Book cover of Bricks and Flowers

Book description

Originally published in 1949, this extraordinary memoir tells of the author's difficult upbringing in an Irish big house, where her mother brought her up on the Peerage and Anglo-Catholic theology. She was eventually rescued by an aunt and brought to England, where she studied art. Her subsequent career largely involved…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Bricks and Flowers as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a memoir published in 1948 by someone I'd never heard of. From the title I didn't expect much. That changed when it transpired that it referred to the author's extraordinary 'can-do' approach to earning a living after escaping penniless to England from her feckless Anglo-Irish family at the age of 18.
She begins by becoming an assistant to a brace of eccentric aunts, one of which, kind but utterly bonkers Aurelia, generates scenes of high comedy when she insists on joining her niece at the Slade art school and comes up against the legendary artist and teacher, Henry…

If you love Bricks and Flowers...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Want books like Bricks and Flowers?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 2 books like Bricks and Flowers.

Browse books like Bricks and Flowers

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,397

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Bricks and Flowers, you might also like...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Draakensky: A Supernatural Tale of Magick and Romance

Draakensky by Paula Cappa,

A wind sorcerer. A dark spirit. An unsolved murder.

On the haunted Draakensky Windmill Estate, sketch artist Charlotte Knight arrives to live on the property, hired to illustrate the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke—a bright and lucrative opportunity to boost her struggling art career. 

She meets the reclusive spinster Jaa…