Rate this book

Servants: A Downstairs History Of Britain From The Nineteenth-Century To Modern Times (2013)

by Lucy Lethbridge(Favorite Author)

3.55 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393241092 (ISBN13: 9780393241099)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: very repetitive, with the exact same quote appearing in multiple chapters. however, an interesting thesis, especially developed towards the end of the book, that domestic service, which evolved out of a medieval lord's retainers and entourage, did not actually disappear with the world wars and rise of household electronics, but rather has changed in shape and tone. the middle and upper classes still seek event planners (butlers, head maids), personal shoppers (cooks, lady's maids), cleaners, au pairs, etc.
review 2: This is a must-read for anyone who has gotten sucked into Downtown Abbey and its many offspring. It is a study of the history of domestic service in England and is a wealth of information about a topic that we Americans are rather ignorant of. I... moret is a fascinating topic and Ms. Leatherbridge does a nice job of digging into it. Enjoyable and full of fascinating tidbits about the private lives of the servants, and replete with actual quotes from letters and diaries. less

Download links for: Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth-Century to Modern Times

Advertising