The Restoration of Otto Laird

by Nigel Packer

Retired architect Otto Laird is living a peaceful, if slightly bemused, existence in Switzerland with his second wife, Anika. Once renowned for his radical designs, Otto now spends his days communing with nature and writing eccentric letters to old friends (which he doesn't mail). But Otto's comfortable life is rudely interrupted when he learns that his most significant and revolutionary building, Marlowe House, a 1960s tower block estate in South London is set to be demolished.

Otto is outraged. Determined to do everything in his power to save the building, he reluctantly agrees to take part in a television documentary, which will mean returning to London for the first time in twenty-five years to live for a week in Marlowe House. Once Otto becomes reacquainted with the city he called home for most of his life, his memories begin to come alive. And as he mines his past and considers life moving forward—for himself and his building—Otto embarks on a remarkable journey that will change everything he ever thought he knew.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Architecture, Adult

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring!! Boring!! BORING ............

My determination has always been to never give up on a book, always finish it. This book has changed this. Life is too short and there are many more books out there worthy of my time and attention.

[Jacqueline Masumian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel started out pretty well - an elderly architect has been informed that one of his prize buildings is to be demolished - but unfortunately devolved into a set of not very interesting flashbacks and reminiscences about the architect's wives and travels. Like the mental meanderings of an old man, the story wanders into the past and back again with little substantive to offer in the way of plot, interesting characters, or theme. While some of the writing is compelling, much of it fails to hold a reader's interest.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:
A story of memory and place, old age and architecture.

"Otto had felt surprisingly nervous on the plane across from Geneva; not from any fear of flying, but a fear of what he was flying to. [...] Throughout the short flight he experienced a strange inner turbulence. He had a queasy sensation that he was re-establishing a connection with the past; flying backwards into his own memories. He would no longer be experiencing them from a distance, but in the city where they had once been real."

Architect Otto Laird has been living a semi-reclusive life with his second wife in Switzerland. But he is forced to re-engage with the wider world when he learns that his landmark building Marlowe House - a 1960s tower block in South London - has been marked for demolition.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting easy going read about a man looking back at his past and future when he tries to save a block of flats he designed in the 1960's and how he re valuates his condition. felt though author got a bit bogged down in the middle of the book though.

[Ape · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first heard about this on the radio when they were reading it out loud in segments. I was then lucky enough to win a proof copy on goodreads. The book is a life story really, told in the reflective style, Otto Laird now elderly and recovering from some kind of invasive cancer surgery from as much as I can work out. He is a retired architect living in Switzerland. Upon hearing that one of his 60s masterpieces, a concrete block monstrosity in central London (I'm not a fan of these tower blocks personally), is going to be demolished, he gets a bit cross, gets in touch with people and sets out on a sort-of mission to get the thing listed. This involves flying back to London to make a documentary about the block to drum up support. Otto is an insuluar, restrained kind of character, so the documentary never gets to the depths of what the block means. Really, what his stay in London is all about, is looking back over his life and the decades he spent living there: meeting his first wife, Cynthia, living with her, their son Daniel, the troubled times in their marriage, reconcilation, and then her death from brain cancer. I suppose this reflecting back on a life quality puts it into a similar vein with books such as Harold Fry's Pilgrimmage, Elizabeth is Missing and countless other ones I've not read. For people who enjoy these books, this is another one worth looking up.

For me personally, I found this a bit too sentimental for my tastes. Otto is restrained and doesn't do sharing. Fine, we're all different, but when this also comes across in his documentary and even our experience of him as readers, it does make it a little diffecult to engage at times. After the death of his first wife, he is essentially estranged from his son for the following twenty five years. The first heart to heart between the son and his second wife was just too... no, really not my cup of tea. Sorry folks - SPOILERS - the tower block ain't saved, but the restoration of Otto Laird in this case is his nice, neat reconciliation with his son. Which is great for the family, did they really exist, but all a bit lukewarm for reading.

Ok, I'm being a wee bit negative here. If this is your type of book you'll love it. It's perfectly ok for light, easy reading, but I wasn't blown away by it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Originally posted on:> http://lauraslittlebookblog.blogspot....

Initially I found The Restoration of Otto Laird hard to get into. I would be reading the words on the page and my mind would wonder off onto other things. I must admit, I very nearly gave up, but I persevered and I'm glad I did.

