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Article: Intellectual properties; The Architecture Of Happiness by Alain de Botton Hamish Hamilton [pounds sterling]17.99.(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Mail on Sunday (London, England)
- Article date:
- April 23, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: KATHRYN HUGHES
The right building, according to the popular philosopher Alain de Botton, can make us happy, peaceful and good. The wrong building, by contrast, can turn us into angry grouches who are a menace to ourselves and other people. It's a lot to lay on mere bricks and mortar, but De Botton just about manages to bring it off.
If all this sounds a bit farfetched, you only have to think of the building where you were last happiest. Chances are there's something about its shape, the way the sunlight falls in patterns on the walls, that is especially soothing. The place next door, meanwhile, may look the same at first glance, but its sharp ...