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If Walls Could Talk: An intimate history of the home
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Review
'Fascinating history ... it is very useful to have these histories of different purposes brought together under one banner ... highly accessible.' -- The Herald >> 'Almost every page contains [a] diverting nugget. Worsley is like a larky tour guide, whirling us round the seedier corridors of the royal palaces ... it's all terrific fun.' -- Bee Wilson, Sunday Times >> 'Anecdotes, jokes and fascinating facts come thick and fast ... Worsley's eye for quirky detail is so compelling that you quickly find yourself gripped by the most unlikely subjects ... a very enjoyable beginner's guide to British domestic life.' -- Kathryn Hughes, Mail on Sunday >> 'This book has an excellent title.If Walls Could Talk hints at saucy intimacies and salacious secrets - and the reader (blushing, if male), isn't disappointed ... I was glued.' -- Clive Aslet, Country Life >> 'She is almost school-teacherly, but has a naughty twinkle in her eye and a talent for self-deprecating personal intervention that allows her book to wear its learning lightly ... engaging.' --Stella Tillyard, Daily Telegraph
'It all works. From the plethora of detail emerges Worsley's overarching point, which is that "every single object in your home has its own important story to tell".' -- Observer Paperback of the Week >> 'Fascinating intimate history.' --Daily Telegraph
'It all works. From the plethora of detail emerges Worsley's overarching point, which is that "every single object in your home has its own important story to tell".' -- Observer Paperback of the Week >> 'Fascinating intimate history.' --Daily Telegraph
Book Description
A fascinating look at how people really lived, loved and died over the centuries
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If Walls Could Talk is a hugely enjoyable book, as equally informed as funny. The author pulls back the curtains and leaves the bedroom door open with relish.
Lucy Worsley's history of the home reveals how much domesticity has changed - or in some cases stayed the same - over the past 500 years. The bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room are used as stages for all manner of historical personages (Henry VIII, Pepys, Queen Victoria) to make their entrances and exits.
Sex, hygiene, science and tradition are also all put under the microscope. One can either read this book in great, delicious chunks or, such are its small chapters, If Walls Could Talk is, fittingly perhaps, an ideal loo book.
Am greatly looking forward to the forthcoming TV series - and I only hope the programmes contain half as much information and humour as this treasure trove of a book.
Lucy Worsley's history of the home reveals how much domesticity has changed - or in some cases stayed the same - over the past 500 years. The bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room are used as stages for all manner of historical personages (Henry VIII, Pepys, Queen Victoria) to make their entrances and exits.
Sex, hygiene, science and tradition are also all put under the microscope. One can either read this book in great, delicious chunks or, such are its small chapters, If Walls Could Talk is, fittingly perhaps, an ideal loo book.
Am greatly looking forward to the forthcoming TV series - and I only hope the programmes contain half as much information and humour as this treasure trove of a book.
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I didn't want this book to end (indeed my one small criticism would be that we didn't get shown around the garden). The author's warm wit and encyclopaedic knowledge of her subject make this an original and enjoyable work of popular history.
The history of the home is married to that of the story of the nation, as the author uses the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room as prisms by which we can also view broader topics (such as sex, female emancipation, scientific progresss and the lives of royalty and servants alike).
The publishers should also be congratulated for furnishing the book with such gorgeous colour plates.
The history of the home is married to that of the story of the nation, as the author uses the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room as prisms by which we can also view broader topics (such as sex, female emancipation, scientific progresss and the lives of royalty and servants alike).
The publishers should also be congratulated for furnishing the book with such gorgeous colour plates.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
"If Walls Could Talk" is the third book by Lucy Worsley that I have read and I was certainly not disappointed. Hugely enjoyable, it is a towering achievement by a great historian. Lucy has produced a work of staggering detail but it is so beautifully written that this reader had no difficulty coping. As in her previous books, one is dazzled by the depth of her research and knowledge of her subject, but drawn into the stories by her intimate style of writing. It is as if one is catching up on the latest gossip with an old friend. What separates Lucy from many other historians for me is the way she manages to balance gravitas with humour. This book had me laughing aloud - a first for a history book. The one problem with her books is that one does not want them to end and is left waiting (impatiently) for the next fix! The television series will go some way to helping. Dr Worsley is rapidly becoming THE historian of her generation. I cannot recommend this book and everything else she has written highly enough.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good but careless
I enjoyed the book, but not as much as I thought I would. Lucy Worsley's writing style is very casual, perhaps correct for this subject, but being relatively young, she really... Read more
Published 18 days ago by bearsome
Really interesting
I didn't really know much about the Georgian period before reading this book. It's easy to read and very informative. The author really brings the characters to life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nix
If Walls Could Talk - quite brilliant
This is a book based on the TV series by Lucy Worsley. It was a very interesting series; the author is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and she is one of those people who can... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Diana M. Wilson
Lucy talks for walls
The older I get the more I value people with a well-developed sense of humour and it's obvious that Lucy Worsley is one of these. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. C. G. Evans
A light book suitable for breakfast reading.
I was fortunate to obtain this book, signed by Lucy Worsley, after a talk I attended by her. She is an entertaining speaker, and writes with ease and fluency. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. M. Connolly
If Walls Could Talk - Wonderful
I received this book for Christmas and have nearly finished already. It is full of history which I love, well written and gives an indepth insight into how the house today that we... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Brian
a pleasing read
A great read from Lucy Worsley. I enjoyed her style of writing and the way she presented various facts about the house as we know it and it's history. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Fat Burner
Intimate, informative and fun
Lucy Worsley's book concentrates on the home's four principal rooms, namely, the bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Adrenalin Streams
class
oh my days, this book is absolutely class! since picking it up i just can't put it down! lucy worsley...i love you
Published 6 months ago by jonesey
Interesting but nothing new
I was disapointed by this book. I am extremely interested in domestic history and have read a lot on the subject. Read more
Published 6 months ago by fast reader
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