Below Stairs : The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey"

from arielfl

As a lover of Downton Abbey, I could not pass up the book that inspired it as well as Upstairs, Downstairs. Although this book was not quite as titillating as the series it was still an excellent read. Margaret Powell entered into service at a time when the servants were not treated much differen...

from RubyScarlett

As far as career accounts go, this was way above average. On top of engrossing descriptions of the food she prepared and the people she met, Margaret Powell is pretty sharp in her analysis of the relationship between servants and their employers and I really enjoyed her candid knowledge of the wo...

from mchwest

I enjoyed reading this and other books like it after the return of the show Downton Abbey. This book had an awesome recommendation from the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, also he starred in the series...Monarch of the Glenn. It wasn't a thriller book but enjoyable reading, I can't ima...

from Rdra1962

A non-fiction memoir that inspired the writer of Downton Abbey....her comments about how things were done "back then" are fascinating ,her comments about how they are done now a bit annoying (we get it!) and yet when she was describing the cooks, maids, butlers etc she worked with I kept hearing ...

from coolmama

What a delightful read! Margaret Lawley was on of many children - all 9 of them sleeping in 2 rooms; and by age 15 even though she had won a scholarship to continue her education her family just could not afford to have another mouth to feed. She was sent away to work as a kitchen maid in domesti...