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Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 1918-1939
Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 1918-1939 | Adrian Tinniswood
6 posts | 3 read | 8 to read
As WWI drew to a close, change reverberated through the halls of England s country homes. As the sun set slowly on the British Empire, the shadows lengthened on the lawns of a thousand stately homes. In "The Long Weekend," historian Adrian Tinniswood introduces us to the tumultuous, scandalous and glamourous history of English country houses during the years between World Wars. As estate taxes and other challenges forced many of these venerable houses onto the market, new sectors of British and American society were seduced by the dream of owning a home in the English countryside. Drawing on thousands of memoirs, letters, and diaries, as well as the eye-witness testimonies of belted earls and bibulous butlers, Tinniswood brings the stately homes of England to life as never before, opening the door to a world by turns opulent and ordinary, noble and vicious, and forever wrapped in myth. We are drawn into the intrigues of legendary families such as the Astors, the Churchills and the Devonshires as they hosted hunting parties and balls that attracted the likes of Charlie Chaplin, T.E. Lawrence, and royals such as Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. We waltz through aristocratic soirees, and watch as the upper crust struggle to fend off rising taxes and underbred outsiders, property speculators and poultry farmers. We gain insight into the guilt and the gingerbread, and see how the image of the country house was carefully protected by its occupants above and below stairs. Through the glitz of estate parties, the social tensions between old money and new, the hunting parties, illicit trysts, and grand feasts, Tinniswood offers a glimpse behind the veil of these great estatesand reveals a reality much more riveting than the dream."
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mabell
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... All my awesome new books and journal! I‘ve never read any of these! I can‘t wait to delve into the Country House history, and I don‘t think I will be able to save the Country House Christmas until Christmas! (I‘ve already looked up her estate - Lyme - and wow. 😲😍) The mysteries all look terrific - right up my alley! The map is amazing - I love it!

Thank you so much for everything, Karen!

And thank you so much for hosting, Chrissy!

Chili I‘m so glad you like everything! I had fun putting it together. I went shopping for snacks when I was hungry and everything looked good. 🤣 I hope the fur babies like their snacks. 🐶 5y
squirrelbrain Wow! Amazing gifts! ❤️ 5y
See All 9 Comments
Gissy Nice books!🤗 5y
erzascarletbookgasm 😍👏 loving the books too 5y
Chrissyreadit Wow! It really looks like you could imagine being there! 5y
mabell @Chili It‘s always a good idea to shop hungry, haha! Everything looks delicious! And the kids will DEFINITELY like theirs 😆 5y
mabell @squirrelbrain @Gissy @erzascarletbookgasm It was such a fun package! 😍❤️ 5y
mabell @Chrissyreadit Oh yes! I loved it! I‘ve been getting lost in my new map 😄 5y
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review
Verity
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Pickpick

Interesting but a bit bitty - some issues keeping track of the timeline that I can‘t altogether ascribe to my ring bound proof (thank you special shelf at work & yes I know it‘s actually been out for year, but I couldn‘t justified buying so thank you shelf) and the irritation of reading giant sized. A nice starting point, fun to see familiar names pop up but not as satisfying as I‘d hoped. Still a pick though - the bibliography is huuuge.

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Verity
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A damning indictment of my home county. Except that over the page it says we have beautiful country houses. So there‘s that.

“Northamptonshire is one of those not-quite-in-the-Cotswolds counties that have been overlooked by topographers and seekers of the picturesque. ... it has always been somewhere to pass through on the way to something more exciting.

Itchyfeetreader I lived in Northampton for a number of years after leaving college. I always found people were keen to tell me how lovely Northamptonshire was and then looked disheartened when I said I was living in the town! 6y
Verity @Itchyfeetreader it‘s such a small world! I grew up in a village just outside Northampton, moved away and came back to live in the town and now commute into London from here for work. 6y
24 likes2 comments
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Verity
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I got this from the magic bookshelf at work at around the time it came out. It tells you all you need to know about the size of the tbr pile and how long the downstairs renovations took that I‘m only now starting to read it. The release date was in May 2016...

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SaraRosett
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Read this for research for my WIP and was disappointed that so much of the book Focused on the architectural elements of the homes and attempts to restore and update homes. I wanted more juicy stories about house parties. There were some of those, but not enough.

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Jessicav
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I am so tired, but just want to get a start on this to see if I like the writing style. So far it's a little bit jumpy, but I'm hoping it'll settle into some strong narrative non-fiction.

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