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Smiling Shelves

The Big House [Review]

9/5/2015

4 Comments

 
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The Big House can be encapsulated in one word: summer. Catching fireflies. Swimming in the ocean. Racing sailboats. Reading on rainy days. Walking everywhere barefoot. Fishing in the early morning. Family. Long days that run together. The sort of summer you remember living as a kid and have had a hard time recapturing as an adult.

George Howe Colt perfectly captures that feeling in The Big House. His family has owned a house (a big one!) on Cape Cod for several generations. Every summer, his extended family would spend a month there, living that idyllic summer life. Reliving those memories is a part of this book.

But mixed in with those memories is the bittersweet feeling of saying goodbye. Colt’s family can’t afford the Big House any longer, and they are being forced to sell it. Colt has come out for one last summer with his wife and children, looking for closure. But how can you say goodbye to such a huge part of your life, the only place you really consider home?

Colt’s The Big House is a book that spans the lifetime of this beloved house. He describes the building of the house, the hurricanes that have hit it, and the good, the bad, and the ugly of the family that has inhabited it for nearly a hundred years.

Anyone can find something to connect with in this book, whether it’s the summer life or the family arguments or the difficulty of saying goodbye. For a little while, you become part of the family and part of the life of the Big House.

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Atmosphere
Find it on: Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Better World Books
4 Comments
Debbie link
9/5/2015 10:25:33 am

I think I'm going to have to read this one.... we just sold our family home this past spring and I had all those feelings too.

Reply
Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
9/5/2015 01:32:50 pm

Sounds like this one would be a great read for you!

Reply
Christine @Buckling Bookshelves link
9/5/2015 09:42:15 pm

This sounds great! Like the perfect summer read :)

Reply
Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
9/8/2015 07:56:07 pm

Definitely a book to read during the summer - or when you're dreaming of summer!

Reply



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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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