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  <id>897642</id>
  <title><![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0061136646]]></isbn>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]></description>
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  <original_title>The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story</original_title>
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        <name><![CDATA[Julia Reed]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Jennifer Stoller]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Dec 01 19:08:35 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 01 19:14:24 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This little book is a love letter to New Orleans.  After traveling the world as a journalist, author Julia Reed moves into the garden district of NO right before Katrina.  This is her story of rebuilding.  I think I would have rated this book 4 stars if I had any knowledge whatsoever of NO.  She is ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39073542">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 15 08:30:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Oct 15 08:34:38 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Eh. How's that for a rousing review.<br/><br/>Two problems with this: one, Reed hasn't decided what sort of book she's writing. It's billed as a renovating-my-dream-house-oh-no-Hurricane-Katrina. But both elements are presented in a pretty superficial manner. And Reed's house wasn't really damaged...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74615526">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74615526]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>63833450</id>
    <user>
    <id>1780056</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Katy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Montgomery, WV]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Fri Jul 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jul 17 02:34:14 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jul 17 02:42:16 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I rated this as an &quot;OK&quot; book.  The writing is superb and the voice is clear.   But, for some reason, the book was just an okay autobiography of a catastrophic time in our nation's history, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans.  (I think I got tired of the fi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63833450">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>69047542</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Aimée]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Metairie, LA]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 26 21:47:38 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 31 08:30:05 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book is strongest when the author is sticking to her journalistic roots. At one point she mentions that one of her editors makes her strike a passage from a piece on cleaning her vile fridge after Katrina, which was her only real loss, because it is her &quot;Marie Antoinette&quot; moment. The ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69047542">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69047542]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69047542]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>56622908</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Corinne]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <date_added>Tue May 19 10:27:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 19 10:30:39 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I enjoyed this book- but I had to put aside the fact that the author seems a bit out of it. Her perspective on Hurricane Katrina seems to be that of an elitist restaurant-goer. She talked a little bit about the class-structure and inept leadership that lead to the catastrophy following the storm, bu...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56622908">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/56622908]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Chris]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 01 18:25:52 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 01 18:40:31 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Julia Reed is an excellent writer, so for that reason alone the book deserves three stars. Her account of her renovation of a beautiful old house in New Orleans' garden district comes with a fascinating glimpse into the life of a privileged Southerner with a lot of friends, a very active social life...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69750447">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69750447]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69750447]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>59866570</id>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[anyone who has lived in New Orleans]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 16 06:38:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 30 08:38:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Whoever described this as a love letter to New Orleans is absolutely correct.  However, it is different than other love letters to New Orleans I have read.  Reed doesn't spend hours admiring the city's much-loved oak trees, her humid sexuality or even her spectacular architecture - which is impressi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59866570">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>28552193</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Linda]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 28 16:48:22 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jul 31 14:32:19 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover politics. A Southerner by birth, she lived a peripatetic but always interesting life filled with parties, stories, tall tales - all of it accompanied by food. <br/><br/>At age 42 she marries (for the first time) and the newlyweds buy a historic house in th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28552193">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28552193]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Judywi]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Wed Nov 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Dec 13 04:41:05 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 13 04:51:13 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I enjoyed the book - in large part because of reading in the week prior to a visit to NOLA - it provided a great context for a stay only blocks from the author's home (which was not on purpose).  I truly enjoyed the author's voice, and the humor &amp; sarcasm which she employs.  I do think the name-drop...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80838187">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80838187]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>67742349</id>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 17 09:34:53 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Oct 04 10:22:48 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[While the story about Reed's settlement in New Orleans, the disasters of her home renovation and her personal experience of Hurricane Katrina were interesting, there were a few parts that I thought were unnecessary and distracted from the real story. I liked reading a first-person account of Hurrica...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67742349">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67742349]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>47074617</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Katie]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Tue Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Feb 21 14:11:09 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Feb 24 18:13:01 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This was a fun, easy-to-read book which was exactly what the title suggests - one person's experience of New Orleans, including a look at the weeks following Katrina. It's not really about Katrina and doesn't offer any broad insights into the many factors that contributed to the catastrophe, but doe...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47074617">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47074617]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47074617]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 26 16:18:51 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon May 26 16:24:28 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Being set in New Orleans, there are some familiar faces in this book. Including my awesome 3rd grade reading teacher that I still think of as one of the most amazing single women I've ever known. Who knew that she was a childhood friend of the author? <br/><br/>Julia Reed definitely inhabits a dis...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23002160">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23002160]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>58273398</id>
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  <id type="integer">897642</id>
  <isbn>0061136646</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780061136641</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 03 06:12:31 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 11 10:06:13 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I heard this author interviewed on NPR and she made the book sound better than it was.<br/><br/>This book is just ehh, gives some great restaurant reviews if you're visiting NOLA and the author makes her thoughts about how the post-Katrina situations were &lt;poorly&gt; handled very clear. There a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58273398">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58273398]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>43683778</id>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 20 06:38:31 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 02 07:31:04 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Reed is an excellent writer, as well as a famous one. Hers in one of many post-Katrina memoirs. I enjoyed her writing style, although the subject matter (her embattled renovation of a mansion in the Garden District, peppered with anecdotes about how many awesome meals she gets from famous New Orlean...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43683778">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>49754166</id>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Mar 19 05:52:27 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Mar 19 05:56:58 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I really enjoyed New Orleans, so I am curious about people's stories who live there.  parts of this book I loved, and some where just ok.  Julia Reed is a fantastic writer, however, so that made the book more enjoyable after all.  Now I want to go back!]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>26566340</id>
    <user>
    <id>1142050</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Julianna]]></name>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[New Orleanians past, present, and future]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 07 14:24:41 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 07 14:30:40 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Well, I, too, live on First Street in New Orleans, so my opinion may be biased.  I personally know almost everyone she talks about in the book.  She also spends a lot of time talking about local restaurants and my husband is a local chef - so, needless to say I have a lot in common with the author. ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26566340">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26566340]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>35076091</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jane]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Victoria, VA]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/897642.The_House_on_First_Street_My_New_Orleans_Story</link>
  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[New Orleans fans, home renovation fans]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 11 18:10:54 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 11 18:20:58 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I love books about home renovation, New Orleans is one of my favorite settings for a story, and I'm a fan of Julia Reed's writing -- I adored <em>Queen of the Turtle Derby</em> -- so this book arrived on my reading list with a pre-approved stamp.  Thankfully, it lived up to the label.  Not only did I enjoy t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35076091">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35076091]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>57384881</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Kathy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Salt Lake City, UT]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/89/642/897642-m-1255580095.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>176</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun May 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue May 26 11:27:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue May 26 11:29:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I learned that there really is no middle class in new orleans.  This really did come across as very marie antoinette-ish.  there were people who lost EVERYTHING in Katrina and this author certainly cannot relate.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57384881]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57384881]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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  <average_rating>3.38</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Reed recounts the story of renovating a home in New Orleans pre-Katrina through about the first year following Katrina. She is a bit of a name dropper, from wine to notable people, which can get old. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42681223]]></url>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jen]]></name>
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  <id type="integer">897642</id>
  <isbn>0061136646</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780061136641</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">55</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p> Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. </p> <p> With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame&#8212;like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. </p> <p> Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, <em>The House on First Street</em> is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. </p>]]>
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  <published>2007</published>
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  <date_added>Tue Dec 29 06:56:37 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 29 06:57:19 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[A vapid memoir about the author's life in New Orleans. The best I can tell, her life revolves around dinner parties and good wines. It gets even worse when she talks about the aftermath of Katrina.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/82419699]]></url>
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