Customer Reviews

House and Home

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really related to Kathy McCleary's main character, Ellen. I even have some of the same taste as she does: Fiesta ware and Hazel Atlas state glasses! But it's her attachment to a place where she built a family and life--and how unhinged she becomes when she has to leave it-- that really ring true. I once moved into a house where the home seller sat crying in front of a closet door where she'd marked her son's height twice a year. It was like she was leaving part of her self behind. Kathy McCleary's book has that kind of authenticity--in the conversations, the details, the emotions, the consequences--plus a whole bunch of drama and twists that keep you turning the pages to the surprising end. I loved it!

I started reading House and Home and could not put it down. The characters are warm and engaging. Ms. McCleary does a great job with describing the details in life as well...from the coffee shop to her home, the meals and drinks served etc. I hope there will be another book by this engaging author in the future. She is a kind of modern day Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy.

A great story that keeps you turning the pages. Lots of good twists and turns. Although it is a factitious, the story seems like it could be amazinly true! Great references to Portland and the surrounding area. Would be a great book for the beach or other summer trip.

....I found Ellen, the protagonist, to be shallow, self-centered and whiny. She dumps her amazing, sexy, smart husband because of a HOUSE??? All she can focus on is keeping the house and numerous plot devices occur multiple times; house fire, illicit kiss, etc. I will admit I was first attracted to the lovely book cover but don't judge a book by the cover. Most other reviewers liked it, so don't go by me, maybe I'm just an unsympathetic grouch, but I couldn't empathize with Ellie at all.

I couldn't put this one down. The premise seems rather uncomplicated at first but the writer knows how to develop the characters - especially the children. Unique book unlike most other fiction.

House and Home is a great read. Funny and touching; it is a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Very enjoyable.

I can't say enough how much I love House and Home. I spent the first 40 years of my life in a suburb of Portland and I guess that's why I origionally bought this book. Kathleen's writing made the west hills area of Portland come alive again in my mind. The story is so touching and spot on, I tore through it! It now holds an honored spot on my bookshelf & I reread it every year (at least). Read this book!

With its deep affection for all things domestic, HOUSE & HOME literally hit home with me. The perfect feel-good novel for starting the new year, it makes a cozy winter companion along with a cup of Earl Grey and a favorite, rumpled chair. HOUSE & HOME had gone under my radar, which surprises me, since I'm usually on the lookout for novels about love affairs with houses. Luckily, I read something about it late last year in the American Society of Journalists and Authors newsletter. I was also thrilled to discover McCleary was originally from Michigan, my home state. (Her novel is laced with accurate references to many familiar spots in the Detroit and Ann Arbor areas, and her author photo looks vaguely familiar.) McCleary's characters are highly memorable and likable -- and real -- even at their most annoying moments. I truly enjoyed the book and look forward to more from this author.

Ellen Flanagan's perfect life begins to unravel, piece by piece; her husband, beloved as he is, has been irresponsible for most of their marriage. He is a risk-taker, an inventor, and to finance these inventions, they have taken out a second mortgage on the house they've had for more than a decade. When his invention fails, they begin living off of their savings to supplement their income. With the savings depleted, they are forced into an untenable position: selling their beloved Cape Cod house.

Distraught and depressed, Ellen ends the marriage. She sees her husband Sam, with his devil-may-care attitude as the one who has broken their dream. She still has her business, though, and burrows into it---a cozy coffee and antiques enterprise called Coffee@home.

Irritated by the upcoming move to a house she cannot even begin to like, much less love, Ellen finds herself attracted to a customer at the coffee shop---a buttoned-up man who seemingly represents everything her husband is not. And then she discovers that the man is the husband of the woman who has bought the house. The woman she has met on a few occasions and taken an instant dislike to---probably because she sees her as the intruder on the dream life she is losing.

Then, as a surrealistic chain of events begin to unfurl, Ellen discovers that a house is not what makes a home, and the important things that comprise a home can be fragile indeed.

House and Home is an intriguing exploration of how fragile human connections can be broken by the most unlikely of events.

Even if you're not 40 something, we all have a place in our heart that we feel is truly home. Kathleen has created that place for us. It's a connection, a lifeline that transcends our daily routine and makes us stop and wonder what would happen if it is no longer there. A great read and an opportunity to reflect on the important part of life that is "home". It is touching and humorous - a lot like real life!