Synopses & Reviews
A beautifully atmospheric debut about 240 years in the life of an English country house, "this book is a sparkling jewel: full of fascinating detail, high drama, and sly wit" (Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire).The house contains time. Its walls hold stories. Births and deaths, comings and goings, people and events passing through... For now, however, it lies suspended in a kind of emptiness, as if it has fallen asleep or someone has put it under a spell. This silence won't last: can't last. Something will have to be done.
When brother and sister Charlie and Ros discover that they have inherited Ashenden, the beautiful eighteenth-century English country house steeped in their family history, they face an important decision: Do they try to keep it in the family or do they sell it?
Moving back in time, in a beguiling narrative spanning two and a half centuries, we meet those who have built the house, lived in it, loved it, and those who would subvert it to their own ends. Each chapter is adroitly woven into the others so the storylines of the upstairs and downstairs characters and their relatives and descendants intertwine to form a rich tapestry. Perfect for the millions of avid viewers of Downton Abbey and praised for its "top-notch writing, strong character development, and excellent plot"
Review
"This beautifully written debut novel takes us on a moving pilgrimage through the ups and downs of human nature, all within the walls of a historic English mansion. . . . With its top-notch writing, strong character development, and excellent plot, this will be on the . . . list of Downton Abbey fans, historical fiction readers, and family saga buffs."
Review
"Engaging . . . A carefully crafted, touching historical that achieves exactly the right note of rewarding readability."
Review
"Delightful . . . The beauty of Ashenden lies in the interwoven tales that move us carefully through the years at irregular intervals, giving us intimate glimpses into not only the people who occupied the house but inside the heart of the very building itself . . . well-written and vivid . . . thoroughly engrossing."
Review
"Memorable, affecting . . . as beautifully constructed and lovingly adorned as its stately namesake."
Review
"We are reminded of Brideshead Revisited . . . well observed."
Review
"Ashenden is an engrossing debut by one of Britain's leading writers on design and interiors. This book is a sparkling jewel: full of fascinating detail, high drama and sly wit."
Review
“I adored this book; I saw it as a sort of love letter to a vanished way of life, and a slice of English history at the same time, tracing as it does the lives of all the people who lived in Ashenden, a beautiful English country house, for over two hundred years. It's very touching and very compelling.”
Review
“A pleasurably subtle web of connections . . . a beguilingly effortless read.”
Review
“An affecting, intelligent debut.”
Review
“Rich and absorbing . . . personalities are sharpened by Wilhide’s fine ear for dialogue and her wry sense of humor. The novel’s real value lies in its detail, the patches of finely embroidered description, and in its subtle observation of behavior and tastes.”
Review
"An affecting, intelligent debut."
Review
"A panoramic view of family life . . . any reader who loves history and houses will enjoy this verbal magic lantern show."
Review
"A mixture of short stories about the people who admired the grand house, found love and heartbreak inside its walls, and recovered in the green expanse that was part of the property. . . . Elizabeth Wilhide smoothly moves the story along while it remains in place at the same time. It's a very effective way to tell the story of the house and make it more than simply a structure of bricks, glass, and wood. It becomes a living part of the story and, in fact, the story itself . . . a lovely story and a satisfying read."
Review
"This beautifully written debut novel takes us on a moving pilgrimage through the ups and downs of human nature, all within the walls of a historic English mansion. . . . With its top-notch writing, strong character development, and excellent plot, this will be on the . . . list of Downton Abbey fans, historical fiction readers, and family saga buffs." < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Library Journal - < -="" -=""> - , starred review - < -="" -="">
Review
"Engaging . . . A carefully crafted, touching historical that achieves exactly the right note of rewarding readability." < -="" i="" -=""> - < -="" b="" -=""> - Kirkus Reviews - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
"Delightful . . . The beauty of Ashenden lies in the interwoven tales that move us carefully through the years at irregular intervals, giving us intimate glimpses into not only the people who occupied the house but inside the heart of the very building itself . . . well-written and vivid . . . thoroughly engrossing." < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Historical Novels Review, - < -="" -=""> - Editor's Choice - < -="" -="">
Review
"Memorable, affecting . . . as beautifully constructed and lovingly adorned as its stately namesake." < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Romantic Times - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
"We are reminded of Brideshead Revisited . . . well observed." < -="" i="" -=""> - < -="" b="" -=""> - Times Literary Supplement - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Review
"Ashenden is an engrossing debut by one of Britain's leading writers on design and interiors. This book is a sparkling jewel: full of fascinating detail, high drama and sly wit." < b=""> Amanda Foreman, author of < i=""> Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire <> and < i=""> A World on Fire <> <>
Review
“I adored this book; I saw it as a sort of love letter to a vanished way of life, and a slice of English history at the same time, tracing as it does the lives of all the people who lived in Ashenden, a beautiful English country house, for over two hundred years. It's very touching and very compelling.” < b=""> Penny Vincenzi, author of < i=""> Another <> < i=""> Woman <> <>
Review
“A pleasurably subtle web of connections . . . a beguilingly effortless read.” < -="" b="" -=""> - < -="" i="" -=""> - Daily Mail - < -="" -=""> - < -="" -="">
Synopsis
THE HOUSE CONTAINS TIME. ITS WALLS HOLD STORIES. . . .
When brother and sister Charlie and Ros discover that they have inherited Ashenden, the beautiful eighteenth-century English country house steeped in their family history, they face an important decision: Do they try to keep it or do they sell it?
In a beguiling narrative spanning two and a half centuries, we meet those who have built the house, lived in it, loved it, and those who would subvert it to their own ends. The walls of Ashenden echo with the lives of the architect who directs the building of the house in 1775, the wealthy Henderson family in their heyday, the maid who is tempted to solve her problems by stealing a trinket, the Jazz Age speculator who hosts a fabulous treasure hunt, the prisoners held there during World War II, and the young couple who lovingly restore it in the 1950s.
With upstairs and downstairs storylines intertwining to form a rich tapestry, Ashenden is an evocative portrait of a house that is a character as compelling as the people who inhabit it.
About the Author
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.