I grew up 40 miles from Aiken, SC, but the lives of the pre-income-tax wealthy families who lived in Aiken around the turn of the last century were unknown to me. Mr. Smith and Mr. Naifeh tell a wonderful tale of the history of the Whitney family who built the house, the home itself, and even more so the stories of the current-day artisans and workers who brought it back to life.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyable book, a true story of two men (Pulitzer Prize winning authors) and what they went through to renovate a sixty room home they bought together.
SALLY W. (thameslink) -
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely adored this book! It is funny, wise and poignant. A wild ride of a restoration, from offering several hundred thousand dollars for a 60-room house on the market for $1.7 million dollars, to adventures in rebuilding with a revolving door of contractors and workers like you've (hopefully) never known. A true story of a restoration to end all restorations! I thought this book was just a delight, start to finish!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I grew up in a little town about 40 miles from Aiken, and I can absolutely picture the types of people that helped the owners bring Joye Cottage back to life. Any book that combines humor with history is a winner for me, and this one meets the bill.
Elizabeth C. (powerrangermom) reviewed On a Street Called Easy, In a Cottage Called Joye on + 75 more book reviews
When Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh first beheld Joye Cottage, a pleasure palace once owned by robber-baron William C. Whitney in Aiken, South Carolina, it was love at first sight. Behind the pristine facade, with its airy veranda, they discovered a "handyman special from hell." Undaunted, they bought it--and began the renovation project chronicled with love, humor, and enthusiasm in On a Street Called Easy, In a Cottage Called Joye, capturing both the easy, down-home rhythms of life in Aiken and the mind-boggling, soul-testing challenges of dealing with falling plaster, collapsing floors, menacing subcontractors, eccentric local characters, and other surprises.
Beverly H. (GainesvilleGirl) -
Stephen and Gregory were bound and determined to have this hundred year old house. Nevermind that it's price was astronomical ($1,700,000), and that it was located in a small southern town, (Aiken, SC.) Forget the fact that the roof was falling in, the lead lined pipes all had to be replaced, as well as the electrical wiring, and so on, and on. The house was a bit large for two men, all 60 rooms of it. When and how would they ever use the grand ballroom? What about all the servants' rooms and baths? Who would occupy those? Somehow they managed to buy it, having only about 400,000 dollars between the two of them from the sale of their New York condo. The story of the negotiation for the house is hilarious, as is the story of the renovation. There are a few dull spots I admit, the history of the "Robber Baron" is a little dry unless you really love that sort of thing. But just about anyone would laugh out loud at their trials and triumphs. I did. I highly recommend this book.
I grew up near Aiken, SC. These gentlemen captured the spirit of many types of people peculiar to the South, without the proto-typical condescension of many native to the American northeast. We are what we are down here, and you can learn to like it or leave. :>) All joking aside, I very much enjoyed that this book combined history with humor, and I highly recommend it to nonfiction readers looking for something a bit different.
