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The Gentle Art Of Domesticity
by
Jane Brocket
Jane Brocket delights in domesticity. Lively, curious, and creative, she takes inspiration from her surroundings, from art, literature, and nature, and expresses her passion through the gentle arts of needlework, cooking, gardening, and homemaking—and now through her writing. In The Gentle Art of Domesticity Brocket celebrates everything that is, and can be, wonderful abou
...morePaperback, 288 pages
Published
2007
by Hodder & Stoughton
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How do I loathe this "book"? Let me count the ways:
1) Faux Book
It takes more than a cover and pages to make a book. This appears to be a printout of blogposts, without the interactivity of an actual blog and without the structure of an actual book. While there is a table of contents, and there are "chapters," this "book" has no real bones to it. There's no thesis the author develops and the chapters are thrown together.
2) Faux Feminism
Convincing your husband to do the "domesticated" tasks of, s...more
1) Faux Book
It takes more than a cover and pages to make a book. This appears to be a printout of blogposts, without the interactivity of an actual blog and without the structure of an actual book. While there is a table of contents, and there are "chapters," this "book" has no real bones to it. There's no thesis the author develops and the chapters are thrown together.
2) Faux Feminism
Convincing your husband to do the "domesticated" tasks of, s...more
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An enormous, thoughtful, beautiful book, perfect for anyone with any leanings at all toward domesticity. Makes me yearn to spend my days reading Jane Eyre, baking bread and growing tomatos. This book makes me realize how many small simple ways there are to make my home life more special. I got my copy from Amazon UK (they have international shipping), not sure if it's available in the US yet.
Mar 22, 2008
Louise
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
crafty divas, artists
Recommended to Louise by:
782371
A good friend of mine gave me this book so I could join her crusade to stomp out feminism. Okay, maybe not the stomping part. The book has, however, created some controversy because some women are saying it simply it "glorifies" all things domestic and by doing so (as part of the whole crafty/domestic movement) it's going to help undo 40 years of feminism. But I'm going to say what so many others have said - feminism is about choice and about supporting each other. If supporting each other means...more
May 20, 2008
JayeL
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
someone who loves color and design
Recommended to JayeL by:
Jane Brocket and MavAnna
Shelves:
own
I bought this book after reading several critical reviews. I bought it because I love the photos and words on Brocket's blog. It is totally worth the price even if you never read the text.
I have devoured all of the pictures and slowly made my way through the text. Brocket is an excellent and thoughtful writer. There are so many good thoughts that the photos offer a welcome diversion to some of the text. Not in a bad way, but in a way that allows me to process the words.
The photos are similar to...more
I have devoured all of the pictures and slowly made my way through the text. Brocket is an excellent and thoughtful writer. There are so many good thoughts that the photos offer a welcome diversion to some of the text. Not in a bad way, but in a way that allows me to process the words.
The photos are similar to...more
Nov 14, 2008
Kathleen Roberts
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
crafters, designers, cooks
Recommended to Kathleen by:
Bookshop Santa Cruz
This book is beautiful! You do have to love color, yarn, quilts and looking at neon-colored cupcakes, though. The writing is average, something many people might write in their diary. However, there is so much inspiration in here to remember the "gentle arts" that (mostly) women have performed though the centuries. It reminds us that in this overly technological wordl, we can still enjoy simple earthy pleasures together. Check out the pumpkin tea cosy!
dipping into now and then, and really enjoying it
Just picked this up on Valentines day whilst roaming the isles of B&N waiting for my kids to go to sleep. I love books/people/blogs/anything that elevates the art of domesticity. It's a fine line between sheer drudgery and taking pleasure in building your nest. Books like this one inspire and remind me to enjoy the journey. Also, she involves her kids in so many of the things she does. I am trying to be better at that.
Sep 24, 2008
Gina House
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who enjoys the arts of knitting, sewing, cooking and quilting.
Recommended to Gina by:
Marion from Knitting
Only 2 books in my life have been put on the "LIFE BIBLE" shelf...not to have anything to do with religion, but because these books have changed my life in a great way somehow. This book is one of them. I savored every page, waiting for a time before bed when I could sip a cup of tea, snuggle under the sheets and read each page slowly and carefully. It not only inspired me, but brought me joy, laughter and a feeling of "yes, this is me". Truly, truly a remarkable and extremely enjoyable book. LO...more
I had postponed reading this book for several years as I had been (as might be described in Jane Austen's Persuasion) "persuaded" by an older, more well-read (at least when it came to the subject of domestic arts) friend that the book was haphazard and inaccurate. On a holiday whim, I added it to my Amazon wishlist in hopes of a secondhand copy to test my friend's theory.
I've read just 50 pages or so and I feel vindicated to have bypassed the prejudices and given this book a chance.
Rather than a...more
I've read just 50 pages or so and I feel vindicated to have bypassed the prejudices and given this book a chance.
