Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

I was walking through a model home a few years ago and this book was one of the "props" on display on the bookshelf. I picked it up and after a few minutes decided I would have to get my own copy. My wife and I went through the home-building process early in our marriage and this book brought back much of the humor and heartache of that experience - mainly the humor. Hodgins was a polished writer with a keen sense of humor. This book was written over a half-century ago but the joys and agonies of building a home have not changed - except for the prices! It is a "must" for anyone who wishes to buy an ancient home and bring it into modern times. The Blandings started with that idea and ended up tearing the old house down and starting over. This book provides a smiling look at human nature and the people encountered along the road to a dream house, including real estate agents, home sellers, well drillers, carpenters, plumbers, meddling neighbors, and all the rest. Nothing is more fun or frustrating than watching your own home grow from a hole in the ground to a castle in the sky. I recommend this book to those lucky people who get to have that experience at least once in their lives.

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.

I am an architect who designs custom home remodeling projects. I lend this book to some of my clients, for fun, and to help them develop the sense of perspecive that is sooo helpful for living with the million decisions and surprises of remodeling your house. Fifty years old or not, it's a hoot. The movie of the same name, also from the '40s, with Myrna Loy and some famous man, Clark Cable? misses most of the fun of the book.

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.

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.