Last month, Simon & Shuster was kind enough to send me a copy of Last Harvest, a non-fiction book written by Witold Rybczynski. (What, you thought I was going to get an advance copy of Harry Potter??? I'm a blogger, not a journalist, for pete's sake.)

The book was mildly-entertaining.

From Publishers Weekly

Architecture critic Rybczynski spent four and a half years observing the progress of New Daleville, a residential subdivision designed by one of his former students in a "neotraditional" style that builds houses close together on smaller-than-usual lots in order to foster a stronger sense of community.

But Rybczynski also excels at the "close-up," John McPhee's method of reporting, where every interview reads like an intimate conversation, and a simple walk down neighborhood sidewalks can reveal a wealth of history.

I found the book kind of "slight". Not meaty enough, for my tastes (it runs around 300 pages, but is a fast read).

There is information and examples of how sub-division developments are built, these days, but anyone already in development probably knows all about this, and more. Those who don't would be disappointed by the lack of details and/or the failure to put the current way of development into historic perspective. Probably a fair number of people wouldn't care, at all.

Same goes for architects, agents, and economists. A bit of information written in a somewhat compelling manner, but that's about it.

I had high expectations when I started reading it, based on the author's pedigree and because of his writing style - I assumed it was going to be a witty and somewhat sarcastic look at developers, agents, and buyers.

It wasn't.

Not a total waste of time. If you are interested in how communities are built, are in the real estate industry, or want to learn more about , then this book should probably be in your home library.

It's a place to start, is all.

Others seemed to like the book a lot better:

From The Washington Post, By Lloyd Rose

In Late Harvest, Rybczynski takes us on fascinating side trips, including visits to Seaside and Celebration, Fla., two of the pioneering "traditional neighborhood developments" that offered alternatives to conventional suburban planning (big lots, big houses, curvy streets that go nowhere).

As the New Daleville development progresses &8212; often at a stumble &8212; desire and reality meet, butt heads, try to choke each other, and roll over and over in the mud of compromise. The townspeople would like something with a little character (sidewalks, trees, cul de sacs, non-identical porches), and the developers don't object, but owing to circumstance and expense, they end up using a builder who mass-produces only a certain number of styles for windows, doors, shutters and so on. (As the builder puts it, "Our business is like a hamburger stand. We make hamburgers and cheeseburgers. That's it.")

Buy: Last Harvest: How a Cornfield Became New Daleville: Real Estate Development in America from George Washington to the Builders of the Twenty-first Century, and Why We Live in Houses Anyway, By Witold Rybczynski