'An entertaining read. Sackville-West rattles through his family history at a judicious pace, artfully avoiding getting bogged down in any one period'

Independent on Sunday

'It has the deep inward gaiety of some very old woman who has always been beautiful, who has had many lovers and seen many generations come and go, smiled wisely over their sorrows and their joys, and learnt an imperishable secret of tolerance and humour'

Vita Sackville-West

'Sackville-West writes with great panache. The whole story, from the Elizabethan Lord Treasurer to the takeover by the National Trust, is accomplished in a brisk 267 pages of text. Not a word is wasted and every page is full of interest'

A.N. Wilson, Country Life

'A gripping read, as good as a novel'

Literary Review