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annevoi's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a confection—slight, not much food for thought. I was bothered by the author's assumption of "we-ness," especially in sections (many of them) that did not conform to my personal experience. She's trying to do too much: universalize something that is far from universal. There is also a distinct sense of privilege (e.g., her mention in the garage chapter of Ranger Rovers and Lexuses in the same breath as "the residents of many Third World countries"—but what about the residents of many American cities?) that I found offputting. The book felt like it was blithely typed out (in her home office, no doubt), one idea to the next, all from her personal experience—though she does try to enlarge the picture by quoting other writers and scholars, and Freud.
I read this book for a writing seminar I'm about to start. I am not especially surprised that the seminar leader liked this book—it has lots of specific detail, it occasionally leaps from topic to topic in a delightful way. I will be interested to hear what she has to say about it, and whether she has any critiques.
(The one thing I did get from this book is that in 1669 Louis XIV decreed that only knives with rounded tips would be used in the dining room. That same chapter also got me googling Victorian forks. Wow! What variety!)
I read this book for a writing seminar I'm about to start. I am not especially surprised that the seminar leader liked this book—it has lots of specific detail, it occasionally leaps from topic to topic in a delightful way. I will be interested to hear what she has to say about it, and whether she has any critiques.
(The one thing I did get from this book is that in 1669 Louis XIV decreed that only knives with rounded tips would be used in the dining room. That same chapter also got me googling Victorian forks. Wow! What variety!)
toad_maiden's review against another edition
3.0
The hardest part of reading this book was the recognition that Busch is discussing something I care about so deeply--in such a way that doesn't make me care more. Although I enjoyed this book topically, I was couldn't figure out what point she was trying to make by writing about the home in such a way. It helped pass several subway rides pleasantly, but was not a revelation.
alirowan's review
5.0
While it dates itself a little at times (did you know that the VCR has come to take on a central role in our domestic lives?), this book makes so many thoughtful and astute observations on our homes—things we never really think about because we're exposed to them to the point of neutrality.
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