Houseboat Wars


Fiction - Historical - Event/Era
240 Pages
Reviewed on 07/21/2019
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Houseboat Wars by Charles Bush is set in 1977 when the hippie culture was at its peak and people loved it. Just a little way from the Golden Gate Bridge, squatters took up a small part of the Waldo Point Harbor and made houseboats for themselves. Free to do whatever they pleased and embrace their lifestyle, these people were happy with the way things were going. However, their little community was in for a shock when the area caught the eye of developers. Soon one of the bigwig developers purchases the area and wants it cleared as soon as possible. Ready to fight for their homes, they turn to Rick Spenser, a Legal Aid attorney whom they believe will be able to help them all. However, things are not that easy. The legal battle is long and hard and it seems like things are not going so well for Rick in his personal life. Can he give his whole attention to the situation at hand or will his distraction cost these people their homes?

Wow, this was not what I expected and I loved every moment of it. Author Charles Bush explains the idealistic yet tight-knit community very well. Rick’s point of view gave this novel an edge, something a little extra that made it interesting and very entertaining. Even though the author focused on Rick’s private life, he never made the Houseboat Wars a side story. The war between the houseboat owners and the developer remained the center of attention throughout the novel. Another great thing about the novel is that the author perfectly depicted the '70s era culture with the clothes, the demeanor and even the way the characters talked. I loved this novel because of how it showed real people with real issues. A well thought out novel that I truly enjoyed!