What do you think?
Rate this book
The Sweet and Twenties
Physical 247p. : ill., facsim, ports. ; 22cm. Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 20th century.
247 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
76 people want to read
About the author
Beverley Nichols
102 books149 followersJohn Beverley Nichols (born September 9, 1898 in Bower Ashton, Bristol, died September 15, 1983 in Kingston, London), was an English writer, playwright, actor, novelist and composer. He went to school at Marlborough College, and went to Balliol College, Oxford University, and was President of the Oxford Union and editor of Isis.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
Between his first novel, Prelude, published in 1920, and Twilight in 1982, he wrote more than 60 books and plays on topics such as travel, politics, religion, cats, novels, mysteries, and children's stories, authoring six novels, five detective mysteries, four children's stories, six plays, and no fewer than six autobiographies.
Nichols is perhaps best remembered as a writer for Woman's Own and for his gardening books, the first of which Down the Garden Path, was illustrated — as were many of his books — by Rex Whistler. This bestseller — which has had 32 editions and has been in print almost continuously since 1932 — was the first of his trilogy about Allways, his Tudor thatched cottage in Glatton, Cambridgeshire. A later trilogy written between 1951 and 1956 documents his travails renovating Merry Hall (Meadowstream), a Georgian manor house in Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, where Nichols lived from 1946 to 1956. These books often feature his gifted but laconic gardener "Oldfield". Nichols's final trilogy is referred to as "The Sudbrook Trilogy" (1963–1969) and concerns his late 18th-century attached cottage at Ham, (near Richmond), Surrey.
Nichols was a prolific author who wrote on a wide range of topics. He ghostwrote Dame Nellie Melba’s "autobiography" Memories and Melodies (1925), and in 1966 he wrote A Case of Human Bondage about the marriage and divorce of William Somerset Maugham and Gwendoline Maud Syrie Barnardo, which was highly critical of Maugham. Father Figure, which appeared in 1972 and in which he described how he had tried to murder his alcoholic and abusive father, caused a great uproar and several people asked for his prosecution. His autobiographies usually feature Arthur R. Gaskin who was Nichols’ manservant from 1924 until Gaskin's death from cirrhosis in 1966. Nichols made one appearance on film - in 1931 he appeared in Glamour, directed by Seymour Hicks and Harry Hughes, playing the part of the Hon. Richard Wells.
Nichols' long-term partner was Cyril Butcher. He died in 1983 from complications after a fall.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 21, 2022
Beverley Nichols memoir in which he looks back on the 1920's from the late 1950's. The forward opens with the burial of the unknown soldier, and the mood is described as buoyant with hope characterised by the phrase "never again". By the 1950's we know different, and as he says, a second unknown soldier would be "an act of irony too bitter to contemplate".
Most of this memoir is rather gossipy and a bit arch. Beverley Nichols tells us of his life as a part of the Bright Young Things set. There are some very funny stories of some of the well known names of the twenties, Noel Coward, The Sitwells, etc; plenty of name-dropping, (but then isn't that why we read it)? Some chapters touch briefly on more serious subjects like the trial of Edith Thompson and Fred Byewaters, the general strike and the 'troubles'.
Overall a funny and entertaining book, interesting in it's perspective.
Most of this memoir is rather gossipy and a bit arch. Beverley Nichols tells us of his life as a part of the Bright Young Things set. There are some very funny stories of some of the well known names of the twenties, Noel Coward, The Sitwells, etc; plenty of name-dropping, (but then isn't that why we read it)? Some chapters touch briefly on more serious subjects like the trial of Edith Thompson and Fred Byewaters, the general strike and the 'troubles'.
Overall a funny and entertaining book, interesting in it's perspective.
Read
November 15, 2019An often very funny memoir of the 20s. Lots of stuff that causes the modern reader to say "eeesh"--casual fatphobia, bursts of snobbery, and a sort of misogyny towards women in general that isn't borne out in the multiple deeply affectionate portraits of individual women. In that a product of its time so, you know, read it or don't, though I will note he's disgusted by racism. Really interesting, though, and also brilliantly written: I laughed out loud repeatedly. Call it a curiosity.
September 23, 2020
I have no idea where I first saw this book mentioned, but I’m glad I tracked it down. It’s a fairly idiosyncratic memoir about a section of London society in the 1920s, written in 1958. As such, it provides a fascinating window into life during those periods. I’ve learned about authors I’ve never heard of and songs that I had no idea existed. It also reminded me that waltzes were considered artistically controversial in 1820.
December 17, 2013
A different take on the twenties!
Having read countless histories of the 1920s, it was nice to read a slightly different angle; something by someone who had actually been there and lived through it. Written in the 1950s when the jazz era was still fresh in the mind (well, as fresh as someone surviving on sidecars and champers could make it).
Beverly is a deliciously gossipy (and at times somewhat bitchy) author and this really is like a peek in his diary rather than traditional memoirs with plenty of stories you'd never find anyone else. I suppose the downside of this is that occasionally he rambles off on another tangent, but it still makes for a good read.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it as a quick, fun, and insightful read.
Having read countless histories of the 1920s, it was nice to read a slightly different angle; something by someone who had actually been there and lived through it. Written in the 1950s when the jazz era was still fresh in the mind (well, as fresh as someone surviving on sidecars and champers could make it).
Beverly is a deliciously gossipy (and at times somewhat bitchy) author and this really is like a peek in his diary rather than traditional memoirs with plenty of stories you'd never find anyone else. I suppose the downside of this is that occasionally he rambles off on another tangent, but it still makes for a good read.
If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it as a quick, fun, and insightful read.
March 9, 2018
The foreword begins as an angry polemic against war but the following chapters quickly move on to anecdotes, cameos and snippets of gossip about celebrities and society types of the 1920s, with brief updates of how they fared in later years. A moving testimonial to Ivor Novello and the thoughtful telling of two cause celebres are the highlights (the Bywaters-Thomson murder case and the ostracisim and threatened arrest of the Lord Beauchamp). The rest is amusing but ultimately unsatisfying, except for a glimpse of a couple of characters very flimsily fictionalised in Nichols’ garden and house trilogies.
December 10, 2023
And here we are again with another low 3 stars. Dear lord please bless me with a good book soon before I loose all will to live.
I brought this book based on one thing and one thing alone, the aesthetic. And luckily all the little anecdotes of beautiful people saying charming things in luxury settings where very aesthetically pleasing. A lovely little slice of sophistication was indeed to be had.
Alas this was all served up by a man who appeared to have written this book solely for the purpose of name dropping and telling everyone how he WAS THERE at the start of every great thing of the twenties. Add to this the fact he HATED 20’s ladies fashion (IDIOT) and he came across as both racists and sexist throughout the book made me skim this towards the end.
Shame as it is the light fluffy nonsense I needed, just that the author was also himself, nonsense.
I brought this book based on one thing and one thing alone, the aesthetic. And luckily all the little anecdotes of beautiful people saying charming things in luxury settings where very aesthetically pleasing. A lovely little slice of sophistication was indeed to be had.
Alas this was all served up by a man who appeared to have written this book solely for the purpose of name dropping and telling everyone how he WAS THERE at the start of every great thing of the twenties. Add to this the fact he HATED 20’s ladies fashion (IDIOT) and he came across as both racists and sexist throughout the book made me skim this towards the end.
Shame as it is the light fluffy nonsense I needed, just that the author was also himself, nonsense.
August 13, 2016
Pompous, haughty name-dropper. Grin and bear it at 3.5 stars. Only thing I found partially interesting was the segment on Nancy Cunard, and it wasn't enough.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews