With thanks to netgalley and the author

Sadly I didn't download this title in time.

So can't really give a review

The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People by Clive Aslet

Renowned historian and former editor of Britain’s Country Life magazine, Clive Aslet makes excellent use of his expertise and narrative skill in delineating the long history of domestic architecture and life in his native country.
The book is arranged by period, from medieval through Tudor and Stuart and Commonwealth ears, to the Georgians, Victorians, Edwardians, the World Wars and the time between, post-War, up to current times, with a focus on personalities—architects, property owners, menials. Trends and fashions, the variations in personal and the national economies is revealed through representative houses, selected to chart the rise and fall of the country house. Anecdotes and events associated with them are well-chosen, and the author’s style is lively and vivid. While Aslet does tread some familiar and well-covered territory, he does so in a most informative and engaging fashion, equally scholarly and entertaining.
This is a welcome addition to the category of British country house history, and will be appreciated by readers possessing prior knowledge of the subject and those with none at all. (Yale University Press, 256 Pages, hardcover, paperback (March '23), ebook, audio, 2021)

I enjoyed this book and found it a neat way to cover British history. I don't think this would have wide neough appeal to pruchase for my library, but I would recommend it for readers who are interested in history or archtecture.

This was fascinating from the first page. I loved it and learned a huge amount. It's also an interesting concept that you don't see all that often.

As an architect deeply fascinated by British country houses, I was immediately drawn to this book. I found the writing very readable, and the illustrations made me wish for the physical version of the book because the ebook wasn't a suitable format. Apart from the book losing the tactile aspect, the ebook formatting was done so that it was very hard to read the text, which lessened my reading experience. I will seek this book out in its physical form because there is a lot of valuable information. The book would make an excellent addition to any library with books focusing on country life and would make a great coffee table book.

3,5 stars

A well-researched, interesting and well-documented book with illustrations and photographs. I occasionally I found it a bit dry, but it was mostly because of the abundance of information one had to stop and digest them from time to time.

Besides the architectural aspects, we are offered an extensive historical overview.

As I do not know much about architecture, I guess that readers who are more familiar with it, will find this books even more interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Yale University Press for this ARC. As an architecture student, I was very intrigued by this book. History of architecture was one of my favorite subjects and unfortunately we rarely covered British homes. The books took me a long time to finish, but that’s because it’s very informative and not my usual leisure genre of book. While I enjoyed the illustrations, I do wish they had included more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover on this one!

This took me a while to finish because it was my "read before bed book" 😂 However, finish it I have, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. Back when I was a teenager, I planned on attending college to become an interior designer. Life had other plans for me, but my love of all things architecture and design has stayed with me all these years. This book was full of facts, anecdotes, and fascinating details (plus a few illustrations) about the evolution of the country house from mediaeval times to the present. The author has clearly done her research and you can feel her passion for the subject throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who loves architecture and design!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* pretty cool read, greatly enjoyed it and would love to own it, will recommend for sure.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Yale University Press for my copy of The Story of the Country House by Clive Aslet in exchange for an honest review. It published October 19, 2021.
The way that this book was set up was fantastic. I so appreciated how it moved along through history in a chronological way, and how each chapter was a full-on history lesson. I truly learned a lot. It was so much more than just about houses, but rather how the current events of the day could affect the houses and what people did with them.
Also, it is worth it to take the time to read the introduction. It was very informative and gave a good reminder to not just history by today's standards.

I'm so sorry - I only had this title as an acsm file, and it expired before I got around to reading it. My apologies!

I have given a 5-star rating by way of apology, and because I can't Give Feedback without giving a star rating.

Apologies again, and best of luck with your publications!

I received a free eARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Story of the Country House looks at the evolution of English country house from medieval times to post WWII. While it talks about them generally, there was also a focus on specific houses, which I found fascinating. It includes anecdotes about people who designed, build, owned, lived and worked in these homes.

It explores many facets including their architecture (and the architects that designed them), as well as their owners. The author looked at how the function of country houses changed over time, especially with changes relating to transport and culture. For example, originally they were used by nobles and monarchs who travelled whole retinue of people and stayed for weeks or months, but with the invention of cars, people no longer needed to stay for long periods of time,


The Story of the Country House was a well researched, engaging book, bursting with information as well as plenty of photos/illustrations. The narrative voice was entertaining and at times humorous, which kept the read from being boring.

I'd recommend to people interested in English history, architecture, and micro-histories in general.

As an ex-archaeologist who still retains an interest in old buildings and their prior lives I loved the insight this little gem of a book offers. The style and tone of the writing strike the difficult balance often found in non fiction between the conversational and academic and it is very readable.

What I loved about the book was learning of the evolution of the styles for new country house projects through the generations. Not just the architectural influences but the wider cultural influences too. The changing attitudes to country houses too. The small side notes on some of the colourful characters constructing these stately homes.

If I have one criticism it is that the evolution of existing structures were more passing references. Few country houses are snapshots of a single period preserved in as they were initially conceived.

That said I enjoyed this book and would like to NetGallery for the advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Delighted to include this title in High Society, the aristocrats, royals, and rich-lovers list in my thematic seasonal holiday gift books guides for Zoomer magazine. It appeared in the Books section in December. (The listicle feature is online at related link.)

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

If I'm being completely honest, I read this solely because I've been on a Jane Austen kick lately, and wanted to learn more about historic British homes, and as a historian I'm fascinated by the histories of these beautiful homes and the families and artifacts that have inhabited them.

The book took forever to get through, because I was so drawn in by the book I found myself constantly falling down Google and Wikipedia rabbit holes. I now have a pinterest board dedicated to the homes that are open to the public, and I hope to one day see some of these in person.

An interesting book on the history of the country house. enjoyable, well written and quite well documented. If you however hope that the information is accompanied by illustrations, don't go hoping too far. While they would have been a more than a welcomed addition, they are absent. Well, some are present, but not enough imo.

I'm a geek when it comes to nonfiction history and for some reason, I can't get enough to read about the Brits. Any reader who loves Downton Abbey or the British Royal family will find this history of the Country House intriguing.

Coming from a former colony of Britain, this historical presentation of the changing facets of forms of abodes was highly interesting. It is a fascinating trace that looks not only at the facades of the homes, castles and other forms of housing, but the time periods in which they existed, the influences that spurred certain changes in design, the purpose for which each building was to be used and even the transporatbility that certain kings and court would need at different periods.

The author also takes us through tumultuous times and changes in rule which also impacted the topic which he covers. A thoroughly interesting and stimulating collection that will satisfy history and architecture buffs alike.

As a huge fan of history and regency era novels, this book was such a great resource to learn about the country house, its history, and its importance in English society.

Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for this free digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is available now!

After seeing the title and this beautiful cover, I just knew I had to read this! I found this book so interesting and was a lovely mixture of history, architecture, and trends. I don’t always read a lot of nonfiction but I’m so glad I read this one! I liked that it started from the early days of estates in England to the present state of country homes in the UK now. This is a book that easily could have been dry and boring, but the writing flowed well and was entertaining. I highly recommend the audiobook—Simon Vance is an excellent narrator!