This book was a wonderful surprise. I was expecting the book to focus on southern architecture and homes but I was not expecting Palladian, Moorish, Byzantine and other small homes. The book focuses on three friends who begin rehabbing homes in forgotten areas of the city and soon reinvent urban renewal. The writing is very good and the book is easy to read. Like the city of Charleston the book offers an unexpected surprise. Enjoy

I love the way Rybczynski describes design, and he's an author I always want to read when I see something new. Charleston, SC is one of my favorite cities, so this really was a match made in heaven for me. Rybczynski discusses various types of architecture seen in Charleston and the people bringing or rehabbing those styles in the city.

A fascinating read about Charleston about real estate.Loved the stories about the three friends who started rehabbing houses while living together .The houses they built next door to each other.Charleston and its inhabitants & the authors wonderful writing charmed me.#netgalley #yale university press.

The following review will appear on my book review blog on Saturday, May 4, 2019:

When I was an undergraduate at Rutgers University studying art history, one of my all time favorite books that I continually went back to and even now, will pick up from time to time were any of Peter Mayle's Provence series. What I loved so much about them was that I was learning about life in Provence as an ex-pat through the life of someone who clearly loved Provence. I was learning through someone else's passion and in so many ways that is the best way to learn because they will never cease to be an endless treasure trove of information about their subject.

Charleston, South Carolina
I felt the same concept of learning through someone else's passion with Witold Rybczynski's Charleston Fancy. Instead of Provence, we are emersed in the world of Charleston, South Carolina, and its beautiful architecture. Charleston is a town with roots that go back to a time before the 1700's when it was first occupied by British colonists who had landed on the Carolina coast. The city grew and has attracted varieties of people to its warm climate and abundance of different architecture that is notable throughout the town.

Rybczynski opens the world of Charleston, South Carolina up to his readers as we are informed about the various types of architecture that are present and the different types of people and characters we meet along the way. The novel brings Charleston to life through small vignettes and glimpses of Rybczynski's cast of characters and homeowners as we are further exposed to the varied world of Charleston and its architecture.

Southern Architecture
When I think of Charleston, my mind immediately wonders off to verandas, wicker chairs and huge porches that are all sprinkled along tree-lined streets with brick sidewalks and beautiful masonry. While some parts of the south are like this, Rybczynski focuses his book on the surprises that Charleston has to bring us. From the small houses that hide beautiful courtyard verandas to Byzantine and Moorish beauties that are tucked away-- he takes us on a ride through the surprises and beauty that is the prevailing sense of creativity that abounds throughout Charleston's homes and architecture. It is detailed and colorful in his approach to bringing the world of Charleston, South Carolina for those of us who aren't familiar. 

Book Information
Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City by Witold Rybczynski will be released on May 28, 2019, from Yale University Press with ISBN 9780300229073. This review corresponds to an advanced electronic galley that was supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.