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Product Description
From Library Journal
Published in 1951, this example of "garden literature" relates how author Nichols constructed a massive garden on a run-down estate. Not a straight "how-to," Nichols's text also includes humorous portraits of the locals who both assist and frustrate his efforts. The text is buttressed with numerous black-and-white drawings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
His books are peopled with village characters, with Nichols himself cast as the English squire. He is at turns sentimental, arch and snobbish, but delightfully so. Dulcy Mahar, Oregonian, October 30, 2003 (Oregonian )
Be prepared. Beverley Nichols' garden books are part PG Wodehouse and part James Barrie full of hilarious Jeeves-like characters and events, with moments of Peter Pan magic. Bob Cowden, Pacific Horticulture, Spring 2000 (Pacific Horticulture )
"Though written half a century ago, Merry Hall captures that longing for the garden and a patch of land to call one's own. Nichols's wit and silly adventures ... add a bit of welcome hilarity to the all-too-serious literature of gardening." Anne Raver, New York Times, February 27, 2000 (The New York Times )
Be prepared. Beverley Nichols' garden books are part PG Wodehouse and part James Barrie full of hilarious Jeeves-like characters and events, with moments of Peter Pan magic. Bob Cowden, Pacific Horticulture, Spring 2000 (Pacific Horticulture )
"Though written half a century ago, Merry Hall captures that longing for the garden and a patch of land to call one's own. Nichols's wit and silly adventures ... add a bit of welcome hilarity to the all-too-serious literature of gardening." Anne Raver, New York Times, February 27, 2000 (The New York Times )
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
SOME fall in love with women; some fall in love with art; some fall in love with death. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
SOME fall in love with women; some fall in love with art; some fall in love with death. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle reading,
By
This review is from: Merry Hall (Hardcover)
Nichols, by turn reverent and bitchy, is an engaging writer. The book nicely catches the atmophere of England in the 50s with all its social mores. Compared to today it seems to hang in a place out of time.
The story of the purchase of the Hall and the conversion of its garden moves along well aided by some very funny moments. Terrific characters appear in all their eccentricity. A wonderful book to read by the fire with a glass of sherry in an attempt to evoke the period.
5.0 out of 5 stars
passing the torch,
By Rebekah "life-long student" (WV - USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Merry Hall (Hardcover)
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 minutiae of life.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book that stays with you,
By C R Williams (Newtown, PA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Merry Hall (Hardcover)
I first read Merry Hall over 30 years ago, and having recently re-read it I was impressed by how much an impression it had made on me. Many a time I have unknowingly quoted from the work, thinking the quote apocryphal!You must read for yourself how to deal with an overgrown holly hedge, and how to plant hundreds of trees without buying them, and what berberis can do for you, and why you should cultivate periwinkle... I'm sure you'll be delighted with the finely drawn sketches of the real people populating the story: the characters of gardeners, society ladies, and men who work for the government in a clearly covert and somewhat sinister capacity. You'll enjoy the cats, the lilies, and how to create an English country garden from a neglected and ill directed site. The gentle humor reflects the gentler times before the horrors of World War 2 brought violence, destruction, and death into the hearts and homes of most of Britain. This book is a keeper!
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