I just finished reading a book that calls itself a renovation comedy. The authors tell the story of the huge, 60-room "cottage" they bought and renovated from top to bottom. It is actually quite funny, especially for anyone familiar with small-town, Southern living.
The book is On a Street called Easy, in a Cottage called Joye by Gregory White Smith and Steven Naifeh. These two New Yorkers, having just finished a biography on Jackson Pollack (for which they go on to win a Pulitzer Prize), decide to buy this incredibly huge, totally falling apart "cottage" in Aiken, South Carolina. The book details their experiences trying to hire people to renovate the house, getting used to Southern living, and learning about the history of the house and the man who built it (William C. Whitney, one of those rich men who knew people like the Vanderbilts).
I laughed a lot reading this book. Especially as they tried to get used to the friendly, small-town atmosphere of Aiken that contrasts so much with the New York City they left behind. Definitely a fun book to read.
When I attended Aiken Technical College, I don't recall ever seeing a building with 60 rooms. (Including the college!)
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