For any girl who's tried to be crafty

books:

	• One Pair of Hands Monica Dickens Academy Chicago Publishers, 1988 - 220 pages average customer review:based on 12 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

hilarious

Not only have I throughly enjoyed this tale relating the author's brief career "below stairs", but I've lent it around and everyone who's read it has loved it too. Highly recommended for "upstairs/downstairs" types, for humor, for those who are interested in mid 20 century london below stairs life, or for Monica Dickens fans -- grab her "Talking of Horses" too.

What a Hoot!!

This was one of the most delightful books I have read in ages. Monica Dickens (great-granddaughter of Charles), despite her privileged upbringing, despite being presented at Court as a debutante, is bored and has little desire to do the rounds of social events expected of a young upper class girl in the mid 1930s. And so she decides to try her hand at domestic service. If you have ever enjoyed watching the wonderful "Upstairs Downstairs" series or reading other tales which reflect the upstairs downstairs lives of the British class system, this is for you. It is light, entertaining and the author writes so fluidly, it has inspired me to begin reading more of her works.

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For any girl who's tried to be crafty

"One Pair of Hands" by Monica Dickens clearly demonstrates that writing skills are genetic. Like her great-grandfather Charles, Monica Dickens knows how to write well. The book is charming. It chronicles her life during her twenties when she decides to try her hand at domestic service out of sheer boredom. As they say, hilarity ensues! Readers who have ever made a complete mess in the kitchen or have ever had a stingy boss can relate whole-heartedly to her trials and tribulations.

Light Reading

I really enjoyed this book. A look at the "downstairs" side of servitude, and some funny vignettes. Well written. Writing must run in the family - the author is the great(?) granddaughter of Charles Dickens.

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Interesting Glimpse

An quick and easy to read book, but thouroughly fascinating. Monica Dickens describes the life of a cook-general in 1930s England. The upper classmen she meets are described excellently. She meets a lazy bachelor, enigmatic owner of a vast country estate, and a kind family, her last employees. This book is not long and engages readers. The only thing i didn't like was that the only personal reflection included in the book was left to the end. The rest of the book was devoted to her life and the people she meets. However, i recommed this excellent book.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

After being expelled from drama schools and exhausted by the deb party circuit, Monica Dickens takes on the role of cook-general for the English upper classes. While frantically trying to cook and clean for a succession of employers -- the abusive bachelor fashion designer, the spatting newlyweds, the elusive Lady W. and her vast country estate, and the almost too-kind Vaughan family, among others -- she subjects herself to all the degradations and delights of life as a servant in England in the 1930s.

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