I've read and re-read "Marine Life" so many times I can no longer count. It is an excellent body of work, seamlessly woven together. The prose is outstanding in its' stunning simplicity. Linda Svendsen is an extremely talented writer and I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

Rarely are words so elegantly crafted by modernist writers. Unlike the original reviewer, I do not feel this novel is about desperation or the futility of marriage. It touches me on level more realistic than hopeless. More hopeful than hopeless. And I do not connote desperation with realism. Melancholy, yes. To be sure. Bittersweet, yes. Touching and insightful-with every sentence. I wish this author would write more. I treasure her words & reverently admire her artisanship. Most excellent!

Maybe not the best possible book in the world, but the only one like it I've found.

If you are even thinking about restoring the bathroom(s) in a pre-1940 house, this book is a "must have" for you. Jane Powell put everything you would ever want to know in there. This lady knows so much about antique bathroom fixtures it's SCARY! Written with a touch of humor reflecting this most personal of rooms. Just a hint of sexual innuendo mixed in with illustrated and narrative factual detail. Everything is included from hundreds of great photographs of period fittings and fixtures, floors and walls, to detailed text describing the nuances and subtleties of such things as tile, windows and doors, lighting, Fuller-ball faucets, bathtub restoration, angle stops, plumbing code issues, wash-down, wash-out and syphon-jet toilets featuring lions and dolphins, and much, much more. There is the most complete listing of resources for everything you need for a period bathroom restoration at the back of the book as well. As in Bungalow Kitchens, the camera work was handled by Linda Svendsen and it is Super too! In summary.......GET THIS BOOK!!

... and that's what makes it so wonderful. If you're considering re-doing a bathroom in a 19th or early 20th century house---whether you'll be restoring an original room or destroying a 70's "renovation"---you need this book.

The author has a comprehensive awareness of both the stylistic and the practical issues involved. She also has a sense of humor about it all.

I was particularly impressed by the pictures. Several of the historical rooms are studied in careful detail, wth closeups of many features---not just the major plumbing fixtures. Also, all the photos were taken specifically for this book; so many bathroom-advice books feature mostly manufacturer-supplied photos that bear little relation to the text.

This book is great encouragement for those homeowners who know they want authentic vintage, but have to deal with current day construction fellas who just don't get it. The authors give many tips on how and where to get what you are looking for. The only drawback is that I was looking for a 1950's looking style, and this book very much focuses on an era before that. Their focus on a style largely from the 1920's has styles and functions somewhat limited to that era. Still it did help me make some remodeling choices, and the photographs are wonderful.

My first impression was WOW! Here is a book for anyone who has an old house to remodel. These kitchens will fit into any house older than 1950. Bungalow doesn't begin to say it all. My son is remodeling a Californis Arts and Crafts house with obsessive zeal,whereas, my goal is just to get the feel of an old house in a new addition to a two hundred year old cape in Maine. Read the book from cover to cover.

In Bungalow Kitchens, Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen have successfully collaborated to create, quite simply, the best guidebook available today for preserving the beauty and integrity of yesteryear's bungalow kitchen while adapting it to the utilitarian values and conveniences of today. Every aspect is covered from plumbing to windows to shelving to electrification. What the remodeling householder needs to know about contractors and subcontractors is also informatively dealt with. Highly recommended reading for anyone contemplating an upgrade or modernization of their bungalow kitchen facilities, Jane Powell's informative and detailed text is superbly enhanced by Linda Svendsen photography showcasing bungalow kitchen examples throughout.

Camps and Cottages has some nice photographs of interior home furnishings. What I didn't like about the book are several things. The pictures are repeated throughout the book. For the price of this book I want to see original pictures on each page. The use of small pictures, about 1" square is really difficult for the eye to see. Printing text over textured, colored pages is extremely difficult to read. Descriptions are given of various rooms with no pictures to match, causing the reader confusion. Some photographs are cut off, even though the description includes items not seen. Some of the photographs are out of focus.

The book's text and photographs made me wish I could be there (in Oregon). I enjoyed reading the author's growth in the book, what led her to write it. I found the step-by-step projects well detailed and the pictures excellent. Thank you.

I loved this book. For years I have been collecting Cowboy and Native American items and have gotten tired of the basically "masculine" feel of the rooms. This book incorporated many of these same elements in a shabby chic, cottage chic way. It showed me how to marry all these styles into one visually appealing look. I found my style! I just wish that there had been more written substance to the book. It took me all of 45 minutes to digest both the written dialogue and the pictures. However, I did especially find moving the dedication to Popeye, the resident cat. Gotta love an animal lover!