An Architectural Guidebook to Portland

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't believe it. . .
Review: I bought this book because I work with the author. I assumed it would gather dust on the coffee table while making me look smarter for owning it. BIG SURPRISE!! I finished my novel and picked up Mr. King's book last week. I have to tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Not only did I find stories about places I have been, I learned about new places I would like to see. The bullets at the end of each section are some of the best writing, in my opinion. Mr. King's voice in this book carries the reader through. Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't believe it. . .
Review: I bought this book because I work with the author. I assumed it would gather dust on the coffee table while making me look smarter for owning it. BIG SURPRISE!! I finished my novel and picked up Mr. King's book last week. I have to tell you, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Not only did I find stories about places I have been, I learned about new places I would like to see. The bullets at the end of each section are some of the best writing, in my opinion. Mr. King's voice in this book carries the reader through. Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read, enjoyable
Review: I have lived in Portland for 7 years. I really enjoyed this book. It is fun to carry this book while walking through downtown Portland.

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly fun read!
Review: I picked up a copy of this book in the Portland Airport, although I will confess that I didn't have high hopes for it. This guidebook turned out to be a great traveling companion. Its short entries are perfect for bursts of reading, and the the book really keeps the history (and humor!) flowing. I appreciated the book's ongoing commentary and interesting (even bizarre) facts. King seems to have done a great job of providing a thorough overview of the city's buildings, from the oldest to ones from the 21st century.
I would not only highly recommend this book for the casually interested, and the architecture expert, but also for the disinterested . . . it will hook them in!

Rating:
Summary: Easy to read, enjoyable
Review: I purchased this book thinking it would be a great addition to my coffee table, although of no interest to me! What a big surprise! I found this book to be charming and extremely well written. I enjoyed reading about places I have been and places I would like to go. Mr. King's voice is incredible, his sense of humor and knowledge sparkles in his writing. I especially enjoyed the little known and humorous facts included in many of the sections (they are bulleted). Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Voice!
Review: I purchased this book thinking it would be a great addition to my coffee table, although of no interest to me! What a big surprise! I found this book to be charming and extremely well written. I enjoyed reading about places I have been and places I would like to go. Mr. King's voice is incredible, his sense of humor and knowledge sparkles in his writing. I especially enjoyed the little known and humorous facts included in many of the sections (they are bulleted). Enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK !
Review: King's book is modern day masterpeice. He takes a subject hard to write or read about (architecture) and a city not famously known for its architecture (Portland) and creates a wonderful read. I am a resident of Portland and I have only heard of a minority of the builings in the book. It astonishes me how little I know about my own city. I highly recommend An Architectural Giudebook to Portland.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK !
Review: King's book is modern day masterpeice. He takes a subject hard to write or read about (architecture) and a city not famously known for its architecture (Portland) and creates a wonderful read. I am a resident of Portland and I have only heard of a minority of the builings in the book. It astonishes me how little I know about my own city. I highly recommend An Architectural Giudebook to Portland.

Rating:
Summary: Not a thoughtful work, but worth having.
Review: This book is the only resource available if you're interested in the architecture of Portland, Oregon, but it has its problems. Mr. King is not an architectural critic, but rather a fan of Portland architecture, especially, apparently, that of the early 1900s. Few Modern buildings are reviewed, or reviewed well. There is an odd political commentary infused throughout the book which does little to help the reader gain insight into the architecture of this City. For example, he inexplicably calls the urban planner Robert Moses a "fascist" without any explanation as to why. About the convention center he observes: "one of those dreadful holding pens full of glad-handing salespeople and marathon foot journeys to get to the restroom." Many of his reviews are as hollow and as tinny as a grammar student who has been told to fill the page with a certain number of words: "Measuring sixteen stories high on its east side, the Federal Courthouse is the most ambitious building constructed in Portland during the 1990s and certainly the most expensive public building in Portland." (Huh?)

While this book doesn't achieve the critical level necessary to qualify as an architectural guide, it's still worth having as an introduction to Portland architecture---but skip the homilies by Mr. King, they're time wasted in your exploration of the buildings of this great City.