Book Reviews

The Irresistible Henry House

Reviewed by- Andrea (2010/06/06, 07:23 AM)

Lisa Grundwald treats the reader to an engrossing story about a home economics program based on a college campus in the nineteen forties. Female students are assigned to a real home, also known as the practice house, for six weeks, to learn how to run a household and care for children. What is so fascinating about the situation is the house is equipped with a real child from a local orphanage. The practice baby stays at the practice house for two years and then is given back to the orphanage and hopefully adopted into a loving home. This inventive plot is actually based on a real program that originated at Cornell University and was taught for several decades. You are transported to the nineteen forties as the author introduces you to the lovable Henry House, a practice baby. She vividly captures the coldness and no nonsense approach of child rearing of the era. As the story unfolds, you follow Henry’s life after he leaves the practice house and enters the real world. Much is revealed about how this arrangement affects Henry and his ability to emotionally attach to others. This book is filled with wonderful characters and lots of insight into the different methods of raising children. You won’t want to put this book down and it will certainly promote a lively discussion at book club.Back.