Servants' Hall: A Real Life Upstairs, Downstairs Romance (Below Stairs Book 2)

I have always enjoyed visiting historic manor homes when on vacation in England and other places and at the same time, could not help but wonder what it might have been like to have been "in service" to one of the families who owned such a home.This book answered my questions and provided me with a somewhat gossipy and delicious account from an insider who was there. The book goes into interesting details, describing the hierarchy of servants in a manor house, the bickering and backstabbing that made up a part of that, but also the closeness that developed within the team of servants. Sniping, quirks, "rich man marries servant girl" are all a part of this book. It was well-written and describes the truth. There is resentment by some of class differences and the wide disparities in the lifestyles of the monied and the less fortunate (financially). This book does repeat the theme in an old kernal of wisdom...."Money does not buy happiness." It seems to me that some of the servants were happier than their masters, despite having less material things, and it also seems that people of good character do not depend on money to make them that way. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an inquiring mind and wants to know who is really the master and commander of the vast estates you see on tours of old homes of the rich.

This book is the sequel to "Below Stairs", which is a brief chronicle of the author's life in domestic service. This pretty much covers the same territory, but it fills in the many gaps found in the author's previous book. This book has clearly benefited from better editing, something which had been sorely lacking previously. Consequently, this book has an easy flow to it, as well as some meat on its bones, making it more enjoyable than the other book. This is a much more in depth look at what life below stairs was like for the author and her friends who were also in service. I found it to be of some interest, as the author gives the reader a very good idea of a way of life that is no longer the norm. She also does so with some humor and warmth. Those with an interest in this subject matter should enjoy this book

The author began service as a kitchen maid at the age of 15 in 1922, and lying about her age, became a cook at the young age of 19ish. She worked in a variety of houses, one large country house, establishments owned by prosperous manufacturers, with about 10 staff, and a few struggling households with only 4 staff. So she experienced a large variety of experiences typical for service in that era. Although she couldn't take advantage of a scholarship, having to leave school at the age of 13 to help her parents, she managed to obtain an education. She seems to have experienced roughly 50/50 considerate versus appalling employers. There were so many changes in Britain during this period, and her books offer a personal perspective on this. This book will appeal to anyone interested in this historical period from the point of view of an intelligent, down to earth, and articulate servant.

Margaret Powell has such a witty way with words that each of her books are a joy to read. She gives a lot of detail in her accounts of the other servants and her employers and really does give you good insight into what a working day (and working world) was like in the "good old days." I took the suggestion from another reader and purchased her third book The Treasure Upstairs through Amazon in the UK so I could find out more about her life after she left service. She is a candid and funny writer and addresses every day issues; pre-marital sex and having babies with a candor that is amazing in someone you would think of as from the Victorian era. I highly recommend all three of her books and you will find that they read very quickly and you're done way too soon! If you are a fan of Upstairs, Downstairs or, in my case, Downton Abbey, you can definitely see the influence she had on these series. Read them, you definitely will NOT regret it!

Margaret Powell's Servants' Hall: A Real Life Upstairs, Downstairs is a fascinating narration of life as a member of the British servant class, which was the lot of many if not most Brits throughout the 18th and 19th centuries--and into the 20th. One of the most amazing aspects of the book is how closely it parallels American slave narratives. The experience of 'otherness'--as manifested in servants' vernacular dialects, illiteracy, social invisibility, oppressive labor, and economic exploitation--is articulated in very similar fashion to that of black Americans as slaves and servants, though the British were nominally 'free.' Mrs. Powell's easy, accessible writing style, her sense of humor, incisive social critique, and the many enlivening anecdotes throughout the text contribute to the interest and merit of her book. I am now reading her follow-up autobiography, one that focuses heavily on the tragic failure of an inter-class marriage, with equal interest and appreciation.

This was a fun read. Entertaining and surprisingly insightful. If you are interested in British social history you’ll enjoy it.

I really like Margaret Powell's style of writing and her books offer great insight into the world of servants in the early 1900's. This book covers some of the material as Climbing the Stairs, but provides more detail about the characters. I have also read Below Stairs which is also very entertaining. I am a big fan of Downton Abbey, which is what got me started on Margaret Powell's books. Her books are easy reads that you can easily pick back up again. I enjoy reading them over again.

This book was funny, sad, ironic, and full of sarcasm all at the same time. The portrait painted of a servant’s life in those times is very interesting. I really enjoyed it- as I did the other book she wrote.

As a fan of Downton Abbey , I had to know more about servants. It is amazing how not so long ago this was the way of life for many. People really did believe that this was their :"Station in LIfe" and to try to rise about it was wrong. hard work but happy days for some. Butlers could be the most dreadful snobs even about their previous employers and this part of social history is fascinating. could not put it down, she writes so well and from experience with humor too.

Cheap

Margaret once again provides the true state of a servants life, if you have read her previous books you will find some of her incidents repeated here, but still giving much food for thought.

All good 1 of the best books I have ever read

very good