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| Recommendations wanted please... http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6085 |
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| Author: | Lexi [ Tue May 19, 2009 10:27 am ] |
| Post subject: | Recommendations wanted please... |
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I know the CBB-ers are a well read bunch so was hoping that you could recommend some new books to me 
I'm looking for books set in country houses and am open to absolutely
anything - novels of any genre or time period or even
non-fiction.I've read/got most of the more obvious ones but please fire away with any suggestions as I'd love to know what people recommend. Thanks! | |
| Author: | Lottie [ Tue May 19, 2009 11:11 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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I love Elswyth Thane's Williamsburg novels. The first two are set in America (during the Revolutionary War and the Civil War), but the last five spend a lot of time at an old manor House and the adjacent Ducal Seat in Gloucestershire. I think they're out of print now, but you might find them in a library. | |
| Author: | abbeybufo [ Tue May 19, 2009 12:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Have you tried Elizabeth Goudge? Her children's book 'Little White Horse' is set in a big country house, and there is an adult fiction/family saga-type series set in a large house in the New Forest - can't now rememebr the first title 
but the second in the sequence is 'The Elliotts of Damerosehay' [not
absolutely certain how many 'l's and 't's in Eliots/Elliots/Elliotts 
]And no doubt you're already well up with Mazo de la Roche's Whiteoaks series [Canada] and Girouard's 'Life in an English Country House' plus his 2 [I think] follow-up titles. | |
| Author: | Joey [ Tue May 19, 2009 1:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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I second the recommendation for Elizabeth Goudge. The first book about the Eliots (I checked the spelling) is called The Bird in the Tree. My copy of the second book is called The Herb of Grace, but it's an early reprint (1949) so it's possible it was retitled later. The third book is called The Heart of the Family. I first read these books about fifteen years ago and I still haven't worked out how to pronounce Damerosehay! Also, if you haven't read Lucy Boston's Green Knowe books, you really should. The house is an absolutely vital character in all the books. The Children of Green Knowe The Chimneys of Green Knowe The River at Green Knowe A Stranger at Green Knowe An Enemy at Green Knowe The Stones of Green Knowe The books were illustrated by Lucy Boston's son, Peter Boston, and of course he drew the actual house (The Manor at Hemmingford Grey, not far from Cambridge). Peter's wife, Diana Boston, still lives there and shows people round her house - not only people who love the books, but quilting enthusiasts: Lucy Boston made the most amazing patchwork quilts, real works of art. I recommend Memories by Lucy Boston as well: it's two volumes of autobiography in one book, and the second is mostly about the house. My amazing bridesmaid, bookwormsarah, arranged a viewing of The Manor for the Sunday of my hen weekend. Diana Boston was delighted: she'd never had a hen party before! There are so many things in the house and garden that are part of the books. I cried when I held Toby's mouse! And my friends clubbed together to buy me a replica mouse, which I treasure so much that it came on honeymoon (to SLOC's amusement). Oops, didn't mean to write an essay - but hopefully it's a thorough (and useful) recommendation! | |
| Author: | Alison H [ Tue May 19, 2009 5:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Pamela Belle's Wintercombe series, set in in a fictional country house in Somerset during the 17th century, is wonderful
. | |
| Author: | Lisa [ Tue May 19, 2009 6:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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A trilogy that you may well have heard of is Norah Lofts' The Old House trilogy - The House at Old Vine. It follows the building of a house in the 1300s (I think) up to the 1970s and all the families that live there. Some of Philippa Gregory's books, whilst being historical ones describe places like Hever Castle rather nicely! I'll go and have a think! ETA: Joey! I love The Herb of Grace! And I never realised that it was the middle of a trilogy!!! *rubs hands gleefully* 
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| Author: | abbeybufo [ Tue May 19, 2009 7:44 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Perhaps the whole trilogy was republished as 'The Eliots of Damerosehay'? It's a long time since I read them - and I never worked out how to pronounce it either, Joey 
And I agree strongly with your Green Knowe recommendation, too
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| Author: | Joey [ Tue May 19, 2009 7:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Abbeybufo, a quick Google search confirms that that is indeed the case - The Eliots of Damerosehay is an omnibus edition of all three books. Also, anyone looking out for them may like to know that the American edition of The Herb of Grace was called Pilgrim's Inn. I'm so relieved that you can't pronounce it either! I always kind of gloss the pronunciation in my head. I've thought of another recommendation - The Children of the House (also known as The Children of Charlcote) by Philippa Pearce and Brian Fairfax-Lucy. | |
| Author: | Elder in Ontario [ Tue May 19, 2009 11:08 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Can strongly echo the recommendations of both The Eliots of Damaerosehay series and Green Knowe - also to visit Hemingford Grey if you ever have the chance. We were there when my granddaughters were about 10 and 7, and Diana was absolutely delightful with them, answering all their questions about locations and items in the house which are mentioned in the books. And I agree -the quilts are really beautiful. | |
| Author: | judithR [ Wed May 20, 2009 4:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Try James Henderson's detective stories. The first is The Case of the Blood-stained Egg Cosy or some of Carola Dunn's "Daisy Dalrymple" series | |
| Author: | Loryat [ Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Anything by Agatha Christie, and Georgette Heyer's crime books are generally at least partly set in country houses and are quite good mysteries and funny too. Some of her Regency books are set in country houses as well but mainly they're in London. All of Jane Austen but that's pretty much a given, also Jane Eyre. | |
| Author: | Emma A [ Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:18 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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It's James Anderson, not Henderson, by the way. I second the recommendation! How about Jane Aiken Hodge? There's fantastic one called "Watch the Wall", set in Sussex, with a background of smuggling, or the wonderful "Savannah Purchase", set in Savannah, Georgia. One of my favourite romances (though there's also some action and mystery there too, as well as a lot of history about Savannah in the early 19th century). Some of Ngaio Marsh's detective novels have a country house setting (unfortunately I can't remember any titles  ).
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| Author: | Joey [ Sat Jun 06, 2009 9:41 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Eva Ibbotson's novels often have large and wonderful houses in them. | |
| Author: | jonty [ Sun Jun 07, 2009 3:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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I'm reading Death On Tiptoe by R. C. Ashby at the moment. It's a splendid gothic murder-mystery, written in 1931, about a house-party. The setting is a romantic castle in Wales rather than a country house as such, but it feels very country house-ish! It's published by the wonderful Greyladies Press, who are well worth a visit if you haven't come across them yet: http://www.greyladiesbooks.co.uk/ | |
| Author: | judithR [ Tue Jun 09, 2009 2:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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jonty wrote:
I'm reading Death On Tiptoe by R. C. Ashby at the
moment. Ditto | |
| Author: | Loryat [ Wed Jun 10, 2009 5:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' dynasty books, as well as being really good reads, especially if you like history, centre around a country house (more a mansion really) called Morland Place. They go right through history from the Wars of the Roses to WW1 (so far) and give lots of detail about life in a country house in these periods. | |
| Author: | Lolly [ Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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I'm pretty sure you'll have read the Flambards books by KM Peyton but if not, you should | |
| Author: | Jenefer [ Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Recommendations wanted please... |
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The last September by Eizabeth Bowen is set in a Big House in Ireland during the Troubles | |
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