Otto is an interesting character. He is a retired visionary architect currently living in Switzerland. When he hears that his most significant building he built in the 1960's- Marlowe House, is to be knocked down, he returns to London to try and save it from this cruel fate. Returning to London for the first time in 25 years, Otto not only visits Marlowe House, he also goes back the places where key events in his past happened. As he looks back he embarks on a journey that will change his future for the better.

I think the second half of this book was much better than the first. We really get to know Otto as the book progresses as we get little snippets into his life and where he started. These were the parts of the story that I liked the best and were what kept my interest. It was a perfect metaphor for how the decline of Marlowe House reflects Otto's life. The more I learnt about Otto, the more I felt endeared to him and actually greatly sympathised with him. Despite his flaws, he is a very likeable character and I could see some of my own Grandad in him.

The descrption for this is slightly misleading as I was expecting quite a funny tale along the lies of #FrankDerrick or The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules. But what we get is actually a melancholy tale of Otto and his demise along with Marlowe House. Perhaps if the synopsis had been worded a little differently, I would have had the right expectations and it would have kept my interest a bit better.

Overall though, once I had got into the story, I found it endearing and thought-provoking. Will definitely appeal to fans of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otto Laird, an architect is upset to discover a building he designed - Marlowe House, a concrete tower block built south of the river Thames in South London in the early 1960s is slated for demolition. Upset on a purely personal level and conscious of the passage of time and fighting the signs of ageing Otto becomes determined to fight back and save his building. He decides to return to London the place that holds so many memories he also agrees to take part in a documentary examining the past and future of the building reprising a similar experiment he took part in many years ago and live in Marlowe House. It gives him time to examine his past including his relationships with his wives and his son Daniel.

One of the categories in my 2015 reading challenge is to include - A book based entirely on its cover. I liked - the title with the word "laird" which conjures up images of Monarch of the Glen which I enjoyed on the TV; the images of London with the London Eye and St Paul's both of which I see every day travelling to work and it was very colourful. I deliberately chose an author I didn't know since then I could honestly say it was based entirely on the cover with having no preconceived ideas of what the author may have written before. When my Mum read the synopsis she said it sounded boring, boring, boring!

However, I was hoping to discover something like The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry within its pages but ... unfortunately I was disappointed- it had quite a few good moments - the description of Otto's wartime experiences and the turmoil of the 1960s was really interesting. His relationship with Cynthia and her illness was also very touching and his reconciliation with his son.

But there too many times when it struggled to hold my attention and yes it was often boring, boring, boring.

[Alison Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet thoughtful retrospective on ageing and his life review by the famous British architect, Otto Laird. He's turned 80, in poor health, lives in Switzerland with his second wife. He reluctantly agrees to take part in a TV doccie about his famous high rise housing estate building, which is due to be demolished. His masterpiece was one of London's first tower block housing schemes. Living in his building for a week, revisiting old significant haunts and answering questions about his career, and his building, brings insights to Otto about his life.
I suspect the novel will appeal more to older readers, but can recommend it as a worthwhile read.

[Trelawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good but not great read. I never connected with any of the characters which, for me, is a must. I don't have to like them but they have to provoke some sort of feeling. The story too just never quite delivered. It was too meandering at times and never really sucked me in.

[Matt Lanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of mediocre reviews for this, and quite frankly it confused me. I adored this book, and to me it seems primed for a movie or TV series. If you want a dramatic plot line, this probably isn’t the book, but the characters seem compelling. Clearly, this is a book about an aging architect so that will obviously dominate the story. Perhaps it’s just me, but I connected instantly with Otto’s quirky personality, odd mannerisms, and stubbornness. And that carried me through the story. And I found it to be deeply moving. Encourage you to give it a chance.

[Paul A Verboom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely look back at life well lived.

As look toward retirement the things spoken of in this book become more important. I have not accomplished as much as Otto and given the years I have left I am unlikely too. But I am loved and I love, and isn't that what this book is about.

[Roger Brunyate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age could play strange tricks…

Age could play strange tricks on a building, just as it could upon people.

Both the US and British covers of this novel, and to a certain extent the descriptions on the back covers, suggest that this will be a light-hearted book rather in the manner of Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry . Octogenarian architect Otto Laird, long since retired to the mountains of Switzerland, journeys back to London to save his once-famous building from demolition, and in the process rediscovers his younger self. All true, so far as it goes. Hearing that his iconic South London tower block Marlowe House is under threat, Otto allows himself to be driven to Geneva airport by Anika, his devoted second wife, to re-enter the architectural fray he had abandoned twenty-five years earlier, at the height of his fame. He agrees to take part in a television documentary revisiting the 1960s newsreel that heralded the concrete monster as a triumph both for architecture and social engineering, promising bright homes for people from all walks of life. For the new documentary, Otto will be required to live in the building for a few days and meet some of the residents, to show that beyond the graffitti, the broken glass, and urine-stained elevators, there is still a magnificent beacon of hope deserving restoration, not demolition.

For the most part, everything goes well. Otto is indeed appalled by the condition of the building, but he is encouraged on the whole by the attitude of the residents he meets, for whom Marlowe House has indeed offered a sanctuary. But you can see the theme of the book deepening with each chapter, becoming quite a profound meditation on old age. By about the half-way point, I found myself thinking of this as a small masterpiece, as the vicissitudes of Otto's encounters with the TV cameras gave way to little glimpses of the life he had left behind, especially his memories of his much loved wife and architectural partner Cynthia. When the cameras are not on him, he takes trips to parts of London that had held special memories for the two of them: Fitzrovia, Hampstead, London Zoo. Nigel Packer's balance of past and present was quite perfect, and as an older man spending increasing time with my memories myself, I found his novel very moving.

Memory is such a complex matter. It's not just mental, but physical. It's embedded in the landscape itself. Buildings are deeply interwoven with people's experiences -- with their sense of identity, if you like. It's something of which I've become acutely aware myself in recent days.

But then, instead of taking up the middle part of each chapter, like the filling in a sandwich, the flashbacks began to occupy whole chapters on their own, and even sequences of chapters. We go back to Otto's childhood in Vienna, his family's flight to Antwerp where they hid in a cellar to escape the Holocaust, his early years in London, the marriage to Cynthia (not all roses, after all), his estrangement from his son Daniel, and Cynthia's death. This is a moving story in itself, and anything but trivial, but somehow Packer's beautiful balance had faltered. Instead of Otto's present-day odyssey being the connecting thread, it now seemed almost incidental in providing occasional cues for the extensive back-story. I found myself thinking of this as a three- or four-star book, rather than my original estimate of five. At the end, however, Packer pulls the threads together rather beautifully, and gives Otto his Restoration of a kind, though not entirely as one might have expected, edging me back to four stars. Certainly a book worth reading in any case; just scrap those misleading covers!

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

BBC Book at Bedtime



A story of memory and place, old age and architecture.

"Otto had felt surprisingly nervous on the plane across from Geneva; not from any fear of flying, but a fear of what he was flying to. [...] Throughout the short flight he experienced a strange inner turbulence. He had a queasy sensation that he was re-establishing a connection with the past; flying backwards into his own memories. He would no longer be experiencing them from a distance, but in the city where they had once been real."

Architect Otto Laird has been living a semi-reclusive life with his second wife in Switzerland. But he is forced to re-engage with the wider world when he learns that his landmark building Marlowe House - a 1960s tower block in South London - has been marked for demolition.

Episode One.
Otto's mood darkens after he reads a disturbing article in the Architectural Review.

Nigel Packer lives in London. He has been a music reviewer for BBC News Online and Ceefax, a reporting officer at the International Committee of the Red Cross and a contributor to various magazines and newspapers. The Restoration Of Otto Laird is his first novel.

Reader: Allan Corduner
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne
Producer: Rosalynd Ward

A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

[Nick Sheridan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please note that I couldn't finish this book, so can't speak for the quality of the story or if things change.

I say I couldn't finish it, I could barely start it. Not bad per se but the writing style of constantly interrupting tiny actions with long, non-emotive factual infodumps really doesn't work for me, and given the age of the characters and the personal history focus of the novel, I doubt that style will change.

There's some nice metaphor in there at least, like the mountains "broken and discoloured as a dentists dream" - although it feels a little floating and disjointed. No-one in the scene is a dentist, or particularly obsessed on teeth. I felt often that the observations where too authorial and smart-for-smart, and not character-driven enough.

The text is too free with psychic distance and point of view, such that at times an "I am" perspective left me confused as to who exactly was.

