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The Minack Chronicles
Sun on the Lintel
Sun on the Lintel is a book about New Year resolutions and what happens to them. On New Year's Day Derek Tangye tells Jeannie, his wife, of his good resolutions for the coming year; no longer will he be bossed by Ambrose and Oliver (the mysterious cats described so beautifully in A Cat Affair ), nor by Penny and Fred, the donkeys. Another resolution is to clear out the papers in his massive teak cupboard. Clearing them out brings memories flooding back of the many friends who have stayed at Minack over the years, and come to love it - friends like A.P. Herbert, who once drafted an imaginary Act of Parliament to protect the menfolk of Britain from Jeannie's charms ... and Derek resolves to become a Gourmet cook ...
Derek Tangye enchantingly describes what happens to his resolutions. It is a book of humour and happiness; and yet, as he unfolds his story, Derek never allows himself to run away from reality. It is this honesty which has made his series, now known the world over as the Minack Chronicles , one of the major best-sellers of our times.
"The most enchanting thing about these books on the Cornish flower farm is that both Derek Tangye and his wife Jeannie are themselves completely enchanted with their way of life and this is communicated very forcefully to the reader." - Stella Frank, Sunday Times
Derek Tangye enchantingly describes what happens to his resolutions. It is a book of humour and happiness; and yet, as he unfolds his story, Derek never allows himself to run away from reality. It is this honesty which has made his series, now known the world over as the Minack Chronicles , one of the major best-sellers of our times.
"The most enchanting thing about these books on the Cornish flower farm is that both Derek Tangye and his wife Jeannie are themselves completely enchanted with their way of life and this is communicated very forcefully to the reader." - Stella Frank, Sunday Times
- GenresBiography
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Derek Tangye
56 books21 followersDuring WWII, Derek Tangye worked for MI5 (the U.K.'s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency) and, after the war, he worked as a newspaper columnist. His wife, Jeannie Nicol Tangye, was a hotel PR executive. They both left their jobs in the city to move to a simple cottage on a flower farm in Cornwall.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 21, 2019
Another great Derek Tangye book. In this one Derek makes some New Year's resolutions, but as we all know, resolutions have a funny way of not turning out quite as we had hoped. They still have their cats, Ambrose and Oliver, and their donkeys, Penny and Fred.
I like the quote in the blurb. "The most enchanting thing about these books on the Cornish flower farm is that both Derek Tangye and his wife Jeannie are themselves completely enchanted with their way of life and this is communicated very forcefully to the reader." - Stella Frank, Sunday Times This is absolutely true. One thing I enjoy about these books is how Derek pauses to do a bit of deep thinking and shares it with the reader. It's not just a case of "The cat did this, and then the donkey did that." This is a thinking man and his thoughts are well worth taking note of.
If you like nonfiction about living in the country; cats, donkeys, and various other animals; small town people; and the running of a flower farm for the local markets, you'll enjoy Derek's books.
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
I like the quote in the blurb. "The most enchanting thing about these books on the Cornish flower farm is that both Derek Tangye and his wife Jeannie are themselves completely enchanted with their way of life and this is communicated very forcefully to the reader." - Stella Frank, Sunday Times This is absolutely true. One thing I enjoy about these books is how Derek pauses to do a bit of deep thinking and shares it with the reader. It's not just a case of "The cat did this, and then the donkey did that." This is a thinking man and his thoughts are well worth taking note of.
If you like nonfiction about living in the country; cats, donkeys, and various other animals; small town people; and the running of a flower farm for the local markets, you'll enjoy Derek's books.
5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.
September 2, 2018
The writer and his wife live on a flower farm in Cornwall and he wrote this in 1976. It has some slight charm. It is always interesting to read about other people's lives and I enjoyed the back to nature details of his farming. But he can become pompous and when he shares his views on life or gives long extracts from books he has read or letters he has written or received I felt the book was being padded.
His animals are lovely. He has two cats. I had forgotten how little care or awareness we all had in the 1970s about cats roaming freely in the countryside. I was in that place too. But he wrote of his anger at a couple who had a dog off lease while he had two cats walking with him in the Cornish cliffs. I hope he developed the wisdom we all developed and learned to keep his cats contained. And I would have welcomed some more stories about the donkeys.
I loved the story of the cat at the local railway station who sometimes took a train to another station and the station master would send a message that they had the cat and she was being cared for and they would send it back on the next train. More innocent times.