Rather than a...more
Odd how a word expressly designed to describe pursuits that are clean, orderly, and wholesome can come to mean things gritty, repressing and yes, dirty but that is the case with the word domestic and its derivatives: domesticity, domestication, domestics, domestically. That is until I read these words in the introduction of this delectable book by Jane Brocket:
"There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication. This book is about domesticity and pleasures and joys of the gent...more
"There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication. This book is about domesticity and pleasures and joys of the gent...more
The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket has been my morning coffee reading. Visually, it's a lovely book. I ordered it shortly after it was first published in the UK. At the time, it was not available in the U.S. and I had a copy shipped from London. It felt it was worth it, just for the illustrations.
Jane Brocket does have some charming thoughts about the domestic arts. However, this is not a perfect book. I have to agree with other reviewers who have remarked that the book reads too muc...more
Jane Brocket does have some charming thoughts about the domestic arts. However, this is not a perfect book. I have to agree with other reviewers who have remarked that the book reads too muc...more
I'm a regular reader of Brocket's blog and share her affection for Persephone books. I've paged through this numerous times in bookstores and finally decided to get it from the library. I didn't expect to read it all, but found that I enjoyed reading it in leisurely chunks at the breakfast table or before bed. If I had tried to read it straight through, I think I might have found it all A Bit Too Much and wondered if Brocket's life, home, and family were really all that perfect.
The photography i...more
The photography i...more
Here are delicious photography, if over-sweet, and prose as familiar and comfortable as chocolate milk. Then, as I read, I started to wonder if the milk had gone off, because, well, I couldn't say why. On "the domestic library," she writes, "As I get older, I find I am happier to reread rather than spend (waste?) time with unknown and possibly disappointing books." Is that, I wonder, encouragement to enjoy another kind of pleasure or acknowledgement of an atrophied sense of adventure? She notes...more
I want to quilt...This book is a terrible indulgence; it's impossible to do anything but bake or desire better sewing/knitting skills. I both like and loathe the lack of patterns.
Jun 15, 2010
Melissa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
knitty-things-that-rock
Brocket makes the distinction between "domesticated" - meaning the scut work of cleaning, scrubbing, laundry, etc. - and "domesticity" which is the fun stuff like baking, knitting, gardening...in short, creating.
She creates a lot in her life - yummy cakes, colorful quilts, lush garden plots - and her book is derived from her blog "yarnstorm". She writes a lot about inspiration for her crafts, from books to paintings, garden colors translated into a quilt, etc. and takes beautiful pictures to boo...more
She creates a lot in her life - yummy cakes, colorful quilts, lush garden plots - and her book is derived from her blog "yarnstorm". She writes a lot about inspiration for her crafts, from books to paintings, garden colors translated into a quilt, etc. and takes beautiful pictures to boo...more
This is such a delightful book. Brocket is a talented and engaging writer, and obviously a talented domestician. This is a book you actually want to *read* instead of just looking at the (adorable) pictures. I love how the topics are divided up, making the path to domesticity an achievable and enjoyable one. A must for anyone who enjoys the home arts. A wonderful source for books, movies, and travel ideas as well.
I bought this book in a moment of weakness, basking in the "I have a full-time job again" glow. How could I not? The cover is mostly pink and features thread, yarn, cookies, flowers, fabric... in other words, more than a few of my favorite things. (Note: the photo here is from the UK edition, I think.) I'm a sucker for attractive books and as a lover of things domestic (except cleaning), I responded to this tome's siren call.
As I climbed into the book, I learned that Jane Brocket has a domestica...more
As I climbed into the book, I learned that Jane Brocket has a domestica...more
Jan 13, 2012
Karen Yingling
added it
Okay. Really, I was looking at a catalog for middle grade books and saw Spotty, Stripy, Swirly. Since I am always looking for good nonfiction, I investigated further at my public library (which didn't have any of the Jane Brock's Clever Concept Books from Lerner at all.) and found this. Which I had to have, for no particularly good professional reason.
I enjoyed it, but it made me feel a little bad. I've been quilting for 30 years, and knitting for 43 and could have done a blog like Yarnstorm and...more
I enjoyed it, but it made me feel a little bad. I've been quilting for 30 years, and knitting for 43 and could have done a blog like Yarnstorm and...more
I very much enjoyed this, but I confess that I found it a little bit repetitive by the end. I like the idea of a book that is more inspiration than patterns/to-dos/how-to, but I eventually started to feel this was making several of the same points over and over rather than drawing to a conclusion. It's possible that I felt this way because I was a stalwart reader of the author's blog and the material here is not radically different. Still, it is lovely, and the photography is top notch. You real...more
I was rather disappointed by this book. I expected it to be something of a celebration of the beauty of home, but found it was very half-hearted in that. As long as something is inherently decorative and largely purposeless, Jane Brockett approves of it (for example, embroidery and making ridiculously over-decorated cakes). But she is very scathing and derisory about most of what I would term domestic arts, and regards things that are generally useful (for example, cooking dinners as opposed to...more
May 11, 2009
Heidi
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Heidi by:
Holly O'Keefe
Well, I really enjoyed this book--even though I had to read it one eyed! My sister recommended this book to me when I saw her at Easter. It's not a book about housekeeping and efficiency. It's all about enjoyment and making our homes more lovely--even more homey.
