No more delightful garden-related books have ever been written than Nichols's accounts of the rescue and renovation of Merry Hall, a rundown Georgian mansion and its garden. No wittier, and sometimes wickedly satirical, writer than the urbane Mr. Nichols has ever observed the world of house and gardenor the characters who inhabit them.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
An excursion into the art of gardening.:
One of the book catalogs that I occasionally get in the mail has been singing the praises of the late Beverley Nichols. Besides writing mystery novels, he also wrote about his adventures in renovating and resurrecting a home in the suburbs of London just after WWII. First published as a collection of magazine columns, he would later on assemble them into a trilogy of books. The first of the trilogy, Merry Hall details his search, at times frustrating, for the perfect house and garden. Very soon he... more info
It was okay:
I want to give my honest opinion of this book. I have never read anything else by this author. While it was entertaining, I found it to get just a little more drawn out than I would have liked. I also did not like his viewpoints on some of the different plants. I guess you just need to take it in stride, but when he characterizes some of your favorite plants as nuisances (or more), etc. it is a little irritating. I did enjoy it, but I don't think I'll read him again. I wanted to give this review, since... more info
Charming, Engaging Read:
The first volume of a trilogy about the author's time at Merry Hall, this book is more humorous garden writing than strict autobiography. We know (primarily from the dust jacket) that Beverley Nichols was a widely-travelled journalist and prolific author, but aside from the occasional mention that he needs to keep working (hard) to pay the (very high) bills, Nichols doesn't mention his life outside of Merry Hall or, more specifically, its garden. The book begins after WWII, when Mr. Nichols returns... more info
passing the torch:
Just as Trollope passed the literary torch to Angela Thirkell, so did E. F. Benson pass his to this good fellow! Mr. Nichols' trilogy about Merry Hall is so entertaining, even though at times he comes across as a bit "twee". As you get to know him and his neighbors through the books, you come to realize that yes, some things are more important in your own blinkered surroundings than in the big wide world. I would recommend these books to anyone who loves gardening (on a grand scale), gossip, and the... more info
