Foto dell'autore
36 opere 768 membri 27 recensioni

Recensioni

The details about the costumes were very interesting to me, and the information about the sets as well. If I hadn't read Lindy Woodhead's "Shopping, Seduction, and Mr. Selfridge," the info about how Selfridge revolutionized shopping would've been interesting. Honestly, this book reminded me how frustrated I was by so many of the storylines in the tv show!
 
Segnalato
Beth3511 | Dec 5, 2022 |
This was a light easy read. I'm fascinated by this time period. It is amazing the disconnect between Nobility and those who served them. I was surprised to find the gender based differences. Service was disproportionately female and young. Young women starting in service had to provide their own uniforms. So many had to work for 2 to 4 years prior to service just to earn the cost of their starting dresses. In addition they were paid considerably less and had horrible duties and long hours. The working conditions weren't better for the young men as far as hours and harrowing duties. However they were paid more and their upper positions came with much status and prestige. In addition their quite well made and very expensive livery plus powdered wigs were provided and tailored by the employers.
I'm a huge Downton Abbey fan and I'm afraid this had made the storyline regarding the staff relationships with The Family seem preposterous. That's unfortunate and almost seems a silencing of the servants true stories which do deserve to be told.
 
Segnalato
LoisSusan | 20 altre recensioni | Dec 10, 2020 |
This book is an enjoyable primer into the lives of English domestic servants in the early 20th century. In it, Alison Maloney covers the basics of their existence, from the experience of hiring and the background of the servants through their daily routines to the aspects of their lives outside of their work. As one might expect Downton Abbey is a clear inspiration behind the book, which is reflected in the occasional quotes about domestic service during that era from various people involved with the show. Yet Maloney’s book stands on its own as a short overview to the people “downstairs,” and is an excellent book for anyone seeking an introduction to the world in which they lived.½
 
Segnalato
MacDad | 20 altre recensioni | Oct 17, 2020 |
At first I was put off by the way this was put together, bits and pieces of information here and there, very light reading material, but it was still interesting tidbits. Don't look here for a thorough documentation of the Twenties. It really does just focus on the bright young things, and lightly at that. I found it a good complement to "Murder Must Advertise", by Dorothy Sayers, and several other mysteries from the Golden era which take place in the Roaring Twenties.

A couple of my favorite quotes found in this book:

Greta Garbo, 'I never said, "I want to be alone." I only said, "I want to be left alone." There is all the difference.'

Rudolph Valentine, "Women are not in love with me but with the picture of me they see on the screen. I am merely the canvas on which women paint their dreams."½
 
Segnalato
MrsLee | 1 altra recensione | Aug 7, 2020 |
A delightful brief on the lives of the men and women in the Service during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras in England, “Life Below Stairs” satiates those still hungry for a taste of Downton Abbey while still leaving room for a dessert course. Filled by the true accounts of maids and cooks, footmen and butlers, this book leads the reader through arguably the toughest respectable career a person could enter into. The grueling hours spanning from before sunrise until well after sunset combined with meager pay, subpar living conditions, rigid manners and etiquette make me glad to be living in this era, despite its many shortcomings. The perfect book for an afternoon at the beach or a long commute, I implore you to pick up a copy of “Life Below Stairs.” Though for readers looking for further information, I would recommend searching the bibliography for the primary and secondary sources to gain a more in-depth knowledge on the subject.
 
Segnalato
clanoneves | 20 altre recensioni | Jun 4, 2018 |
Below Stairs was better, although this did have some interesting historical details about wages and whatnot.
 
Segnalato
cookierooks | 20 altre recensioni | Nov 16, 2016 |
For fans of Upstairs, Downstairs & Downtown Abbey (ME!), comes Life Below Stairs. It's a fabulous, fascinating look at the true lives of servants who served the rich and fabulously wealthy.

It's definitely written towards fans of the two mentioned series - it's a rather light look, doesn't get into a lot of details, and doesn't hit upon any of the negative aspects of being a servant - like 80 hour work weeks for no pay or sleep or freedom. Anyone who really knows the time period well, or the history of servants, will find this book too light to really enjoy, but for someone like me who was introduced to the time period through Downtown Abbey, it was a great read, though I really do wish there was MORE as the volume is pretty small.

The photographs and letters were a nice touch.
 