I enjoyed every single page of this book, and it inspired me with a ton of new ideas--both the author's and my own.
In the afterword, the author, Jane Brocket, pens these words: "I was wondering how to explain what I believe is the key to...more
I enjoyed every single page of this book, and it inspired me with a ton of new ideas--both the author's and my own.
In the afterword, the author, Jane Brocket, pens these words: "I was wondering how to explain what I believe is the key to...more
Before I get started, the author kind of looked like Marie- only Marie is prettier and not an idiot.
Okay. I was so excited for this book to only find out that it was just a random mismatch of very unimportant information! Want to know what movies this author likes but have no importance to your life at all? Read this book! Want to look at somewhat cute cakes and kind of pretty knitted projects but not have a pattern/ recipe to learn how to make them? Read this book! It was kind of like a really...more
Okay. I was so excited for this book to only find out that it was just a random mismatch of very unimportant information! Want to know what movies this author likes but have no importance to your life at all? Read this book! Want to look at somewhat cute cakes and kind of pretty knitted projects but not have a pattern/ recipe to learn how to make them? Read this book! It was kind of like a really...more
Brocket's book effectively makes the case that domesticity is much more than cooking and crafts. Her sensible use of literary framing and appreciation for the arts helps us all to understand the extraordinary connections between domestic life and art appreciation. While our American sensibilities may appreciate crafts and cookery, we have not been able to successfully incorporate a full sense of the creative, historical or truly artistic attributes domesticity can offer. She effectively argues f...more
I didn't even make it past pg 15. I felt like I was reading slightly pretentious essays. I might not even mind reading slightly pretentious essays if they were at all inspiring, interesting, or thought provoking. But reading someone's (not so interesting) journal, that isn't especially entertaining or inspiring? No thanks.
I also didn't like how it jumped from one idea to another so quickly, although retrospectively I'm thinking it might be good bathroom reading. I guess if I owned the book I'd...more
I also didn't like how it jumped from one idea to another so quickly, although retrospectively I'm thinking it might be good bathroom reading. I guess if I owned the book I'd...more
Love her blog "Yarn Storm" and her book is just like her blog -- beautiful pictures and the joy of things in life that make being at home enjoyable.
This is an excellent tribute to the "feminine arts" that is enjoyable even for a 21st century single girl. Beautifully photographed, it's filled with stories, facts, lists, that make you want to go out and create something. There are also a few recipes that looked quite simple and tasty.
I would recommend it to anyone who likes cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening, etc. Don't be put off by the title, it is not endorsing the barefoot, pregnant in the kitchen image that the word domestic now seems...more
I would recommend it to anyone who likes cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening, etc. Don't be put off by the title, it is not endorsing the barefoot, pregnant in the kitchen image that the word domestic now seems...more
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Love her photography, and she has a nice way with words. I probably enjoyed it so much because I love many of the same things she does: reading (especially older books), old movies, gardening, flowers, knitting, domestic beauty, and hearth and home. It's fun to see her perspective on these same subjects, and like her, I lament that domestic arts are not pursued as much as they once were. I think all young people should take both cooking, home management and sewing (...more
Read this book slowly; savor it. It's really lovely.
Jan 30, 2008
Lia
marked it as to-read
I love the blog, I can't WAIT to read the book.
I loved this book...lots of short little essays (or musings, really) on the different aspects of her domesticity. Lots of knitting and quilting talk, along with the joys of sharing her "domestic" arts with her three children (one boy and two girls). She is a book-person, a lapsed PhD in British Lit, and her novel, art and film choices reflect that background and training. But, the book inspired me to take up my slightly dusty knitting needles this weekend so I would highly recommend it for some...more
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[From the author's website:]
My first book The Gentle Art of Domesticity was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2007. My second book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer was published by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2008 and my third book with Hodder Ripping Things to Do was published in July 2009. September 2008 saw the publication in the USA of The Gentle Art of Domesticity by STC Crafts/Mel...more
More about Jane Brocket...
My first book The Gentle Art of Domesticity was published by Hodder & Stoughton in October 2007. My second book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer was published by Hodder & Stoughton in July 2008 and my third book with Hodder Ripping Things to Do was published in July 2009. September 2008 saw the publication in the USA of The Gentle Art of Domesticity by STC Crafts/Mel...more
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