Literary House Hunters

Hello Lovely Readers!I hope ya’ll have had a wonderful month of May. It has been quite chaotic for my family with lots of stress, prayer, and (thankfully) triumph. We had a bit of a curve ball thrown at us where the landlords decided  to not renew our lease for the year (which is a story for another day) so we had to scramble to find somewhere new in the same area within our budget. Thankfully, we were successful and now are in the plans to move into a lovely neighborhood just down the street. 

In the midst of this chaos, I was reminded of a show I used to binge- International House Hunters. I always found myself making snarky commentary about the couple’s unreasonable requests. You want a backyard but also be in the middle of Rome? An American size kitchen in the English countryside? Live on one of the most popular beaches in the world for cheap? As someone who has lived around the US and Europe, I couldn’t help but laugh. 

So I decided to combine recent life trouble and a beloved show to create a silly article concept: Literary House Hunters. I will list three famous homes in literature and give the pros and cons of living there. At the end, I will make my decision. 

Here we go! 

So, like the show I will give some of the aspects I am looking for in my ‘dream’ literary house:

-A stand alone house surrounded by greenery/ decent garden

-Spacious yet cozy

-Something with history (no shoddy craftsmanship here!)

-No bad vibes via crime or murder

-Not too far from necessities (grocery store, library, etc)

Here are the contenders:

1.Manderly House from Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

2.Bag End from The Hobbit and Lord of the Ring Trilogy by JRR Tolkien

3.Lake Mistawis house from The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

Manderley House from Rebecca

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again”- this opening line has drawn in readers since its novel’s publication in 1938*. In the novel, the unnamed narrator becomes mistress of Manderley after marriage to its owner Maxim de Winter. The home certainly marks the boxes for beautiful, spacious, and standalone as well as the ‘something with history requirement’; the home was built and has been in the family since the 1600s. Located in the English countryside (Cornwall), it is certainly grand with lots of green space. As a bonus, it is located on the coast- who doesn’t love a water feature? Its isolation could be a problem; however if the servants are included with the property this might  not be too problematic for its owner. Though there are no ghosts in the home, the haunted feeling would be a turn off based on vibes. Is the beautiful yet eerie estate the home? Let’s go to our second property…

Bag End from The Hobbit & Lord of the Rings trilogy

In novels filled with danger and adventure around every corner, Bag End in Hobbiton is a cozy refuge to rest and relax. This beautiful hobbit hole is spacious and filled with every comfort imaginable- food, a lovely fireplace, and all the comforts one could ever want. It has a beautiful garden and amazing views. This option does lack the history of the first property (only being built by Bilbo’s father), but the construction seems quite sturdy. The biggest concern is for nosey neighborhoods who may try to auction off your things if you are gone too long. Despite this, you are in close proximity with any supply you need. As a bonus, there are lots of wonderful festivals and celebrations (birthdays in particular) one can enjoy. Does the newer, cozy hobbit hole with nosey neighbors scream ‘Home Sweet Home’? Off to our final property…

Lake Mistawis house from The Blue Castle

Our final property is located on a beautiful island on Lake Mistawis. This wonderful house has views that cannot be seen anywhere else- stunning woods filled with lovely animals. The property itself is quite small; it is a cabin with only one bedroom. The smaller space, however, exudes cozy with its wonderful stone fireplace and is structurally sound. Its isolation is a slight problem in terms of acquiring supplies but great for escaping an oppressive family. Though not a literal castle, it does, with a little imagination, feel grandiose with tall pine trees serving as turrets and built in bookshelves. This cabin would be a reader’s dream! But is it the forever home of my dreams?

While all three of these homes are wonderful, I think I would choose…

BAG END!!!

For those who know me in real life, this probably isn’t much of a surprise. However, as I was writing this I did feel deeply torn between Bag End and Lake Mistawis. The reason Bag End won was for its amenities; I love the village feel and would love the festivals! As much as I love to escape (especially as an introvert who needs a recharge), I think the island home might be too remote for everyday living. Now as a vacation home, I think the lake home would reign supreme. As a general homebody (or really anywhere within a 20 minute drive), I would not worry about nosey neighbors selling my things. That is why I ultimately chose Bag End. 

Did you enjoy this post? Should I do more ‘Literary House Hunters’ posts? I would love to write more but with other people’s ‘requirements’. If you would like to participate in that type of post, feel free to comment below or email me at ladybookishblog@gmail.com 

Question: So what is your dream home from literature? 

Don’t forget to check for more frequent posts (especially book reviews) on my instagram (@ladybookishblog). As always…

Happy Reading!

Lady Bookish 

*I did write a post all about Daphne du Maurier (the author of Rebecca), if you would like to know more about, in my opinion, the Queen of atmospheric writing: https://lady-bookish.ghost.io/daphne-du-maurier-appreciation-post/