The Long Weekend: Life in the English Country House, 1918-1939 Hardcover – Illustrated, May 3, 2016

Those who expect gossip about the English aristocracy will be sorely dissapointed. This book is about beautiful houses, their owners, their architects and their decorators. It is also about history, events and people and their lives.. I found this book quite informative and enjoyable.

The English country house is a global phenomenon now. Thank Brideshead Revisited or Downton Abbey for that. At the end of the first world war the country houses of England faced changes; due to the loss of life in the trenches, economic changes, architectural changes and changes in English and British society.Adrian Tinniswood distills the milieu of the English country house as it emerges from WW I up to the time the party is over in September 1939. The book is separated into 18 or so chapters. The chapters cover topics such as "guests", "Interior decorating", games and many more. Each chapter is well referenced and the writing is clear and informative. Some of the chapters such as the choice of interior decorator or designer were less interesting than others. This is inevitable and is more than made up for chapters about guests, social mores or even country sports. There are enough stories about unique individuals to keep the book flowing and engaging. God bless the 9th Duke of Devonshire for example. In one shot he killed a pheasant, shot a retriever, its owner and his chef. Gems like this leaven the more specific history chapters very nicely.I'd have to say that the style is effective. The research extensive and there is enough variety in the content to keep even the non-specialised reader involved (that would be me).If you have an interest in post world war 1 British society or wanted to know the truth about Brideshead revisited (yes it did happen just elsewhere) then this is a good place to start (much better than reading 20 years of COuntry Life anyway).

Not my favorite but my Anglophile friends loved it.

Entertaining, gossipy guide to the final years of the English country house. The number of houses cited in England, Wales and Scotland is amazing. Not too many pictures and most in black and white. Still, there is Google to check if a particular house or area takes your fancy. I have travelled widely in Glos. And was surprised to discover several houses I had never heard of. This would be a great resource in planning a theme trip to Britain. The anecdotes about the owners of the houses are a real treat. If you are fascinated by the interwar years in England, you will enjoy this book.

This was an enjoyable read, to be enjoyed over a long weekend, of course. I liked Downton Abbey but was not a huge follower. But I can imagine that this book would give great heart to someone who misses that show or that era. A well-researched piece on just about every aspect of country living and it's rise and fall. It truly makes you understand why it is a "bygone" era and let's you understand the "Saturday to Monday" phrase

The book moves through the years of country houses starting with the early customs, then chronicling many of the families involved including the royals. It ends abruptly at 1939. I thought I had somehow skipped to the last page. There was no conclusion. The scope and detail reminded me of my Master's thesisThis is a serious scholarly work. Not a novel. It ends abruptly at 1939.The photos were excellent, but I would have liked more and larger. I hope 1939 to the present is under way. I will be looking for it.

A Triumph! One of the best books of 2016. A veritable adjunct piece to viewing "Downton Abbey" and "Brideshead Revisited." "The Long Weekend" stimulates further research into "Brideshead" and the worlds of Coward, Beaton, et. al.The Index could have been more thoroughly written, but the Bibliography is a great jumping-off point for further reading in this subject. About the only thing it really lacks is more photographs.

Without Mr.Peabody way back machine I had to use book on my new travels . I didn't go as far as the last time no dinosaurs this time, but back as far as before WW1 and maybe up to the present. Started with a book about the Savoy no review yet and now to the Country houses of the rich and more .money then brains. Long weekend worked its magic on being " time machine" We go back to the time to pre war England and up to Ww2. The bad thing is sometimes its very hard to follow and also it repeats too much of the time. A few of the chapter where great the rest no so good. It worth the read and the trip back in time. Have a,fun read . I go on to visit with the duke of Wales and mrs. Simpson - wish Me luck.

Not a book on architecture, but on the history of British nobility and their estates in between the wars, sourced from journals such as Vogue. A who did buy or have built what.

This is a delightful book which will give pleasure to a wide range of readers, whether they wish merely to be entertained by a much richer and more lifelike version of "Downton Abbey" or seek instruction from an extremely learned author. Adran Tinniswoood has spent many years reading and researching country houses, but he wears his learning lightly, and so the reading experience is rather like sinking into a comfortable armchair in (of course) a country house library. The book is nicely divided up into fairly short chapters, which one can read easily at a sitting — indeed they are so artfully framed that one does not even need to read them in order. I make just two critical remarks. One is that the book has plenty of good illustrations, but the wealth of the subjects discussed is such that one would like even more. The other is that the book's underlying theme - to what extent was the country house in decline between the wars ? - can hardly be considered with reference to houses alone. The nature of the country house was crucially dependent on the nature of the landed estate (if any) that attached to it, and that is excluded here. But these omissions in no way impair one's enjoyment or profit from the book. Let us be grateful for a glass that is much more than half full.

divertido. un downton abbey.

This book is a great walk down memory lane, if you are into history. Loved the photos.

The perfect for a long weekend--- an easy read-- each chapter is by subject matter or personality. You can pick and choose a la carte from the menu of subjects related to early 20th century English country house long weekends. Enjoyed the chapter about Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor!