Renovations: A Father and Son Rebuild a House and Rediscover Each Other (Hardcover)

by John Marchese (Author) "Tearing down a wall is easy..." (more)
Key Phrases: graphite hammer, wire lath, screw gun, New York, Bob Vila, Lou Meckle (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Call it a midlife crisis: Marchese didn't know how to use a hammer when, at 40, he bought a one-and-a-half-story Cape Cod fixer-upper in rural New York to tear it apart and rebuild it. In an attempt also to repair a broken relationship, Marchese (a sophisticated, urban-dwelling freelance journalist) asked his cranky, 73-year-old father (an opinionated, second-generation Italian immigrant and former construction worker) to help him. While several passages detail the intricacies of installing a dormer or erecting scaffolding, the book is far more fun than a standard how-to book. Marchese's humor and self-deprecation, as well as his frank and candid portrayals of his father (who at first laughed out loud when the author donned a tool belt), capture certain essentials about being a father and a son. Marchese mentions his work attire: "It's my latest costume.... I am wearing nearly three hundred dollars' worth of old clothes. For some reason, I can't resist mentioning this to my father." He also portrays the smalltown life he's come to love with sensitive whimsy, introducing readers to Bob the plumber, Miss Mary the bartender, a bully named Lurch and Reiger the Realtor. He even throws a few barbs at TV's home improvement pioneer, Bob Vila, whom the author interviewed for a New York Times assignment. Marchese sprinkles references throughout to other authors who focused on father-son relationships in their writing: Nietzsche, Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and especially John Cheever. Replete with expressive passages, Marchese's tale will please readers of many ages and stations. (May 7)Forecast: Though due out in May, this title (whose first serial will appear in Book magazine) will easily register on the radar of sons looking for June Father's Day gifts.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Men, it is said, love to take things apart; the tricky part is putting them back together again. In both of these memoirs, the authors successfully disassemble and rebuild their relationships with their fathers. Kemp's memoir is a brief but beautiful love letter to his deceased pops. Winner of the 1999 Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book contest's Grand Prize, this work recalls the author's meaningful connections (e.g., "I had the best go-cart in the world and...[he] built it for me") and chronicles parts of his dad's life. Writing in a frankly inspirational style, Kemp, a Salt Lake City-based attorney, focuses on what his father taught him about life's big lessons. Marchese, a freelance writer, takes a more workman-like approach. He deconstructs the complex relationship that he shares with his former construction-worker father and presents it as clearly as a blueprint. Their fizzled relationship is rekindled when the two renovate a house in Narrowsburg, NY. It helps that Dad has a lifetime's experience, because Marchese doesn't even know which end of a pry-bar to use. An epiphany near the end of Marchese's book speaks to everyone: "Like all sons, I am what I am both because of [my father] and despite him."Although there is much accumulated wisdom in both books, libraries might prefer Marchese's literate and forthright account, although Kemp's more idealized account will work well where inspirational titles for men are needed. Libraries might also consider Ted Solotaroff's Truth Comes in Blows (LJ 11/1/98) and Hugh Howard's House-Dreams (LJ 5/15/01). Appropriate for Father's Day gifts and for public libraries. Douglas C. Lord, Hartford P.L., CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573221740
• ISBN-13: 978-1573221740
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,237,840 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed, I cried, then I laughed again, June 6, 2001

By A Customer

This book took me by surprise because a female reader, I wasn't expecting to react so personally to a story of a father and son. Written by the son who attempts to build a relationship with his father by renovating a house with him, this book has real depth. It was terrifically funny, and at the same time, very moving. I actually got to the last page and wanted to start all over, but I waited a week before I read it again. This is really a superior entry in the father/son memoir genre, and would make a terrific Father's Day gift.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fathers Day Gift Idea, May 21, 2001

By A Customer

This book is a terrific father and son story filled with great insight into what makes fathers and sons tick. It's a great read, one that will make you hurry home from work to read some more.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Fantastic Story!!, June 15, 2001

By	Melissa A. Pawlowski (Huntersville, NC United States) - See all my reviews

I LOVED this book! It's a wonderful depiction of the relationship between two very different people who so happen to be father and son. I admire the author for his very candid, humorous and whimsical portrayal of how important it is not to lose sight of what matters most....family. What a great book!