Laughter on the Stairs (Merry Hall Trilogy)
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Review
Nichols, a prolific writer best known for his gardening books, transforms the large and small happenings of a sleepy British village and country estate into mock high drama, retelling events such as a burglary, a ghost sighting, and home and garden renovations with humor and insight. SciTech Book News 19981218 [Nichols] the very model of gardening insouciance,... wrote at least once about everything and... is nearly the Bertie Wooster of gardening, and I say nearly only because some would consider it an insult to be called the Bertie Wooster of anything. -- Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times Book Review 19981201 You'll find laughter on the stairs and everywhere else Nichols takes you as he renovates his old home and garden. Southern Living 19990201 A marvelously hilarious insight into people, plants and places... If you have ever renovated an old house or garden, you'll love these books. Traditional Gardening 19990201 The charm of Merry Hall, Laughter on the Stairs (mostly about the house) and Sunlight on the Lawn is undeniable, a mixture of the lyrical, the teasing, the understatedly witty and the self-mockingly camp. -- Ursula Buchan Daily Telegraph (London) 19991231 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 20000531 Find a comfortable chair, relax, and enjoy the Nichols' flights of literary fancy but be warned, once started, his books are hard to put down. -- Rosemary Read American Rhododendron Society Journal 19990602 The Nichols books are gardening classics; after reading one volume, you will want to read the others, so it would be best to buy all three at the outset. -- Diane Kostial McGuire Journal of the New England Garden History Society 20001204 For Beverley Nichols, this is a season of revival, and readers can be grateful for the chance once again to cultivate his acquaintance. -- Michele Slung Victoria 20010327
Product Description
In this, the second volume of the "Merry Hall" trilogy, Nichols is less concerned with his garden and more with his house, but the story does include the memorable characters Our Rose, the ditzy floral designer, and the cantankerous gardener Oldfield.
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SPERO MELIORA proclaimed the stained-glass window on the stairs, in Gothic lettering against a background of raspberry Pink, and I still had enough fourth-form Latin to remember that these words meant `I hope for better things'. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
SPERO MELIORA proclaimed the stained-glass window on the stairs, in Gothic lettering against a background of raspberry Pink, and I still had enough fourth-form Latin to remember that these words meant `I hope for better things'. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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9 reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
UPROARIOUS FUN!
6 Jun 2000
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A delightful read! Mr. Nichols (in a very "proper" British fashion) describes his hilarious adventures in home decorating and remodeling. His run-ins with his snobby neighbors can not be missed! If you love gardens, cats, home decorating, or if you just love to laugh; GET THIS BOOK! In fact, get all three books in this trilogy (ie: "Merry Hall", "Sunlight on the Lawn", and "Laughter on the Stairs").
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
A collectors edition, a high quality reprint.
11 Sep 1998
Format:Hardcover
Like a visit with an old friend, Mr. Nichols welcomes you into his home with open arms as he takes you on a tour of Merry Hall. Once again, in his own tongue-in-cheek style he describes the horrors of renovation and restoration. Friends, busybody neighbors, helpmates, and Beverley's beloved Cats 'One' and 'Four" accompany you on this delightful visit. Leaves one panting for more!
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Life in the big house....
6 Jan 2001
Format:Hardcover
In LAUGHTER ON THE STAIRS, Nichols continues his tale of the restoration of Merry Hall and it's grounds. Just after WWII, Nichols purchased a derelict Georgian House and it's tattered grounds, and with the help of his 'man' Gaskins, and the able Oldfield, who had worked the grounds for most of his life, he began a restoration project.
MERRY HALL was written about six years into the project, and focused on the grounds. LAUGHTER ON THE STAIRS takes place a few years, when later Nichols has turned his attention to the interior of the old Georgian House. The former owner, a Mr. Stebbing had very Victorian tastes, which Nichols dislikes, and has tried to erase. At last, he plans to address the staircase, where a stained-glass window that was "unquestionably..most alarming" overhang the landing.
Nichols nosey-parker neighbor Rose doesn't want to see the house altered. She remembers the days when Mr. Stebbing was the owner, and she does not approve of the new owner's changes. She was particularly outraged by the savage destruction of the old boxwood hedge. Now, Nichols proposes to destroy the lovely stainglass window Mr. Stebbing had installed over the staircase. Of course Merry Hall is Nichol's house and he can do what he likes, but he is concerned about the neighbors reactions to his plans. The story takes an interesting twist when burglers break in one night and in a strange way help him solve the dilemma.
This is a light and amusing book, and one I found very intertaining reading before bedtime.
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