Book description
The Smell of Summer Grass is based partly on the long out of print
'Perch Hill'. It is the story of the years spent in finding and building
a personal Arcadia, sometimes a dream, sometimes a nightmare, by writer
Adam Nicolson and his wife, cook and gardener, Sarah Raven.
Adam Nicolson was determined to leave metropolitan life but the rundown
farm in the Sussex Weald was not quite what he bargained for. The
scenery was breathtaking and the rural neighbours charming but the hard
end of real farming life was another matter - mud, cold, planning
regulations and unco-operative livestock.
But for the reader the whole enterprise is full of delight thanks to
Adam Nicolson's writing: frank, witty and touching, it is a testament to
the importance of holding on to your dreams and turning them into
reality. 'Candid, observant and often very funny' Daily Mail
'A delightful memoir - a reminder that the very best writing starts at
home' Robert McCrum, Observer
Praise for 'Sissinghurst':
'A masterpiece of rural romanticism, told with shameless lyricism…the
vision is one of nature, art and human history in glorious
coalition…uplifting.' Sunday Times
'Unusual, impassioned and lucidly written…a gripping but serious
history of Sissinghurst Castle.' Sunday Telegraph
'Excellent. A clear-eyed picture…beautiful.' Guardian
'A wonderful book.' Financial Times
'An expert at conveying the “stuff” of place, Nicolson is equally good
with people…as Adam Nicolson understands, places tell us about the
people who walked them and the dreams they pursued' TLS Adam Nicolson
is the author of many books on history, travel and the environment. He
is winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and the British Topography Prize
and lives at Sissinghust Castle in Kent.