Segnalato
anastaciaknits | 20 altre recensioni | Oct 29, 2016 |
Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney
192 pages

★★

This sounded like such a fascinating book to me when I checked it out at the library, at least for a history geek like myself. But I was highly disappointed. It reads so much like a text book, a poorly formatted one at that. Everything is put into subcategories such as “How a butler dresses”, “How a house maid dresses” “Hiring of servants”, etc…some being only a paragraph or so and it just ended up feeling repetitive. There is some good information within but the writing lacked any personality and came off as quite dry. Some good pictures as well but not enough to save this book. She uses long quotes and paraphrasing from other history and memoir books (where is seems she mostly copied her info from) that seemed way more interesting so I may give one of those a try. An okay book for quick information but there are definitely better reads with better information in them.


1 vota
Segnalato
UberButter | 20 altre recensioni | Feb 9, 2016 |
This was interesting information and something I wasn't very familiar with. But the format of the book was much like a juvenile text book with lots of subtitles that are almost exactly repeated as the topic sentence of the section. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read, especially some of the included adverts from the period as well as recipes.
 
Segnalato
Jen.ODriscoll.Lemon | 20 altre recensioni | Jan 23, 2016 |
This was interesting information and something I wasn't very familiar with. But the format of the book was much like a juvenile text book with lots of subtitles that are almost exactly repeated as the topic sentence of the section. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the read, especially some of the included adverts from the period as well as recipes.
 
Segnalato
Jen.ODriscoll.Lemon | 20 altre recensioni | Jan 23, 2016 |
Life Below Stairs gives a good impression of what life was like for people in service in the early 1900s, featuring job descriptions, daily schedules, a few recipes and discusses pay and conditions. Unfortunately, the book is very short and it reads more like an essay than a book. I was disappointed to find that there was not a single photo included and the author used only snippets of first-hand accounts from other books. A lot of readers will be familiar with most of the contents from watching the popular period tv series and I didn't find much new information that goes beyond what is already common knowledge; however, if you are new to the subject and don't like big books, this one is a perfect starting point.
 
Segnalato
SabinaE | 20 altre recensioni | Jan 23, 2016 |
This is a thin little book that, if a servant class still existed, would be a great manual for how to hire, house, train, pay and discipline one's servants. A great companion for people addicted to BBC TV shows like Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey.
 
Segnalato
etxgardener | 20 altre recensioni | Dec 19, 2015 |
Summary: This book is all about being a grandmother and how to do it best. There are sections with different pieces of advice and insights into new ways of doing things. There are also statistics about grandmothers in America today.

Evaluation/Argument: This is a very informative book about how to be a grandmother. The pieces of advice are very useful for a grandmother at any age. I like the way the book is set up as well. There are bold headings so that readers understand what each sections is going to be about. The author also took a lot of different aspects of being a grandmother into account. This is wonderful so that the information given can apply to all grandmothers. The statistics that were stated in the book were very interesting. I did not know some of the statistics that were states. There are pictures throughout the book that give a small visualization to the topic being discussed. This is a wonderful book with a lot of helpful information for grandmothers and new mothers as well.
The central message of this book is that grandmothers can be vey helpful to any mother, new or old. Grandmothers have a lot to consider and should strive to be the best grandma ever. They can do this by thinking about the needs of their grandchildren, while not forgetting about the feelings of the grandchild's parents.
 
Segnalato
mwade4 | Nov 29, 2014 |
Not bad, but a fairly light read on the topic.½
 
Segnalato
Fliss88 | 20 altre recensioni | May 18, 2014 |
This was a pleasant and easy book to read, but as other reviewers have mentioned, skims over the surface of the topic and offers little new information for readers already somewhat familiar with the subject and period.
 
Segnalato
Lind | 20 altre recensioni | May 9, 2014 |
I really liked this book, I learnt so much about a era that I really like. This was laid out really well and had some great information in it.

Full review on my blog www.thebooktower.webs.com
 
Segnalato
bookish92 | 20 altre recensioni | Mar 20, 2014 |
A good overview of a servant's life in Edwardian England. I shall sum up: sucked. Many servants were people desperate to escape terrible poverty; they were subjected to frightful working conditions, smugly condescending employers, and astonishingly few hours of sleep. I'd last less than a day.
 
