false 897642 1 <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, <i>The House on First Street</i> 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> 882829 1 7 2007 The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story total:165|5:20|4:61|3:59|2:18|1:7| 165 564 286 52 3 1 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 01 19:08:35 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 19:14:24 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 08:30:19 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 08:34:38 -0700 2009
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...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jul 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 02:34:14 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 02:42:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 21:47:38 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 08:30:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Tue May 19 10:27:33 -0700 2009 Tue May 19 10:30:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 18:25:52 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 18:40:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 06:38:24 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 08:38:06 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 16:48:22 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 31 14:32:19 -0700 2008
At age 42 she marries (for the first time) and the newlyweds buy a historic house in th...more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 09:34:53 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 10:22:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 14:11:09 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 18:13:01 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 true false Sun May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 16:18:51 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 16:24:28 -0700 2008
Julia Reed definitely inhabits a dis...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 06:12:31 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 10:06:13 -0700 2009
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 <poorly> handled very clear. There a...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jan 20 06:38:31 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 07:31:04 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 19 05:52:27 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 05:56:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 14:24:41 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 07 14:30:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 11 18:10:54 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 11 18:20:58 -0700 2008 Queen of the Turtle Derby -- 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...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun May 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 11:27:33 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 11:29:20 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 11 10:20:38 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 10:26:45 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Sep 23 17:11:14 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 17:12:23 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 16:07:12 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 15:14:45 -0700 2009
I rarely give up in a book when I have gotten as far as I did with this one, but trying to struggle through this was holding me back from reading anything...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=897642