The House That Berry Built

The House That Berry Built follows an aristocratic English family who relocate to the French Pyrenees in 1937 after financial constraints force them to surrender their Hampshire estate. The story chronicles their transition from England to France and their decision to build a new home in the mountains. The novel details the construction process of their French residence, Gracedieu, from selecting the perfect mountainside location to managing local contractors and weathering the challenges of mountain construction. Berry and his companions maintain their characteristic wit and charm while adapting to life in their new surroundings near Pau. While the main narrative focuses on the building project, the book includes elements of mystery and the characters' daily adventures in their adopted home. The story captures their exploration of the Ossau Valley and their interactions with the local community. This semi-autobiographical work presents themes of adaptation, resilience, and the evolution of aristocratic life in a changing world. The book examines how people maintain their identity and create new traditions when circumstances force them to leave their established way of life behind.

Readers describe this as a charming memoir-style novel about building a house in the French Pyrenees. The book blends real experiences from Yates' own home construction with fictional elements. Readers enjoyed: - The detailed architectural descriptions - The humor in dealing with local French bureaucracy - The mix of practical building details with personal anecdotes - The portrayal of 1930s French country life Common criticisms: - Too much focus on construction minutiae - Some dated cultural attitudes and language - Slower pacing compared to Yates' thriller novels Limited ratings are available online: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (12 ratings) No Amazon reviews found One reader on Goodreads noted: "A fascinating glimpse into pre-war French rural life through an Englishman's eyes." Another commented: "Heavy on building specs but the wit makes up for it."

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🏠 The novel was actually based on Dornford Yates' own experience building "Cockade," his real-life villa in the French Pyrenees, which he constructed in 1929. 🖋️ Dornford Yates was a pen name for Cecil William Mercer (1885-1960), who chose the pseudonym by combining the names of two prestigious schools: Dornford Road School and Yates Court. 🗺️ The author fled England for tax reasons in 1922, much like his characters, and lived in France until the Nazi invasion in 1940 forced him to evacuate to Portugal. 🏛️ The construction details in the book were so precise that subsequent owners of Yates' actual villa used the novel as a maintenance manual for the property. ⚜️ The book captures a unique historical moment when many upper-class British expatriates settled in southern France during the interwar period, creating their own small English enclaves.