith. I like the diversity, but I so tired of this book. I really never really cared about any of the characters who peopled the town. While I learned a number of facts about individuals, I fond most of the characters rather flat—save for Alan.

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Aug 29, 2010

Keith rated it:

Kidder paints a detailed picture of a north-eastern town through overlapping mini-biographies of ordinary people. He adds a good measure of historical research, social and moral commentary, and his unique ability to be "a fly on the wall" gathering and sharing the most intimate of experiences and feelings of his subjects.

There are billions of ordinary people who will be born, live and die without their story told. It is good to see this examined by a great writer recording More...

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Mar 30, 2009

Sarah rated it:

Does small town America exist? Yest, but it may surprise you. Kidder brings Northampton, Massachusetts to life in this story told through the eyes of a local cop, the mayor, the judge, an obsessive compulsive former lawyer, and a student at Smith College who has a son and collects welfare.

Appeals: Multiple viewpoints, crime and punishment, character-driven, peppered with history, small-town politics, drugs and homelessness.

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Jul 15, 2011

Denise rated it:

Excellent writing, intimately drawn characterizations. Had to constantly remind myself it was nonfiction. I liked it because I generally like small-town stories; Northampton, Massachusetts was the protagonist here, even though hometown hero cop Tommy got the most airplay. Lots of little plot arcs that had weak narratives strung together instead of one strong overriding narrative arc, which made it harder to read. But if you've ever lived in a small town, even if Northampton isn't typical of many More...

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May 24, 2011

Doug rated it:

This was my first Tracy Kidder, even though I have been meaning to read his work for years. This was a really well done portrait of a small but, in my opinion, very interesting city. Having spent some time in the area, albeit a long time ago, I felt like I had enough familiarity with Northampton to be able to relate well enough to the story to make it maenaingful and enjoyable.

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May 15, 2009

Kirsten rated it:

For book club. Kidder is a good writer, but this is too choppy and disconnected. Nothing is sustained, nothing goes anywhere. If you know Northampton, there is a certain amount of appeal - but Kidder is more interested in tracing the seamy underbelly of the local drug (and stripper) culture than talking about the dichotomies of Noho society, or any of the other directions he might have gone in.

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Oct 09, 2008

Gina rated it:

I'm reading this because I miss New England and this book is set in Northampton, Massachusetts, about 30 mins from where I grew up. I'm going back in October. It will be my first time in Mass since I was about nine. (I've been back to other parts of New England since I was a kid, but never "home.")

The notion of a hometown is weird. When you've spent several years in a few places, which one is "home"? I lived more than two decades in Florida and half of that time, More...

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Jul 16, 2009

Diane rated it:

I have enjoyed many of Tracy Kidder's books - my two favorites were Mountains beyond Mountains and Old Friends. Home Town has some good parts but I never really connected with it. I think it was my problem because I had expectations of what the book was going to be about and then it wasn't.

This is the story of a smallish town (12,000 people) of Northampton, MA as seen by one of its policemen. The main character is likable and we get to see him as a full person, not just as a cop. T More...

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Jan 20, 2009

Carrie rated it:

This is one of those book's I meant to read a long time ago--sorry about that. Kidder essentially imbeds himself in the city of Northhampton and introduces us to various characters and the town's history. It's as riveting as a tabloid without the exploitation. A good model for anyone trying to write deeply about place and community.

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May 24, 2010

Ruth rated it:

349 pages. Donated 2010 May.

The bestselling author of The Soul of a New Machine shows what life is really like in small-town America today, taking readers to Northampton, Massachusetts, to reveal the ordinary and the extraordinary lives that people lead, and to explore what it takes to make a modern small-city success story.

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Oct 09, 2009

Theresa rated it:

Because I had personal ties to the city of Northampton and Smith College, I found this presentation specifically interesting. But it transcended the specific in portraying the dynamics of place and the folks who give the place its character. The writing and characterization makes this book a very entertaining read.

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Nov 24, 2010

Jen rated it:

I enjoyed Kidder's small-ish town profile of Northampton, especially his profile of local police officer Tom O'Connor. However, the book was so weighted with Tom's story, that other people Kidder profiled got the short shrift, most notably Smith College student Laura and Judge Ryan. So the book felt unbalanced. It was also about 50 pages too long, and the story on the whole lacked some teeth, I felt. Despite these issues, I found it a worthwhile read.

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May 07, 2009

Lynne-marie rated it:

Although I admire Kidder's thoroughness and the way his smaller portraits build organically to the architecture of the portait of the town itself, I admit to becoming tired of the endless attention to details. I know; I know. God is in the details. But we do not read the face of God night after night, unless we are mystics or ascetics. And sociology is not spirituality. My enthusiasm for Kidder's fine writing and exquisite ear carried me more than half way through the book, but after that, More...

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Jun 04, 2008

Abby rated it:

This was assigned in my Collection Development class, as an example of the importance of (getting to) knowing your audience.

Home Town is a non-fiction about a small town in New England. Mostly following a local cop, you learn about the more colorful residents of Northampton, Massachusetts, as well as what makes this small town unique. You also learn and go through the trials of the sergeant, as well as a few of the other residents.

This book is more than a little entertain More...

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Nov 29, 2009

Jay rated it:

Tracy Kidder captures some of the characters in the town of Northampton. This doesn't have the overriding theme that pulls together his other books, like Among Schoolchildren or Soul of a New Machine, but it reads well and entertains.

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Jun 27, 2009

Karen rated it:

An everyday look at Northhampton, MA as seen from the eyes of a variety of individuals. What it really is like to grow up, move to, live in a small town. We see alot about life and its happy moments as well as its difficult ones.

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Apr 09, 2010

Candace rated it:

I discovered Tracy Kidder while reading about Paul Farmer, MD, in Mountains Beyond Mountains. If you want a truly engaging nonfiction read, check out Kidder's depiction of present-day Northampton, Mass. (home of Smith College).

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Sep 30, 2009

Pam rated it:

This book portrayed life in a small town during the recession/depression of the early 1900's. Law enforcement theme was good. Kidder very easy to read. His book entitled "mountains..." about Haiti is even better.

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Jul 01, 2011

Toni rated it:

I love Tracy Kidder. He follows a few townspeople of Northhampton, MA through a few years of their lives, describing the town and Smith College in the process. Interesting and sometimes heartbreaking read.

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Jan 02, 2010

Norma rated it:

This is a good read and interesting view of living in a small town in US. I liked the characters and the experiences they have. Unfortunately, I read this a couple of months ago and don't remember details now. Must get better at comments when I finish a book.

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Jan 13, 2011

Kam rated it:

This book was so interesting to read. I loved the characters, and they were actually real people. I am very interested in local politics wherever I am. This city and the issues they have dealt with was so interesting to read about. Northampton has such a cool history and atmosphere. I felt as though I lived there myself while reading the book. It made me want to visit the places described. To me it typifies America today--a conflict between the liberal, highly educated groups and the day t More...

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