The Downstairs Maid

The Downstairs Maid PDF Author: Rosie Clarke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780750539937
Category : Historical fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 608

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Book Description
When her father becomes ill, Emily Carter finds herself tasked with the responsibility of providing for the family and is sent to work as a servant girl at Priorsfield Manor. As she settles in to the family home, she strikes an unlikely friendship with the daughters of the house, as well as Nicolas, the Lord's son. But there are others who wish to gain her attention, and as the threat of war comes ever closer, Emily finds that the wrong choice of suitor will have consequences.

The Downstairs Maid

The Downstairs Maid PDF Author: Rosie Clarke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780750539937
Category : Historical fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 608

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Book Description
When her father becomes ill, Emily Carter finds herself tasked with the responsibility of providing for the family and is sent to work as a servant girl at Priorsfield Manor. As she settles in to the family home, she strikes an unlikely friendship with the daughters of the house, as well as Nicolas, the Lord's son. But there are others who wish to gain her attention, and as the threat of war comes ever closer, Emily finds that the wrong choice of suitor will have consequences.

The Downstairs Girl: Reese's YA Book Club

The Downstairs Girl: Reese's YA Book Club PDF Author: Stacey Lee
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524740977
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
A Reese's Book Club YA Pick and New York Times Bestseller From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family. By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light. With prose that is witty, insightful, and at times heartbreaking, Stacey Lee masterfully crafts an extraordinary social drama set in the New South. "This vividly rendered historic novel will keep readers riveted as witty, observant Jo deals with the dangers of questioning power." --The Washington Post "Holds a mirror to our present issues while giving us a detailed and vibrant picture of life in the past." --The New York Times "A joyful read . . . The Downstairs Girl, for all its serious and timely content, is a jolly good time." --NPR

Below Stairs

Below Stairs PDF Author: Margaret Powell
Publisher: Pan
ISBN: 1743038801
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
A compelling and colourful memoir that takes the reader inside the forgotten world of domestic service. Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret's life in service was about to begin... As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlourmaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress' nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall PDF Author: Julie Klassen
Publisher: Bethany House
ISBN: 1441269924
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 417

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Book Description
Regency Romance and Mystery from Bestselling Author Julie Klassen Pampered Margaret Macy flees London in disguise to escape pressure to marry a dishonorable man. With no money and nowhere else to go, she takes a position as a housemaid in the home of Nathaniel Upchurch, a suitor she once rejected in hopes of winning his dashing brother. Praying no one will recognize her, Margaret fumbles through the first real work of her life. If she can last until her next birthday, she will gain an inheritance from a spinster aunt--and sweet independence. But can she remain hidden as a servant even when prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall? Observing both brothers as an "invisible" servant, Margaret learns she may have misjudged Nathaniel. Is it too late to rekindle his admiration? And when one of the family is nearly killed, Margaret alone discovers who was responsible. Should she come forward, even at the risk of her reputation and perhaps her life? And can she avoid an obvious trap meant to force her from hiding? On her journey from wellborn lady to servant to uncertain future, Margaret must learn to look past appearances and find the true meaning of "serve one another in love."

Murder at Mallowan Hall

Murder at Mallowan Hall PDF Author: Colleen Cambridge
Publisher: Kensington
ISBN: 1496732456
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
As head of household for none other than Agatha Christie, Phyllida Bright finds her position includes polishing silver, serving luncheons…and drawing inspiration from the crime author’s fictional detectives when mysterious deaths at Mallowan Hall baffle her famous employer… Tucked away among Devon’s rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses. For the manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife—Agatha Christie… Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha’s Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor… It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. And when another dead body is discovered—this time, one of her housemaids—Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot’s footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans’ guests is the killer. Now only Phyllida’s wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end…

Servants' Hall

Servants' Hall PDF Author: Margaret Powell
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250029295
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
A collection of accounts about life in the servants' halls of England's great houses shares the true story of under-parlourmaid Rose, who after eloping with her employer's only son was swept up in a maelstrom of gossip.

