Do you enjoy reading about times past? I do. So much of what we think we know about the Victorian Era is about the fashion, the furniture and the wealthy. In this book Goodman tells us what life was like for "you and me".
*How to be a Victorian*
Ruth Goodman
If you want to know how the average Victorians looked, sounded, felt and smelled this is the book with the information.
Goodman is a British social historian and has tried living with many of the things she writes about including wearing period clothes, the labor intensive laundering of said clothes by hand and the uses of 19th century hygiene.
The book is well researched. Each section of the book deals with a particular part of life, fashion, medicine, food, etc. so although it is a big book you read it in sections and not all at once.
I really enjoyed finding out about the lives of ordinary folks in the Victorian era.
I will have to search for this book. I 'm sure people who live NOW have much better lives. ;)
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting! I never thought about how hard it must have been to launder those clothes!
ReplyDeleteI think life back then would've been harder than I can imagine. I love the modern conveniences! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for a book recommendation, Darla. Will put it on my library list. As to laundering the clothes...have washboard (decoratively hung in the bathroom with a lot of old "soap savers"), could try it.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteI remember the time, when we did not have a washing machine at my childhood home. Those machines came to our part of the world much later than in USA. Doing the laundry was time consuming, especially during the wintertime.
I love her TV shows, too!
ReplyDeleteOH, this sounds fascinating. I can hardly fathom what life was like before deodorant and antiperspirant. I do a lot of hand washing, so I can empathize, but not about personal hygiene. Thanks for introducing me to this book.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds really interesting! :)
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