Waiting for the Weekend - Softcover

WITOLD RYBCZYNSKI has written about architecture for the New York Times, Time, the Atlantic, the New Yorker, and Slate, and is the author of the award-winning A Clearing in the Distance. He is the recipient of the National Building Museum's 2007 Vincent Scully Prize. He lives with his wife in Philadelphia, where he teaches at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design.

This leisurely, thoughtful, cheerfully digressive work discusses just what weekends mean and what they have been throughout history. Unfortunately May reads at a relentless, clipped, and steady pace, much more like a Monday or a Tuesday than a weekend. Interesting stories and bits of history salvage the production for those who wish to add variety to a nonfiction collection. In spite of the reader's style, one can sometimes get a feel for the author's intent. However, the audio quality is also poor, with the sound levels varying greatly from tape to tape. J.D.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine