Ashenden

Listed in the Architecture category on Art In Fiction, Ashenden  (2012) by Elizabeth Wilhide is an evocative and allusive reflection on England and its past. Spring 2010:  When Charlie and Ros inherit Ashenden from their Aunt Reggie a decision must be made. The beautiful eighteenth-century house, set in acres of English countryside, is in need of serious repair. Do they try to keep it in the family, or will they have to sell?   Moving back in time, in an interwoven narrative spanning two and a half centuries, the reader witnesses the house from its beginnings through to the present day, along the way meeting those who would subvert it to their own ends, including Mrs. Trimble, housekeeper to the rackety, spendthrift Mores; the wealthy Henderson family, in their Victorian heyday; six-year-old Pudge; Walter Beckmann, prisoner in its grounds; and Reggie and Hugo, agents of its postwar revival.   Through good times and bad, the better we get to know the house, the more we care about its survival. Elizabeth Wilhide is the author of more than twenty books on interior design, decoration, and architecture and a coauthor and contributor of many more. Born in the United States, she moved to Britain in 1967, where she lives with her husband.   Buy Now from Amazon