Margaret Powell's memoir Below Stairs is growing up in a poor in money but rich in love with her family in a small village near London, England and her life in domestic service in the 1920s. It is simply wonderful. Her other memoirs Climbing the Stairs and Servants Hall and her Cookery Book are next on my list. It's more like listening to your favorite aunt sitting at the kitchen with you over fresh-baked cookies and glasses of homemade lemonade while retelling stories of her childhood and life in the early part of the 20th century. You HAVE to read it!. Julian Fellowes read her books and they were the inspiration behind the extremely popular BBC series Downton Abbey, that is watched by us in the states on PBS Masterpiece. Loved this book. This is a true story and because I am obsessed with Downton Abbey I immediately wanted to read it to get a true feeling for the life of a maid. Her insights and life story give true meaning to a life of hard work that is not glamorous in the least. She truly claws her way up the ladder with the ultimate goal being to meet a man to take her out of this life of service. It provides a great picture of the England during class wars of the times. Margaret Powell works for many different households and 2/3 of the owners, although wealthy, are not nice people. It is rare that she works in a wonderful household where the owners treat her with the respect every human being deserves no matter the class. She prevails in the end. Great book!
Very prosaic writing, but still interesting…especially for a Downton Abbey fan. :)
—Brooke
After downton abbey I became obsessed with anything of that period. Loved this book
—Mayo
Not just Downton Abbey fans will learn a few things--historical, and practical.
—rspotter8123
