Below stairs

You know the book-reviewing cliché: "reading this book is just like sitting down and having a cup of tea with your new best friend". Below Stairs really is like that. Margaret Powell depicts her life in domestic service in 1920s England in a breezy, conversational manner, although not without occasional moments of righteous indignation, and even, she admits, bitterness.

Powell was born in 1907. Her working-class family had too many children and often, not enough to eat. Beginning in her early teens, she found work as a kitchen maid in the homes of the upper crust, eventually climbing up the staff hierarchy to the position of cook. It was a harsh life of strenuous labor, made even more difficult by her employers' habit of acting as show more though their servants were invisible.

In her later years, after leaving domestic service, marrying and having children, Powell was finally able to complete her education and write this book. Powell depicts a way of life that no longer exists, but, as far as Powell is concerned, there's no reason to be nostalgic for working conditions that were only a few steps above those of actual slavery. She writes, "[The servants] weren't free in any way. So maybe that was the reason why the work and those that did it were looked down upon, because we were...bound to our employers." (p. 190). show less

Margaret Powell was a very self-aware person in domestic Service to the English rich. She was quite conscious of her need for a job, and the social structure she was subjecting herself to. An intelligent memoir with several flashes of acerbic wit.

Below Stairs is a memoir of a woman who entered into domestic service as a kitchen maid at 13 and who saw the injustice of her situation (and indeed of all those in servitude) at a time when conditions were on the peak of changing. At the beginning of the tale, Margaret Powell is at home with her family which is large (typical of the time) and poor (also typical of many families). She must leave home, school, and everything she is familiar with because there is not enough money to keep her. What she discovers at her first place of work in service is that the dichotomy between Them upstairs and the servants below stairs is extremely pronounced despite the whisper of changes on the horizon. As the lowest rung on the service ladder, the show more kitchen maid (in Margaret's opinion) is treated with the least amount of respect or common decency. The story goes on to describe not only the differences between the classes but also the differences between the sexes. Powell's views are modern and revolutionary for the time period and her wit is absolutely biting. I thought this was a very interesting and entertaining read and I can definitely see how Downton Abbey used this as a reference point (you'll recognize some plot points if you're a fan of the show). I recommend it for anyone who'd like a quick, fun read that's also chock full of history (and cooking!). show less

The jacket quote describes Powell's account as "feisty," and I would agree! "Downtown Abbey" may have made domestic service look civilized and somehow elegant but Powell is straight-ahead practical and bluntly honest as she relates her experiences as a kitchen maid and cook. If you're going through "Downton" withdrawal, pick this up for a colorful rendering of the past and get ready to laugh.

This is a quick read made enjoyable and very accessible by the author's conversational tone. It's written as if she's telling you all this over a cup of coffee with a conspiratorial wink now and again. For history buffs, it offers the immense appeal of being a first-person narrative of a time period that saw many hugely significant events - no less than both World Wars, universal suffrage, and the advent of radio among several other things. Add to this Powell's knack for social observation, and you have a thoroughly engaging book.

This was a lot of fun, it's the memoir of a woman who worked as a kitchen maid and cook in England. It's a quick read, and it jumps right into the down and dirty details of being in service. There were tons of interesting details about the households -- although in truth, I can't get enough of this and there could have been ten times as many details and I would have been absolutely fine with that. She's obviously quite intelligent (or was, I guess, she died in the 1970s) and conveys her reflections about class, labor, and society succinctly, thoughtfully, and without any hand-wringing. And she had a wry, understated sense of humor that was a pip. There were a few "WELL BACK IN MY DAY" comments that could have been annoying if they were show more preachy or whiny, but you truly got the sense she was arching an eyebrow and than moving right on.

It makes me sad she died 40 years ago, because everything about this memoir made me want to go take her out for drinks. show less

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 differently than slaves. Even though she endured a lot of indignities at the hands of her employers she used her wits to advance her station while not allowing her employers to take away her pride. Her pointed observations on the human condition are often sharp as well as humorous. This book was published in the sixties and has been re released with the success of Downton Abby. Even though the book was written fifty years ago, Powell's wry observations show more are still pertinent to today. Although Margaret did not become the teacher she longed to be by profession, her memoir chronicling the 1940's British class system has enlightened countless people to the struggles and injustices suffered by the "downstairs people" of her day. show less