Bricks And Flowers

by Katherine Everett

286 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

Reviews

[K. Velk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am more or less compelled to write a review of this little book because it seems to me a kind of cosmic injustice that a work of this quality should slide into obscurity. Katherine Everett wrote this book when she was in her mid 70s and it was first published in 1949. She lived a remarkable life in remarkable times. She was a daughter of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy with an impeccable pedigree but that never got in the way of her using her own considerable brains, nor did it shield her from life's difficulties. She was a poor relation to some very grand people and a friend or acquaintance to many famous people (Augustus John and W.B. Yeats moved in her circle). A bad marriage left her on her own with two sons to care for when she was still quite a young woman and she just got on with the business of fending. She became a house-building contractor and a garden designer at a time when those professions were totally male dominated. There is a remarkable tale in here of her bicycle ride through miles of territory occupied by the Irish rebel army in 1916. (She was riding out to check on the home of her very grand and good, if somewhat clueless, relation the Baroness Ardilaun). The Irish, alas, had burned the mansion to the ground). Everett was a fine and lively writer and a very wise woman. At the time of its initial release, this book was very well reviewed by A.A. Milne in the (London) Sunday Times and Milne knew what he was about. It is out of print, of course, but it is easy find and cheap on the internet and it will reward our search.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book and was not sure if I would like like it, but I loved it. Katherine Everett lived through two world wars and times of great changes and lived such a full life. This included travelling to Australia, living in Canada for a time, creating gardens, studying at the Slade and finally building houses. All told by her in a straight forward non flowery way, she really was an amazing person.

[Mardi D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite an enjoyable read. I came across this book in a thrift store and the title interested me. Katherine Everett was an intelligent and resourceful woman who seemed able to adapt to all the curves life threw at her. The story she tells of the people she lived with at various times and the places she lived completely fascinated me. I especially enjoyed her quirky Aunt Aurelia and the story of Katherine's bicycle ride through the Irish rebel territory. This book is not easy to find for sale due to its out of print status but I enjoyed it so much that I turned it into an ebook which is available for free from the Fadedpage website which is a Canadian website which distributes out of copyright books for free in various digital formats.