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All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House

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Finding the perfect house is never easy. Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile—to say nothing of making it into a home—is even harder.

With their infant son in tow, David Giffels and his wife comb the environs of Akron, Ohio, in search of just the right house for their burgeoning family. Running through David's head the whole time are the lyrics of a Replacements song, ". . . Look me in the eye, then tell me that I'm satisfied," and it gives all the more purpose to their quest. But nothing seems right . . . until they spot a beautiful, decaying Gilded Age mansion. A former rubber industry executive's domain, the once grand residence lacks functional plumbing and electricity, leaks rain like a cartoon shack, and is infested with all manner of wildlife. But for a young man at a coming-of-age crossroads—"suspended between a perpetual youth and an inevitable adulthood"—the challenge is exactly the allure.

All the Way Home follows Giffels's funny, poignant, and confounding journey as he and his wife and a colorful collection of helpers turn a money pit into a house that will complete their family. Nothing could prepare them for a home restoration epic that includes evicting squatters (both four- and two-legged), battling an invading wisteria vine, hunting a ghost, and discovering thousands of dollars in hidden Depression-era cash. But the story's heart lies deeper, in an unexpected series of personal hardships that call into question what "home" really means, and what it means to grow up.

Written with the humor and insight of Bill Bryson and John Grogan, All the Way Home is the engaging tale of a young father's struggle to restore a house and find his way . . . without losing himself.

As funny as it is misleading -
Giffels has written a thoroughly enjoyable book about a ridiculous quest into home renovation. All along I hoped to get to the part about the parallel ambition of building a cohesive family, and this never came. The character of the woman he bought the house from was better developed than the character of those whose welfare the home is supposed to shelter.

I challenge the title and subtitle because the author seemed unwilling to delve into his own family's intimacy and what they surely learned as a team. It is a story of a man against himself, nature, and his house, all compelling reasons to read this well-told tale. Unfortunately, it seemed also to be a story of a man against his family while he battles a windmill, without his family's comprehension.

The premise for the book begins with the assumption that the potential arrival of a second child requires a larger house. But a mansion? Not a convincing reason. The author needed a mansion to challenge, but not for his unborn child's well-being in whose name the project is undertaken. Giffels tackles this mansion with great description, practised humor, and introspection. He seems to be very averse to having his ambition compared to "The Money Pit", but this seems to me to be the same type of tale. As a veteran homebuilder from a wreck I haven't seen the movie either, but there is a difference in providing a home for a family against difficulty and lunging into a home that would require years if not decades of financing and dedicated physical effort to sustain.

It seems to me that the marketing precedes the substance of the titles to sell the book to those of us that want more from a remodel story than the typical nuts and bolts. Giffel's advantage is that he can really write in an engaging way, and his love for his town's history is apparent, but the family life twist left me wanting. An additional complaint I have is that the restrained, though not entirely unadmirable budget indicates that the mansion will not be restored to the quality appropriate to the open budget that a mansion requires. It sounds like paint is used functionally take the place of materials more appropriate to the grandiosity of the building if the author/homebuilder hits a wall. It is a lesson that quality may suffer when there is too much space to fill. I recommend this book highly to read for entertainment, but not for the depth the tile suggests.

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Lots of dust -
I wish I could praise this sincere effort by a very nice young man learning to build his family through the metaphor of remodeling an old house. Talk about a money sink. And where did the dough come from, anyway?

As a DIY myself with plenty of experience pouring footers and pulling, I understand his impulse. But the book doesn't offer any useful construction information or any juicey marital drama. The only surprise is the found money but even that dragged on until I lost interest.

Judging from the posted reviews, my opinions are wrong, wrong and wrong again. But then I don't live in Akron. Oh wait, when he glued his pants to his legs taking up a linoleum floor.. I wanted to know who does his laundry. Alas, that mystery remains unsolved.

A page turner to the nth-degree! -
I could not put this book down. I was even reading it while walking to the subway, to the market, etc. This is a totally new genre for me and I was sorry to see the whole story end. Somewhere on the internet are photos of the house. Amazing... what they did... Giffel is a fantastic, gifted writer and without his style and skill this book would not have been as much fun.

Buy this book! -
I picked up a copy of this book to read later this summer "when I have more time". I glanced at the first chapter and was intrigued.

I read the second chapter and was interested.

Buy the third chapter, I was hooked.

I read this in three days. Not because it is a thin book (it isn't), but because it was so interesting I couldn't put it down. I usually share or give away books after I've read them, but this one is going in my permanent collection--it's that good.

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one of the best -
I live in Akron as well,and have enjoyed reading David in the Akron Beacon Journal over the years,so I was prepared to enjoy this book too, however, I was completely blown away. I finished this great read in a couple of days, stealing every minute to get in another page. This is one that is very difficult to put down. This story has found it's way into most of my conversations since I began reading it. I truly loved the feeling of pride in our city, and really like his take on the blimp. As anyone who has grown up hearing the blimp, there is no other sound like it, and it was fun to read someone who understands that joy. This wonderfully funny, sincere, honest book is one I will recommend for years to come.