Village in a Valley

Allways trilogy #3

by Beverley Nichols, Bryan Connon (Foreword)

This reprint of the third book in Nichols's Allways trilogy contains a new foreword by Bryan Connon, Beverley Nichols's biographer. Set in the English countryside, the hilarious memoir is as much about the author's love for plants as it is about the village in which he lived. The depictions of flowers and ornamentals—"A single one of those gloxinias would be an event in Allways. . . I should give a party for it"—are both inspiring and unforgettable. This is the voice of one whose chief endowment is an appreciation for plants and the landscape, including a keen understanding of the importance gardens play in an increasingly modern world.

Genres: Gardening, Memoir, Nonfiction, British Literature, Classics, Biography, Biography Memoir

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

John 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.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My personal favorite in Nichols' "Allways" trilogy. I devoured it in less then 24 hours. I laughed, I greatly enjoyed the various village vignettes, and finally, I cried buckets (yes, buckets ) by the end.

That, my friend, is the sign of a superior read.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Allways books, this one concentrated on the villagers and feels like hanging out with old friends.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Backgrounds make a difference. A mood can make or mar a story. I wonder if our moods are the same? Yours, and mine?"

"...Allways [the fictional name for the village of Glatton] is a place where miracles are a daily occurrence. So is every other place, if people only knew it. But you know, and I know, that they don't. Which is one of the reasons why you are reading this book."

Village in a Valley, the third and final book in the Allways Series, is a little bit different from the previous two books. Not in the writing style, (Mr Nichols is as delightfully whimsical as always), and not in the subject matter, (Mr Nichols writes about his garden and his country neighbors as usual), but in the sad ending of the book. After the death of one of his old friends, he is anticipating the end of country life, and the end of his own life. The ending is mournful and melancholic, but he manages to bring the series to a close with uplifting thoughts of the permanence of beauty and friendship. These are the things that will remain, even with the passage of time.

"For there are some miracles in which a man must believe, or perish. And one of those miracles is the kinship between mankind and the green things of the earth."

"Beauty lives. That is the one platitude that I know. It is not guesswork. It is knowledge. And it is knowledge which bears infinite comfort."

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garden porn - amusing, chatty - even catty - Nichols is a charmer.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the Allways trilogy, this was another lovely read by Beverley Nichols. So sad to say goodbye to the residents of the village!

[Meta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his style of writing. Just an enjoyable book to read.

[Conchita Matson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end is so beautifully written. It is poetry of remembrance, of that which we always hold dear in our hearts. I truly hope that Beverley is in Heaven tending the most beautiful garden he has ever known, with his dog and friend beside him.

[Randy Lakeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In times of stress, I always turn to Beverley Nichols. He helps me see that my life is not terribly different than the ideal life (for me, at least) that he so lushly describes in his books.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delightful book about life in a country cottage in a small village. Nichols' descriptions of his neighbors and of the village, church, and his gardens are wonderful.

[Squeak2017 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel continues the Allways trilogy. It is generally down to earth barring one or two purple patches, enjoying the minor triumphs and disasters of village life. Gardens, flowers and genteel poverty are never far away. Towards the end there is a particularly poignant and yet uplifting description of one character’s final hours. Nichols then goes on to undermine the beauty of this scene by an imagined visit to the cottage and village by himself as a disembodied ghost in a distant future. It is a great shame he does so, as it spoils the whole book to end on such a false note. Otherwise it is an enjoyable ramble through rural life in the 1930s with the foreboding shadow of modernity and progress always there in the background.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love everything by Beverly Nichols

[Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful way to visit the (real life fairytale) village of Glatton in 1933. I laughed and I cried.

Nichols' love for plants is summed up perfectly in his own words:

There is a lovely phrase, which country people use, about a man having 'green fingers'. If you have green fingers, the flowers know it, and they let you do with them as you will, and they gain something of your spirit, and flourish, and you gain something of theirs too, and are at peace. I believe that I have green fingers myself ... in spite of all my failures and stupidities. I believe, when I touch a plant or a tree, that there occurs some contact more subtle and intimate than the mere laying of human hands on vegetable substance, I believe that my blood and the blood of the tree are mingled ... green to red, and red to green, as the blood of a man who has died is mingled with the earth.

Tip: Don't read the "foreward" until you finish.

[Cynthia M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book in the Always trilogy and it is just as hilarious as Up the Garden Path. If you like stories of the old rural ways of country living with the humorous antics and eccentric characters, this is your type of book. I devoured it as I did the others and now and ready to enjoy Beverly Nichols second trilogy.

[Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and very interesting. His narrative of his weekend living in the small village with the various characters/neighbors was witty and revealing. Real life ups and downs of the locals was presented as "what happened and what was said" with refreshing honesty.

[Irene Hay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so sad but joyous. The ending was so moving particularly when you know BN had to sell his beloved Allways two or three years after this was written. I haven't been so moved over a book in a long time.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started by saying this is a light read, but it has a real heart. It was exactly what I needed. I actually enjoyed it more than the first one.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the ending! Sooo good.

[Karen O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all three Allways books, I think I enjoyed this one the most. Nichols draws one in with his wit and humor, his deep appreciation of beauty, and his deep insight into human nature and actions.

[Nancy Hammons · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know a lot of people liked it, but it was not for me.

[Anna Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rereading this for the 2nd (?) time, for the reason that I reread anything- because sometimes I just like to live in another world, and the ones Beverley Nichols creates can be fairly low-energy and soothing. (As one friend put it, after I sent her Green Grows the City: "It's a book about nothing!") Sometimes real life is so fraught that a book about 'nothing' happening in an English country garden is just what I need. During this reading, though, I realized that Village in a Valley exemplifies everything that I love AND hate about Nichols' writing. He can be enchantingly vulnerable but overly maudlin. He's amusingly snarky, but cruel in his stereotypes of women. He's larger-than-life and incredibly needy. I suspect that I'd distrust him in person, but I love to see plants, gardens, and animals through his eyes. If you're new to Nichols, or want his strongest garden writing, don't start here- I think Green Grows the City is the best entry point.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh how I do love this series! I enjoy the particularly stylized, dated writing of this author that makes me feel I am in the midst of a Noel Coward song. Love it. The characters are dear, the setting luscious and verdant and simply, simply wonderful.
But, alas, I did something with this title I almost NEVER do... I read the forward. There was information and context there that, while I don't doubt some readers would find informative, only succeeded in limiting the wanderings of my mind's eye and, in fact, saddened me while the plot and these characters made their way.
Don't read the forward. At least not until you finish the book. You'll be glad for it.

But, by all means, make yourself a Pimm's Cup, or an Old Fashioned, or simply a strong cup of Builder's Tea, and settle in for another post WW 1 British Treat from Nichols. You'll be glad you did!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure that this is a nonfiction book--it has a bit more plot than most of Nichols' garden books, and while there's certainly a lot of effusion about his plants, there are other things happening as well. Nichols' old governess, living on a pittance, invests unwisely and finds herself penniless. Since she won't take charity, the neighbors at Allways set her up in a little village store. Meanwhile, a young visitor becomes engaged in a treasure hunt for stained glass from the church, hidden at the time of the Reformation.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This third book in the Allways trilogy loses focus somewhat and tends to ramble; unfortunately some of the meandering reads all too much like Nichols filling space. Though I liked this book less overall than the previous one, the last quarter redeems itself with some lovely, very touching storytelling.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in the trilogy, and I liked it the best of the three. In this book, for one thing, he shows some appreciation for people who truly are poor, though he does, at one point, talk about how little money he has. This book is a true pastoral--a celebration of nature and a nostalgic view of life in an English country village 100 years ago.

[Lori Simcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third of the Allways trilogy, and examines the village people themselves. Nichols paints a variety of characters with great wit, but never lets the book become too gossipy or frothy. As always, one can always sense his great love for the community where he lives.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book is the Allways series. I really enjoyed the stories - this time the books seemed to have more of one over-arching story with small ones intertwined. It was a much more melancholy than the others but was still lovely.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too arch, too mawkish for me, but still rich with hints and promises of the brilliantly funny writing that came later in his career.

[Janet]

Not much gardening in this one, but lots of the saintly Miss Haslitt.

[Hilary Lang Greenebaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet, gorgeous, fragrent, well thought out, personalble, and smart - loved it for a quiet read but didnt like the ending. Did you?

[Amy Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. He has a wonderful way of saying the simplest things. "The sky sent down it's sorrows" (it's snowing). How British!