Tales From Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
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. It was a far cry from her childhood on the beaches of Hove, where money and food were scarce, but warmth and laughter never were. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to raucous tea-dances with errand boys, 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. Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Tales from Below Stairs is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman, who, though her position was lowly, never stopped aiming high.This is bind-up of Below Stairs and Climbing the Stairs.
"'Enormous gusto, salty humour, wisdom' Evening Standard 'Shrewd, unabashed, wickedly funny, a unique front-line report of her life's experiences' Jack De Manio, BBC"
Margaret Powell was born in Hove in 1907 and became a kitchen maid at fifteen, eventually progressing to cook. In 1968 the first volume of her memoirs, Below Stairs, was published to instant success, turning her into a celebrity. She followed this up with Climbing the Stairs, The Treasure Upstairs and The Margaret Powell Cookery Book as well as co-authoring three novels, tie-ins to the television series Beryl's Lot, which was based on her life story. She died in 1984.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781447211839 |
| ISBN 10 | 1447211839 |
| Title | Tales From Below Stairs |
| Author | Margaret Powell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
| Year published | 2013-01-03 |
| Number of pages | 432 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |