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60 HOOK By David Neilsen Book Reviews COUNTRY LIFE Homes of the catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley by William Abranowicz A house is more than a home. It is a sanctuary. A haven. A statement of ideals. While each of us creates a home for ourselves that hopefully makes us feel joyful and welcomed, county Life has the opportunity to transport us into some re- markable and unique homes for more inspira/on. Authors William Abranowicz, master photogra- pher whose works are in the Metropolitan Mu- seum, and other renowned collec/ons, and his son Zander Abranowicz, writer and strategic de- signer, have culled together portraits of twenty such homes within the catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley which they present to the rest of us in their impressive tome, country Life. These are magical homes, cre- ated o en with inten/on and pur- pose, exist as much as works of art as domiciles. The owners are archi- tects and ar/sts, yogi and writers, and their homes are reflec/ons of their true selves. Many of these people journeyed from the urban wilds of Manha0an to find refuge in the rural world where life is calmer, greener, and ul/mately happier. country Life invites the reader into these majes/c homes with brief introduc/ons to each es- tate, followed by pages and pages of cap/va/ng color photographs. We see waterfalls tumbling down the rocks below a house, a beau/- ful white living room with crystal chandeliers, art installa/ons around every corner, stone fire- places, and kitchen shelves stacked with porcelain. But old or new, what these homes share is a /meless beauty. We may never get to walk through the rooms ourselves (private resi- dences), but through the pages of country Life we are granted an in/- mate tour that stays with us long a er we've turned the final page.