The house that Max built by Maxwell Newhouse - review

The house that Max built by Maxwell Newhouse
Nice. Nice to have a step-by-step building book that is painterly, diverse, scenic, and a little bit funky.

Somewhat minimal text accompanies oil paintings of Max, a white-haired grownup with a black Yorkie on a green leash, who works with dozens of professionals to build his dream house by a lake. I like that the architect is a woman. I like that the people working on his house wear turbans, earrings, headscarves, berets (although they all wear hard hats when it's appropriate - safety first!). Men and women hang drywall and install insulation. And the Yorkie gets into everything.

But what made me sigh, as a grownup, was how steady and seamless and sane it all seemed. From Max's sketch to a tight new house with a porch and a lake view, everyone is smiling and happy in their work. Not a bankruptcy or a no-show contractor to be seen.