The Maid's Daughter

The Maid's Daughter PDF Author: Mary Romero
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 1479814660
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
At a very young age, Olivia left her family and traditions in Mexico to live with her mother, Carmen, in one of Los Angeles's most exclusive and nearly all-white gated communities. Based on over twenty years of research, Romero brings Olivia's remarkable story to life. We watch as she struggles through adolescence, declares her independence and eventually goes off to college and becomes a successful professional. Much of her story is told in Olivia's voice and we hear of both her triumphs and her setbacks. Romero explores this story about belonging, identity, and resistance, illustrating Olivia's challenge to establish her sense of identity, and the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in her life. Romero points to the hidden costs of paid domestic labor that are transferred to the families of private household workers and nannies, and shows how everyday routines are important in maintaining and assuring that various forms of privilege are passed on from one generation to another. She shows how mythologies of meritocracy, the land of opportunity, and the American dream remain firmly in place while simultaneously erasing injustices and the struggles of the working poor. From publisher description.

The Maid Narratives

The Maid Narratives PDF Author: Katherine Van Wormer
Publisher: LSU Press
ISBN: 0807149705
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
The Maid Narratives shares the memories of black domestic workers and the white families they served, uncovering the often intimate relationships between maid and mistress. Based on interviews with over fifty people -- both white and black -- these stories deliver a personal and powerful message about resilience and resistance in the face of oppression in the Jim Crow South. The housekeepers, caretakers, sharecroppers, and cooks who share their experiences in The Maid Narratives ultimately moved away during the Great Migration. Their perspectives as servants who left for better opportunities outside of the South offer an original telling of physical and psychological survival in a racially oppressive caste system: Vinella Byrd, for instance, from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, recalls how a farmer she worked for would not allow her to clean her hands in the family's wash pan. These narratives are complemented by the voices of white women, such as Flora Templeton Stuart, from New Orleans, who remembers her maid fondly but realizes that she knew little about her life. Like Stuart, many of the white narrators remain troubled by the racial norms of the time. Viewed as a whole, the book presents varied, rich, and detailed accounts, often tragic, and sometimes humorous. The Maid Narratives reveals, across racial lines, shared hardships, strong emotional ties, and inspiring strength.

Life Below Stairs

Life Below Stairs PDF Author: Alison Maloney
Publisher: Michael O'Mara Books
ISBN: 1843177811
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
Looking at the lives of servants from the scullery maid to the butler, bestselling author Alison Maloney presents a vibrant account of a way of life from a bygone era.

Diamonds at Dinner - My Life as a Lady's Maid in a 1930s Stately Home

Diamonds at Dinner - My Life as a Lady's Maid in a 1930s Stately Home PDF Author: Tim Tate
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
ISBN: 1782196102
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
A fascinating memoir of life as a lady's maid in a big house in the 1930s, covering the beauty of the house, the housing of royals escaping the Nazis, the hard work of staff, and the experience of joining the army to serve a Countess Hilda Newman was a maid to Lady Coventry at the Worcestershire stately home of Croome Court in the 1930s. In her fascinating memoir of life below the stairs (as well as glimpses from inside the big house), she reveals what it was like living and working in the 18th Century Neo-Palladian mansion surrounded by parkland landscaped by Lancelot "Capability" Brown. During World War II Croome Court housed the exiled Dutch Royal Family, who escaped the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. It was also the top-secret RAF base Defford, where radar was developed and repairs were carried out on aircraft fighting in the Battle of Britain. Hilda remembers life both upstairs and down, from the grand long gallery designed by Robert Adam and the tapestry room (since removed and transferred to the Metropolitan Museum in New York), to the hard labor demanded of serving staff and what it was like in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women's branch of the British Army, which she joined to serve the Countess in 1940.