Monica Dickens's irreverent chronicle of life as a cook-general. It is an uproarious backstairs view of the English upper classes in moments of comedy, drama, selfishness and childish pique. Here is fun, wit, malice and, in the face of the tartars who rule on both sides of the baize door, courage.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Monica Dickens was bored with deb life: endless evenings partying with people you don't really like. She wanted to DO something, and what she liked doing was cooking. She also loved snooping into other people's lives, and gossiping with people - other servants, tradesmen, vacuum cleaner salesmen - who were far more amusing than wet "deb's delights". She novelised her experiences below stairs. Most of her employers, by the way, were NOT members of the "upper classes". Strained gentility is far more amusing, as I'm sure Monica would agree. She disguised her genuine employers, but... I'm reading an early edition of the book, and the disguising seems to slip in places. Was Martin Parrish the dress designer originally a married couple, or a woman? And what sex is his Pekinese? Mimi sometimes seems to be a "him". She carelessly refers to him as "the Parrishes" or mentions that "she" was taking up a chiffon dress. I'm sure these slips were smoothed out in later editions. Who writes books as funny as this now? Are we stuck with Bridget Jones lookalikes and earnest, worthy, "eat your greens" book group novels?
By DAVID
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Monica Dickens is a very entertaining writer and this book is a good example of her work. Although very dated in that it shows what life "below stairs"must have been like in the 1930s nevertheless it's both informative and funny.
David.
David.
By jnwhite
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book some years ago and enjoyed it. Reading it again, it seems too dated. Not the best "downstairs" account I have ever read.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 15 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great insight and easy read
A charming piece of writing with a very easy, chatty prose-style. A great insight into life as a maid-of-all-work in the early part of the 20th century. Read more
Published on 8 July 2009 by Script Angel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Below stairs life with a twist
I loved this story of a bored debutante's brush with the exhausting life of a maid of all work. A series of anecdotes strung together with a clever narrative brought this story to... Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