Not for me. Could be for you.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a "I couldn't put it down" sort of book. I'd read a couple of chapters before going to bed, and would think, ok, that's enough. This is the story of a 79 year old world-renowned architect, in poor health, living a reclusive though privileged lifestyle. He discovers that a post WWII building he designed with his late wife in London is set to be demolished. So he returns to London for the first time in many years to try to prevent that and we discover through his thoughts and actions his life story. I think this book would be interesting to students and connoisseurs of architecture.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that architects would like this book -- however, I am not an architect so I thought it was just ok. I ended up not liking any of the characters. Also the author doesn't draw you into the story through the setting. He tries to do it through writing of architecturally significant buildings but those
discussions left me yawning. The most positive things I can say is that it was a quick read and I didn't quit it.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book! I agree it's one for those who enjoyed 'The One Hundred Year Old Man...' (it's a bit less lighthearted, and the relationships are more tender). I think those who enjoyed 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' by Muriel Barbary will also enjoy it. Great cover!

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle read offering a retrospective of Otto's life, initially I wasn't sure but the book drew me in and a did enjoy the story, the flashbacks were well judged and didn't grate in the way they have with other books. A good read provided you enjoy character driven stories.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful story that cleverly unravels the various actions that span the tapestry of life. A tale of family and regret, loss and making amends.

[Peacejanz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I missed the point of this book somewhere along the way. The book is about Otto Laird who is confused, old, senile, etc. and his second wife, an alert one and we wonder why they are married. The book begins with the second wife and how Otto has deteriorated in his last years. Then goes off on his memory of his great work and his first wife. The majority of the book is about his first wife and the life they shared together - I am not certain when the POV changes - began with the current wife, then seems to be an outside person - this was just a mixed up book and difficult to follow. I just can not recomment it to anyone since I could not get the point of the book. I decided it was one way (family coming back together, etc.) and then it went off in another direction. If you begin to read the book, the current (second) wife is the narrator telling about Otto standing nude in the back window. What the heck??? Then the book moves to the first wife (unknown narrator) and Otto keeps fading - mostly into the past. A strange book. I started scanning about half way so I should have marked this DNF - but I wanted to foreward others. Wonder how this goes with someone reading it. It was a sad book in one way - a gifted man who has lost his marbles and now has been grabbed by a woman who does not love him the way he and his first wife loved. I can not recommend.

[Sheila Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I totally agree with one review I read…. This book is… “like the mental meanderings of an old man, the story wanders into the past and back again with little substantive to offer in the way of plot, interesting characters or theme. While some of the writing is compelling, much of it fails to hold the reader’s interest.”

Flashbacks are descriptions of very specific days in the first person present tense. There’s a clear contrast with Otto’s present day memory failings and hesitancy. Is the author trying to imply early stages of dementia?

I didn’t like the mixture or third party past tense description and first person present tense dialogue in the flashbacks.

The use of un-posted letters to friends and the letter he did post to his son were used to explain parts of his past story. Unexpected revelation near the end of the book that Otto had a mental breakdown after his wife’s death.

I found myself saying ‘I don’t care’ many times throughout this book. I definitely would have quit reading after a few pages (there are so many good books out there that I want to read) if I hadn’t been reading it for a book club.

[Victoria Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is like a gentle stroll along a slightly hilly landscape; nothing difficult or outrageous or particularly exciting, but not unenjoyable. There was rather more sexual content than the cartoonish cover would suggest, particularly in the very first chapter or two. The author is clearly knowledgeable about architechture, but those paragraphs particularly focused on that subject were sadly lost on me. I was most interested in the family dynamic between Otto and his son, and was a little disappointed that while so many of Otto's memeories were fleshed out and explored in detail as he loses himself in them, we didn't get a front row seat to the argument that led to their estrangement. Similarly the ending felt a little rushed, after building the whole book to a reconciliation, it happens more or less off-screen, and I would have liked to see Otto interacting with his grandchildren. I did like that the story of Marlowe House doesn't wrap up perfectly; a neat twist that's a decent reflection of real life, and the book overall was a nice easy read.

