Books: We Are Such Stuff

MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE—Eric Hodgins—Simon & Schuster ($2.75).

"The land rushed down to the river a mile away. . . . The air was luminous. 'On a clear day you can see the Cats-kills,' " said the real-estate agent. He pushed open the door of the sweet old home. The door fell off its hinges and struck Mr. Blandings, the prospective buyer, on the right temple. " 'You'd have to do a little pointing-up here,' " said the agent, gesturing carelessly at a heap of stones that might once have been a fireplace. " 'Mind your head as we make...