Renovations is more than the sum of its parts. It's a sensitive portrait of a father-son relationship. It's a funny, thoughtful account of dealing with the challenges of midlife. It's also an inside look at modern home renovations. And the end result is as rewarding as the most challenging home project (with or without Bob Vila's help).

"Achingly honest, often funny and always elegant...so vivid you can hear the hammer's thwack." (Raleigh News & Observer)

"[Renovations is] about tearing down walls, first the ones made of Sheetrock, then the walls that had been put up between a 39-year-old son, an urbane freelance writer, and his cranky 73-year-old father, an Italian immigrant and former construction worker...a self-deprecating memoir that tells a larger story." (USA Today)

"Full of wisdom and genuine humor... Marchese's honest, uncluttered account lets the emotion emerge quietly, as the nails are being hammered." (David Pitt, Booklist)

"With spare elegance, John Marchese leads us on a touching personal odyssey as he sets out to rebuild a house with his stubborn old man, and he manages to create something far more vital and lasting than a shiny new abode. He builds a deep-walled wisdom that we can all learn from." (James Dodson, author of Final Rounds)