2020 reading challenge: a book with a building on the cover.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate that this is a more respectful look at aging than some recent novels that treat it more humorously or stereotypically. (I enjoy those but in a different way.) Otto is an 80-year-old retired architect, who has recently undergone some major surgery. He recognizes and wonders at his slide into ennui and occasional eccentric behavior, and his second wife is concerned about him. Then a news item changes everything. Marlowe House, the iconic London residential tower designed in the 60s by his first wife and himself, is slated to be torn down. He agrees to travel from his home in Switzerland to London to be a part of the campaign to save it. While this trip and the love and support of his current wife are the foundations of his "restoration," the heart of the book is in his recollections of his life with his first wife. Coming to terms with that part of his life allows the fullness of the restoration. The book seems to drag at some points, but I did feel that it described emotional elements well.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hidden gem! I don't think I've ever heard anyone talking about this and it ended up on my shelf pretty much by accident and here we are with a 5 star read!

This is not for people who like plot driven stories because whilst there is an underlying story that drives the narrative it is very much character focused. We have an elderly man who takes a trip back to the UK having not lived there for a couple of decades since the death of his first wife. The upcoming demolition of a building he designed is the catalyst and we follow Otto as he is plunged into memories of his former life.

This ranges from being a Jew in hiding in the Second World War to receiving a scholarship to study architecture to meeting his first wife and through his whole life to present day. His regrets, his achievements, everything is explored.

Honestly I didn't realise that I liked this kind of book, the only similar book I've read is Elenor Oliphant is completely fine but even that felt somewhat more plotty than this. But it was just wonderful!

I can't believe this is a debut novel!

[Terri Stokes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Restoration of Otto Laird is a brilliant novel that shows you that sometimes, visiting the past is the key to moving on and making progress in ones life. That is something Otto Laird has to do when he comes across an article in a magazine that mentions the demolition of a building that he and his first wife had designed and built in the 60's.
Flying back to London from Switzerland and reluctantly taking part in a tv documentary, Otto revisits the old building that was once a largely significant building when first built. It's just one small step in trying to save the old building.

While visiting Marlowe House and the city he once lived in, Otto finds that he is drawn back to his memories of the past, of his first wife and his son, of the adventure of getting to the moments that they got to share together.
Coming back to England is a huge journey for Otto and along the way he remembers things he thought forgotten, visits places he hasn't been in for years and most of all, he finds himself along the way. In a way, revisiting the past is a healing trip for Otto.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Otto Laird, a once renowned architect now retired, returns to london from his home in Switzerland. Otto has learned that one of his masterpiece buildings, a tower block is to be demolished. He must try to save it so returns to London after 25 years.
This is the story of Otto's life told through his thoughts, memories and flashbacks. It focuses on his life with his first wife Cynthia who died of cancer and his son Daniel.
I felt that Anika his devoted second wife was neglected in this novel, but then the story centres around Otto's past.
This is a book about ageing, life, priorities, memories and regrets. If you enjoyed the book - The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, you will enjoy this novel as I found it to be similar.
3.5 stars for this light easy to read book.

[Jayne Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whilst there's lots of things about it which I ought to like / appreciate - I just didn't particularly warm to it. I can't completely explain why - which is unusual. Lots of bits made me sad because reading it around the anniversary of my dads death - but lots of it didn't touch me emotionally - whether that's coz Otto was like that - I don't know.

Strangely - when I picked it up in the library and read the blurb it sounded to familiar - when I looked inside the first page or two I realised I'd picked it up in the library before and read the first couple of pages to try and decide whether to check it out. Instead of thinking the second time was a sign that I should - I should have trusted my initial instincts and left it. That's the lesson I feel that I've (re) learned!


But try it - you might like it.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book by accident and it turned out to be an interesting tale. Otto is in the later years of his life and he starts to reflect on the life he has lived. The author jostles the reader between events that are taking place in the present and glimpses of Otto's earlier life. We get to see how things that happened to Otto shaped who he is today. Otto also is in the habit of writing letters to people, letters that he never sends and the contents of these let us see his inner thoughts.
At times there is little sympathy to be found for our main character but at other times he reminds us of how complicated a life can be with all its messy emotions and myriad actions. It is a story of regret, love, understanding and acceptance. For a first novel it delivers on so many levels.

[Eli]

This book started much stronger than it finished. It reminded me of Asterios Polyp, the graphic novel about the architect having a midlife crisis. Similarly pretentious and navel gazing about an architect's mistakes in relationships. There were a few points when I hoped the story would veer into magical realism but it never committed.

Some very beautiful moments: meditations on death's approach, changes of political perspective over time while class conflict remains constant, mild mysticism in the presence of nature. The wonder of an ordinary path chosen instead of a more cosmic exploration of the same feelings