Anyway it was a light read in between some heavier books while I was away for a few days and when it was time to go I didn't feel pressed to finish the last two chapters.
His animals are lovely. He has two cats. I had forgotten how little care or awareness we all had in the 1970s about cats roaming freely in the countryside. I was in that place too. But he wrote of his anger at a couple who had a dog off lease while he had two cats walking with him in the Cornish cliffs. I hope he developed the wisdom we all developed and learned to keep his cats contained. And I would have welcomed some more stories about the donkeys.
I loved the story of the cat at the local railway station who sometimes took a train to another station and the station master would send a message that they had the cat and she was being cared for and they would send it back on the next train. More innocent times.
Anyway it was a light read in between some heavier books while I was away for a few days and when it was time to go I didn't feel pressed to finish the last two chapters.
April 24, 2014
This is mostly an interesting enough book, albeit not exactly riveting. It is a series of adventures of a man and his wife who chose to live on a flower farm in Cornwall. So, we get tales about their interactions with their cats and donkeys, sorting and shipping daffodils during harvest season, taking long walks, having famous people stop by to visit, mulling over the "important" things of life, and so forth. Mostly, it's light and humorous, somewhat like the James Herriot books about life as a country veterinarian.
The big flaw in the book, however, is Tangye's sanctimonious disparagement of the vast unwashed people who appear to lack the moral strength of character (in his telling) to live in and with nature, but rather spend their lives mindlessly going about drudge jobs and watching vapid TV. If memory serves, vapidity was common in the novels of Jane Austen and Dickens, so vapidity struck society long before TV.
Actually, I don't have much problem with Tangye's thinking that we all might be better off living lives more aware of the natural world around us, and less consumed with mindless distractions. The problem is, most of us can't afford to throw up our lives in the city, or wherever, and settle down to bucolic bliss on a farm in Cornwall. Tangye was a child of privilege who was educated at Harrow, who married a spouse who had written several successful books and had sold a number of paintings, and who had himself written several books and had a successful career as a journalist. So he could afford to throw things over and begin anew in bucolic bliss. He would never really have to worry about from whence his next meal might come. So it's the moral judgmentalism that rankles. When he gets on these tangents, mercifully not too often, I am rather reminded of the quote, assigned in jest to Barry Goldwater, "everyone should have enough moral integrity to inherit a million dollars."
The big flaw in the book, however, is Tangye's sanctimonious disparagement of the vast unwashed people who appear to lack the moral strength of character (in his telling) to live in and with nature, but rather spend their lives mindlessly going about drudge jobs and watching vapid TV. If memory serves, vapidity was common in the novels of Jane Austen and Dickens, so vapidity struck society long before TV.
Actually, I don't have much problem with Tangye's thinking that we all might be better off living lives more aware of the natural world around us, and less consumed with mindless distractions. The problem is, most of us can't afford to throw up our lives in the city, or wherever, and settle down to bucolic bliss on a farm in Cornwall. Tangye was a child of privilege who was educated at Harrow, who married a spouse who had written several successful books and had sold a number of paintings, and who had himself written several books and had a successful career as a journalist. So he could afford to throw things over and begin anew in bucolic bliss. He would never really have to worry about from whence his next meal might come. So it's the moral judgmentalism that rankles. When he gets on these tangents, mercifully not too often, I am rather reminded of the quote, assigned in jest to Barry Goldwater, "everyone should have enough moral integrity to inherit a million dollars."
September 22, 2017
More tales of Derek and Jeannie's idyllic life producing cut flowers in Cornwall. In this volume he concentrates predominantly on the positive although no doubt there were many set backs. Tangye uses this book as an opportunity to philosophise on the rush and tear of "modern" life though goodness knows what he would have made of life today given that his modern life was the 70s - pre internet and mobile phones! A pleasant, feel good book if now somewhat dated.
December 24, 2022
I have read this series at least twice and am sure I will read again. Oh to be able to just leave the bustle behind and live as he and his wife did - I am not that brave, but through his books I was there! I enjoyed his books so much that over 20 years ago I had to drive down to Lamorna and walk the coastal path to his cottage, where I actually met him. The donkey bit me though! A peaceful read.
March 18, 2021
A gentle read - nice to have on the go between some heavier novels. Definitely makes me sad I'm not living in a cottage in Cornwall.
My biggest issue with the book is that there is some outdated language/opinions which are quite white- and male-centric.
My biggest issue with the book is that there is some outdated language/opinions which are quite white- and male-centric.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews