Smart, well-researched, and surprisingly readable. Richard Neutra’s Lovell Health House in Los Angeles is a sleek, steel-framed home clinging to the hillside. How did this even get built in the 1920s? Dimendberg’s book has the answers. It’s like a behind-the-scenes documentary in print, showing how Neutra pulled off this radical design, from the early sketches to the challenges of construction. It features essays, old magazine clippings, Neutra’s own notes, even a timeline of how the house went from wild idea to modernist icon. There’s a fun irony in how something meant to be ultra-functional (a "health house" for clean living) became a kind of celebrity, endlessly photographed and written about.

If you’re into architecture, especially modernism or L.A.’s design history, this is a must-read. If you’re just casually interested, it’s still a cool look at how a single building can change the way people think about homes. Either way, it’s way more engaging than your typical coffee-table book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

All three options for reading, the online NG reader, the NG Shelf app, and the download to read in Thorium, contain only the cover, nothing else. Sent the publisher an email and had NG send an email, but no response and no complete file, so I am assuming they don't want reviews for this one, but I don't want a "didn't review" in my profile so am giving a middle rating. And I won't post elsewhere since I have nothing of substance to post.