All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House

I really liked this book. The subject matter greatly interests me and I felt for this family all the way through reading it. Highly recommend it if the subject matter is in your interest.

Anyone who has taken up remodeling an older home can enjoy this book. Even those who have not engaged in remodeling can enjoy its story of passion, frustration, stubbornness, sadness, and comedy, all contributing to a Quixotic triumph, still unreached. Unlike the phony presentations on reality TV remodeling shows, it is a real story of challenges and not a “how-to” book. The craftsmanship in writing is exceptional. It seems evident that a lot of hard work went into the research, the details, and the crafting of the story. I planned to spend a couple of weeks reading this book, but could not put it down and finished in three days, avoiding looking at the pictures until the end.

All the Way Home has been on my to-read list for many years. I lived in the Akron area for 20 years and was a regular reader of David Giffels’ Akron Beacon Journal articles. Early this year I read Furnishing Eternity, a memorable book and good read. That led me to finally pick up and read All the Way Home.Finding myself driving down Portage Path and the surrounding streets, I was intrigued by what the lives and people were like who lived behind the walls of those large Tudor homes. David Giffels' story was not only about restoring one of these homes of the glory days of rubber. It was a story of a family and how people are as much about the home and the bricks and timber. Well done and well worth a read.

I had purchased this book before and loved it! I had told many people about this book and they in turn have bought it for themselves or presents! Had just recently talked to relatives who live in Akron Ohio about this book in their home town and realized i needed to purchase this book again. Just a great story of family and an old house ! Have been waiting to see if there would be a sequel for years!

I must admit I'm biased because David Giffels is a former co-worker. But he's truly found his niche telling personal stories in this format. I raced through this book. At times I hoped he and his wife wouldn't buy the house, even though without their huge gamble there would be no book. David made you feel all their emotions, all their fears, all their joys at what might seem like small improvements. There is also a good thread about the house's history and its former owner. You will marvel at David's determination and his obsessive nature to do as much work as he can himself. You don't have to be a self-improvement junkie or HGTV addict to enjoy this tale.

I finished this book last night and spent most of the day puzzling over what to write.Honestly, I found the book tedious. Especially his many references to music that would appeal only to his age group.If he had any expertise at all in renovating old houses I would have been more interested, but it seemed to me that he pretty much guessed at how to do things and he didn't much care whether he was doing an authentic job or not. I so wished that someone who had the interest and money to do a professional restoration had bought the house. Not a guy who was jealous of anything he wasn't allowed to do. For example, the bank that gave the mortgage required that he hire professionals to do plumbing, electrical, and roofing before they moved in. "Smart bank", I thought. However, Mr. Giffels was annoyed by the bank requirement because he was so sure that he could do those things. Not if they wanted to live in the house before the kids were old enough for college.Yes, Mr. Giffels can write. However, he seemed so megalomaniacal about the house that I lost my patience with the story.In the end, all I cared about was that Mr. Giffels find his hammer before the book ended.

Giffels has an excellent voice, like listening to an old friend. The idea of restoring a grand mansion compelling. As you go through the book, you get to understand how relentless such a task is, as the story seems to be like being on a treadmill: something destroyed and decaying that has to be repaired. It never ends, which is a huge point of the book.

Wow, I LOVED this book! Admittedly, I am a junkie when it comes to books about the joys and pains of home improvement, and this one is the best I've read so far! The story is an interesting one and the subject is my favorite, but what really makes "All the Way Home" stand out is his eloquent writing - the clarity and humor he uses in describing feelings and events is engaging, absolutely beautiful and made me eager for the next page like a crack addict about to make his next score. I don't think I have ever (literally) laughed out loud so many times while reading a book. At the same time, it was thoughtful, relatable and real. Loved it, loved it, loved it... I want to be friends with the author David and his wife Gina - and I want to visit their home! In fact, the only thing I felt was lacking in this book were more pictures of the house, the starring character of the story. A terrific read for anyone who's ever loved an old house (or hated squirrels!).

Sometimes it's fun to live vicariously through someone else's dream. Especially for people who love old houses and have ever dreamed of rescuing a wreck of a place, this is a (mostly) lighthearted holiday read.