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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 917.63350463 EAN: 9780061136641 Edition: 1 ISBN: 0061136646 Label: Ecco Manufacturer: Ecco Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 208 Publication Date: July 01, 2008 Publisher: Ecco Release Date: June 24, 2008 Studio: Ecco Editorial Review: Product Description: Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck. With her house as the center of her own personal storm as well as the ever-evolving stage set for her new life as an upstanding citizen, Reed traces the fates of all who enter to wine, dine (at her table for twenty-four), tear down walls, install fixtures, throw fits and generally leave their mark on the house on First Street. There's Antoine, Reed's beloved homeless handyman with an unfortunate habit of landing in jail; JoAnn Clevenger, the Auntie Mame—like restaurateur who got her start mixing drinks for Dizzy Gillespie and selling flowers from a cart; Eddie, the supremely laid-back contractor with Hollywood ambitions; and, with the arrival of Katrina, the boys from the Oklahoma National Guard, fleets of door-kicking animal rescuers and the self-appointed (and occasionally naked) neighborhood watchman. Finally, there's the literally clueless detective who investigates the robbery in which the first draft of this book was stolen. Through it all, Reed discovers there really is no place like home. Rich with sumptuous details and with the author's trademark humor well in the fore, The House on First Street is the chronicle of a remarkable and often hilarious homecoming, as well as a thoroughly original tribute to our country's most original city. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - A little eccentric, but not badThe best aspect of The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story is that Julia Reed gives a realistic portrayal of how enjoyable, if not eccentric, life was in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. Her truly Southern voice comes clearly through in her writing, especially when she describes the food and entertainment she and her acquaintances partake of with much enthusiasm. The story does leave you with sadness and yearning for what once was and may never be again...and that's from someone ... Read More Rating: - Just okay for me.I've spent many years in the South, and this book reminded me of many things I'd long forgotten about, especially the food! I felt sorry for Reed having to go through what she did with the incompetent contractors after waiting years for the house of her dreams, but at the same time I was wondering why she hadn't checked them out beforehand. Especially after the first time...why did she keep hiring people who couldn't get the job done? And her relationship with Antione made me uncomfortable, as ... Read More Rating:  - I love the way Julia writesI loved this book and only wished for some photographs. It is true that Julia must have a lot of money (her other books describe a lavish childhood) and I can understand why other reviewers are perplexed with her trivial concerns when so many lost everything after Katrina. Frankly, this did not take the gloss off this memoir for me- I loved it and hope she writes something similiar very soon. She is interesting and funny and I couldn't put it down. Rating:  - A fresh spin on a well known eventReviewed by Nikki Pringle for Reader Views (8/08) Julia Reed, a contributing editor at Vogue and Newsweek, spent her childhood in Greenville, Mississippi and traveled frequently to New Orleans with family and friends to experience all that the Big Easy had to offer. As an adult, she again found herself trekking from her new home base in Manhattan to New Orleans, with more and more of her time spent down in the Delta as the years went by, even though she still maintained a home in Manhattan. ... Read More Rating: - Maybe if You Are From the South You Will Like This BookAs I read this book, I wondered why it was written. What is touted as a New Orleans's story with interesting characters , the renovation of a house, and Katrina is really much more. There are so many stories and characters it is hard to follow where the story line is going sometimes. I have heard it described as humorous, but I really didn't find it humorous at all. Reed grew up in Greenville, 442 miles from New Orleans. On page 5 she writes: "When I was finally old enough -- sort of - ... Read More |
