The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home
George Howe Colt
The Big House was built in 1903 by the author's great-great-grandfather, Ned Atkinson. It is now a century later and George Colt, with his wife, and young daughter and infant son have come to spend what may be their last summer in the family retreat on Wings Neck, Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts. The rambling eleven bedroom house is up for sale. Over the course of their stay George reminiscences about not only his experiences there growing up, but also the lives of his ancestors and how their experiences all entwined to contribute to the essence of "the big house" and the role it played in their lives. It is a thoughtful, historically informative, honest portrayal of several generations of "Boston Brahmin" culture. Anyone who grew up on the New England coast will probably find it especially good reading.
Award History
0 wins · 1 total
| Award | Year | Result | Category / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for NonfictionMajor | 2003 | Finalist | Secondary source |
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies
This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.
01 Central figures
None extracted with sufficient confidence.
These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.
- Ned Atkinson55%
- George Colt60%
02 Central places
None extracted with sufficient confidence.
These suggestions did not meet the normal display threshold and are more likely to be wrong.
- Wings Neck70%
- Buzzard's Bay, Massachusetts60%
03 Suggested argument
No argument inferred with sufficient confidence.
04 Reading orientation
35 / 100 academicSerious trade
An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.
Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 78%.