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Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House
 
 
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Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House [Paperback]

Eric Hodgins HODGINS (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 30, 2005
The classic tale of leaving the city and building a house in the country, only to find country life isn't so simple. But it is hilarious.

Mr. Blandings, a successful New York advertising executive, and his wife want to escape the confines of their tiny midtown apartment. They design the perfect home in the idyllic country, but soon they are beset by construction troubles, temperamental workmen, skyrocketing bills, threatening lawyers, and difficult neighbors. Mr. Blandings' dream house soon threatens to be the nightmare that undoes him.

This internationally bestselling book by Eric Hodgins is illustrated by William Steig and was made into a film starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy -- and a later film starring Tom Hanks called The Money Pit.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"No ordinary jokesmith, Mr. Hodgins is light and expert."

-- The New York Times

"Anyone thinking of buying a home in the country (and who isn't?) should read this book for its practical lessons in real-estate values...the theme of unforeseen costs is sufficiently familiar to everyone to evoke nods of sympathy and smiles of understanding, especially when Mr. Blandings, in a fitting climax, faced a damage suit for intimating that one of his earlier architects had shown poor taste."

-- The Christian Science Monitor

"Mr. Blandings' skinning by real-estate men, architects, contractors, and plumbers should provide the reader with a lot of sadistic satisfaction, if it isn't too uncomfortably reminiscent."

-- The New Yorker --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

William Steig's work has received countless honors and awards. Called the "King of Cartoons" by Newsweek, his cartoons in such magazines as the New Yorker and his books of symbolic drawings have inspired a multitude of cartoonists and artists. His books for children are loved by readers young and old. William Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, the Caldecott Honor Award for The Amazing Bone, and the Newbery Honor Award for Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto. His other books include Alpha Beta Chowder (written by Jeanne Steig), Amos & Boris, Brave Irene, CDB!, C D C ?, Dominic, Grown-ups Get To Do All the Driving, Pete's a Pizza, Shrek!, Spinky Sulks, and Zeke Pippin.

William Steig lived in Boston the last twelve years of his life. Before that, he lived with his wife, Jeanne, in rural Kent, Connecticut. Just outside his studio window stood a large rock that looked remarkably like Sylvester. He liked that. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 239 pages
  • Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers (August 30, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0897332458
  • ISBN-13: 978-0897332453
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #540,392 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!, May 31, 2001
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This review is from: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (Paperback)
One of the great comic reads of all time. If you liked Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in the movie, you will love the book even more. Also look for the equally funny sequel, Blanding's Way--sadly out of print, but easily located on rare book websites.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars remarkably wry, December 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (Paperback)
more than half a century has passed since this little gem appeared, yet it stands the test of time. why? like all great humor--oral or written--this comedy of errors is firmly rooted in reality. its protagonists stand halfway between hope and fear. we understand their desires, their motivations, their anxieties because they are ours. this is the only book not written by jane austen that has prompted me, repeatedly, to laugh aloud. besides its surpassing treatment of the ever-present human need and struggle for security and comfort, this slender volume also serves as a period piece: in the personage of mrs. blandings, the author quite unintentionally paints a picture of the dominant view of women, in the age before liberation, as fanciful, frivolous, and helplessly dependent. if you check your gender at the door, you'll find this delectation well worth the reading.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars simply the best, November 21, 1999
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This review is from: Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House (Paperback)
Mr. Blandings Builds his Dream House is simply one of the best pieces of humorous prose ever written. It is witty, urbane and insightful. A must read for any first time home builder.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
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First Sentence:
The sweet old farmhouse burrowed into the upward slope of the land so deeply that you could enter either its bottom or middle floor at ground level. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
window company, antique value, dream house
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bill Cole, Bald Mountain, New York, Old Hackett Property, John Retch, Lansdale County, Lansdale Town, John Tesander, Judge Quarles, Eph Hackett, Shrunks Mills, Lansdale Blade, Miss Stellwagon, Blandings Job, Ephemus Hackett, Labor Day
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