Segnalato
Turrean | 20 altre recensioni | Feb 15, 2014 |
Alison Maloney's Life Below Stairs has one goal: to capitalize on the popularity of "Downton Abbey." Not only does Highclere Castle grace the cover of the book, but she frequently cites the show as a source. For anyone who has neither seen the show nor read anything related to Victorian and Edwardian servitude, this book may hold some new insight. However, the book is neither "full" nor "complete" as the back cover suggests, and one would likely find greater research from a tertiary encyclopedia. Not recommended.
2 vota
Segnalato
London_StJ | 20 altre recensioni | Jan 20, 2014 |
An excellent, informative read for those history buffs among us :)
 
Segnalato
TRWhittier | 20 altre recensioni | Jan 8, 2014 |
A disappointingly short and shallow intro to this topic. Most of what was contained in this book would already be known to readers of 17th and 18th century English novels. The book also relies heavily on ample direct quotations from other books - primary and secondary sources - which leaves one feeling that one should have just read those books instead.
2 vota
Segnalato
fannyprice | 20 altre recensioni | Oct 19, 2013 |
A short introduction to the 1920s, Bright Young Things gives a brief cultural history of the 1920s complete with instructions on how to act, speak, dress, apply make-up and host parties like the flappers of the roaring twenties. This would be a nice addition to a classroom library to pique student interest in the decade, but is not extensive enough to be a detailed account of the important figures and events of the 1920s.
1 vota
Segnalato
speedy74 | 1 altra recensione | May 20, 2013 |
An historically informative account that refers to the popular 'Downtown Abbey', a shocking expose of what life was truly like 'downstairs'. How the Upper Classes did not view their underlings as being like unto themselves.
Off the cuff review.
 
Segnalato
wonderperson | 20 altre recensioni | Mar 31, 2013 |
A very engaging, easy to read book, sure to please fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. I was particularly struck by the timeline outlining a typical day from the crack of dawn to late at night, outlining the duties of the staff. There are recipes for various housecleaning solvents, a comparison of wages for each position in today’s money, and discussion of the effect WWI had on both the Employers and those in service. Although they were given ‘room and board’ and had very little time of in which to enjoy anything they earned, the wages paid to the servants were shockingly low. Add in the fact they had to provide much of their own outfits, and could be ‘docked’ for the slightest transgression.

Maloney includes plenty of pictures and quotes from many firsthand accounts. One also finds an excellent bibliography and index. This was a library book, but I ended up buying a copy for my mother, knowing she would enjoy it as well.
 
Segnalato
michigantrumpet | 20 altre recensioni | Mar 20, 2013 |
Life Below Stairs - True Lives of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney is a fabulous little book rich in detail about the life of servants in the Edwardian period, 1901 - 1910.

The book is broken down into the following chapters to cover the different segments of a servant's work in their master and mistress' house:

1. Social Background
2. Household Structure
3. Pay and Conditions
4. A Day in the Life of a Country House
5. Toil and Technique
6. Special Occasions
7. Code of Conduct
8. Hiring and Firing
9. The High Life
Here's a brief selection of interesting tidbits I learned from Life Below Stairs:

- Footmen increased in value with every inch in height as the liveried uniform was considered to look smart on the taller man. An extra premium was paid for two who were similar in stature and appearance. Page 44

- In order to go into service, a maid had to have her own uniform of a print dress, a black dress and several white aprons. Coming from poor backgrounds, as well as workhouses and orphanages saving up for these garments was no mean feat and most would have to work in part-time jobs for two years to make the money. Page 61

- Beauty products such as cold cream could be bought or mixed at home and were made from a variety of ingredients including lanolin, almond oil, cocoa butter, coconut oil, white wax, witch hazel and spermaceti - a wax obtained from the head of a sperm whale. Page 107
- Constitutional expert Alastair Bruce explains: 'The dining room chairs may have a back on them but the back is for the footman to push in and out and not for them to rest their backs on at any time.' Page 118

At less than 200 pages, Life Below Stairs is a light, enjoyable and educational read and I thoroughly recommend it to fans of the TV series Downton Abbey, and anyone with an interest in what life was really like for servants in England.
2 vota
Segnalato
Carpe_Librum | 20 altre recensioni | Dec 20, 2012 |
A quick reference history of domestic servants in nineteenth/early twentieth century Britain, jumping on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. Maloney combines chapters on household structure, pay and conditions, daily schedules, fine dining and 'the servant problem' with excerpts from published memoirs by servants. Informative, clearly written and appealing to both fans of the television series and history buffs alike, Maloney's guide is a great introduction to learning about the hard work and restricted social lives of those 'below stairs'. I'm also tempted to read some of the firsthand accounts referenced in this book, like Margaret Powell's Life Below Stairs, footman Eric Horne's What the Butler Winked At, and Frank Victor Dawes' Not In Front of the Servants.
3 vota
Segnalato
AdonisGuilfoyle | 20 altre recensioni | Nov 3, 2011 |