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Bracebridge Hall

Washington Irving

Book Overview: 

This wonderful book introduced the world to Bracebridge Hall, the ancestral home of the Bracebridges, an old English family that lived according to the customs of those who were "unto the manor born." "Bracebridge Hall" is a follow-up to "Old Christmas" which looks at the lifestyle of the rich, country dwellers, their servants, friends and neighbors. The daily lives and adventures of this peculiar population of early 1800's England forms the foundation upon which the episodes explored in "Bracebridge Hall" is built. Washington Irving wrote the book based upon his own experiences visiting England and the very real Bracebridge Family with whom he spent much time.

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Book Excerpt: 
. . .I had imagined; but on the contrary she has a degree of nature, and simple-heartedness, if I may use the phrase, that mingles well with her old-fashioned manners and harmless ostentation. She dresses in rich silks, with long waist; she rouges considerably, and her hair, which is nearly white, is frizzled out, and put up with pins. Her face is pitted with the small-pox, but the delicacy of her features shows that she may once have been beautiful; and she has a very fair and well-shaped hand and arm, of which, if I mistake not, the good lady is still a little vain.

I have had the curiosity to gather a few particulars concerning her. She was a great belle in town between thirty and forty years since, and reigned for two seasons with all the insolence of beauty, refusing several excellent offers; when, unfortunately, she was robbed of her charms and her lovers by an attack of the small-pox. She retired immedia. . . Read More

Community Reviews

Irving warns us in the first chapter that this is not a novel of great adventure, it’s one of everyday English scenes in the country, and he’s right about that. Character sketches can be interesting but for the most part the ones here seem cliché, and the novel is uninteresting. I give it one star b

5 Stars for a great collection of Irving's "sketches" or musings on the occupants of an English manor which was actually based on Aston Hall, near Birmingham, England, which was occupied by members of the Bracebridge family Irving visited while in England.

I thought this overview aptly summarizes Irv

I was extremely busy this summer and had hardly a spare moment with my books! Honesly, by fluke then I had chosen the perfect book.
Does it have a plot? No. It is, however, well written with engaging, sympathetic characters who are fun to check in on when you get a moment. It is a bit like getting t

I love Irving's style and his return to Bracebridge Hall did not disappoint. The stories within the story took up a little too much time for my taste, but this may have been because I was reading this on my phone during stolen moments. I wish there were proper editions of this work still in print, t

Cute Cute Cute

Irving writes about a visitor to Bracebridge Hall and the happenings in preparation for an upcoming wedding. This was MUCH better than The Sketch Book. The "Author's Farewell" was the only time that hints of The Sketch Book came into play with politics and droning.

I particularly loved

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