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On a Street Called Easy, in a Cottage Called Joye Hardcover – May 1, 1996

by Gregory White Smith (Author), Steven W. Naifeh (Author), Daniel Baxter (Illustrator)

29 customer reviews

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The comical memoirs of a three-year struggle to restore an old house that had leaks, falling plaster, no heating or air-conditioning systems, and nineteenth-century plumbing, recounts the authors' adventures with new neighbors, merchants, and friends in a small South Carolina town.

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This item:On a Street Called Easy, in a Cottage Called Joye by Gregory White Smith Hardcover $25.26
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Stories of the Rich and Famous: Aiken's Winter Colony in the Gilded Age by David M. Tavernier Paperback $9.95
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fed up with their dark, cramped apartment in Manhattan, Pulitzer Prize winners Smith and Naifeh (for Jackson Pollack: An American Saga) dreamed of living in a palace and found it in a Sotheby catalogue for a million-plus dollars they didn't have. But they made a lucky deal, raised the money, spent three years renovating the 60-room "cottage" in Aiken, South Carolina-built for William C. Whitney-and became so accustomed to its vastness that they considered adding another room. They describe with verve the problems in restoring this white elephant, their experiences with local help and local society; and their delight in the gossip about the high life that centered around Whitney and this house at the turn of the century is contagious. The street it's on really is called Easy and the cottage really is named Joye. For reasons unexplained, Smith and Naifeh plan to donate their dream palace to the Juilliard School as a retreat for musicians; one can imagine that it may, after all, be too big for two people.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

It's a long way from apartment living in New York City to buying, rehabilitating, and inhabiting a 60-room house on Easy Street in Aiken, South Carolina. But what can you do when you're in love? When the Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers of Jackson Pollock (Jackson Pollock: An American Saga, LJ 9/1/89) first saw Joye Cottage, built by robber baron William C. Whitney in the late 19th century, they knew they had to buy it. This is a warm and lighthearted account of the trials and tribulations of purchasing and renovating a 100-year-old house with 20,000 square feet of living space (including 18 bedrooms, 12 baths, formal gardens, and a swimming pool), not to mention a leaky roof, literally tons of falling plaster, faulty plumbing, and more. Interesting bits on the history of the Gilded Age and the Whitney family scandals are interwoven with the problems of getting good help and finding decent restaurants. Ultimately, this cannot be compared with Peter Mayle's Provence books or John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (LJ 1/94); the narrative drags at the end, and the book as a whole could have used a little judicious editing to eliminate repetition. Still, this is an appropriate purchase for large libraries.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product details

Hardcover: 321 pages
Publisher: Little Brown & Co; 1 edition (May 1, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316597058
ISBN-13: 978-0316597050
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 29 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #294 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > Small Homes & Cottages
- #567 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > South
- #15626 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts

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Ty P.

it has already been personalized and signed happy mother's day to Pauline

February 5, 2018

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Not that the book itself isn't fabulous, but I bought it specifically to be signed by the author. However, it has already been personalized and signed happy mother's day to Pauline... And signed by both authors. One of which who has passed. Would have been a little awkward asking him to sign it again...

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BaBo

Five Stars

February 11, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

REALLY fun book to read about and incredible house in Aiken.
Loved it.

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Suzanne Warthen

The experiences of two northerners moving south and doing over Joy Cottage with the assistance of local workers is so ...

June 29, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book is an absolute riot! I have read it several times and I always laugh out loud. The experiences of two northerners moving south and doing over Joy Cottage with the assistance of local workers is so real and amusing. I am southern and have had similar experiences after moving to a small town so I really identify.

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Sandra Yount

I found it very entertaining and liked learning more about the history of the town

December 19, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I used to live in the town this book was written about. It wasn't a comedy as was listed. However, I found it very entertaining and liked learning more about the history of the town.

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M. Reslock

Loved it

October 12, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Loved this book, it won't change your life but is nicely written and even more . Interesting if you know that all of this was being done while they were dealing with major medical issues.

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I Heart Tahoe

Truly, one of my most favorite books!

January 11, 2002

Format: Audio CassetteVerified Purchase

I was given the BOOK version of this several years ago by a dear friend and honestly, I have read and re-read this book several times. The first time that I got it, I actually read it out loud to my husband while we were working on our own version of "Joy Cottage." We both roared with laughter!

Having moved to the South from the West Coast, I understood totally what Mr. White-Smith encountered! From Irish Travelers to the local restaurant that produces vegetables that have had every last trace of nutritional content boiled out of them, collard greens, fat back and fat light (it is vital that you know the difference: one is used to light fires and one is put in with your collards!),pepper sauce, sweet tea (cavities be damned!) to Moon Pies, Krispy Kremes, speech from people that you swear aren't speaking English, painters that can't paint, roofers that drink way too much, Nandina, Magnolias and Smilack at Christmas (I hope that I spelling the last one correctly!) and on and on and on. If you live in the South (especially if you are a transplant) and most especially if you live in or have redone an old house, this is the book for you!

As I said, I have re-read this book several times and I still find myself laughing hysterically. It is a great book that I am terribly sorry is out of print. Until it comes back into its second printing, the audio version will suffice. I wish they would do a "Part II" version...

A MUST read!

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LYNN

Five Stars

April 1, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Really enjoyed because of the way the story was written. Witty.

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Amazon Customer

Four Stars

December 14, 2016