Tracy Kidder has a real ability as a writer to make nonfiction books about technical subjects fascinating. You learn all about the process, the people, and the personalities involved. Soon you're at the jobsite yourself, with hope and anticipation of the successful finish. He's just a very, very good writer. The pacing and the story just build until it's almost like a page turner novel. You can't put it down. I loved this one very much. One might almost think I miss building things. It makes me want to write a novel set at a nuclear plant, with the denouement happening during a shutdown, and as the plant comes back up to full power at the end. Surely there must be personalities in such a book, and action and meaning, but there's something thrilling to me about the very work itself. Kidder manages to convey this thrill about the making of a house. I really will read the rest of his books soon. He's truly great.