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63rd out of 355 books
—
607 voters
Rose: My Life In Service
On August 6, 1918, an eighteen-year-old Yorkshire girl named Rose Harrison launched a career which soon catapulted her into lifelong intimacy with one of England's most famous families. She slept in palaces and fabulous titled estates, traveled to nearly a dozen foreign countries (including America, where she received VIP treatment at the Waldorf Astoria), cared for a pric...more
Hardcover, 237 pages
Published
October 20th 1975
by Viking Adult
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Rose: My Life in Service
by Rosina Harrison
With the tremendous curiosity that the hugely popular Downton Abbey has generated about the British class system when every "Lady" had her personal maid and every" Gentleman" his personal gentleman or valet, this memoir originally written in 1975 was re-issued in 2011.
Rosina Harrison was born in a small Yorkshire village near Ripon in 1899 to a proud but poor hard working family. As a small girl she was put to task which would prepare her for the only po...more
by Rosina Harrison
With the tremendous curiosity that the hugely popular Downton Abbey has generated about the British class system when every "Lady" had her personal maid and every" Gentleman" his personal gentleman or valet, this memoir originally written in 1975 was re-issued in 2011.
Rosina Harrison was born in a small Yorkshire village near Ripon in 1899 to a proud but poor hard working family. As a small girl she was put to task which would prepare her for the only po...more
The author, a ladies' maid to Lady Astor, was clearly in awe of her mistress. Lady Astor was an American, a bit racist, the first female member of The House of Commons, and an interesting subject herself. The book is a bit repetitive and from the point of view of a servant, albeit a rather sophisticated and well-trained servant. She lived well, traveled with Lady Astor all over the world, and they entertained lavishly.
It describes a world that is only lived today by royalty.
Interesting much li...more
It describes a world that is only lived today by royalty.
Interesting much li...more
Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor by Rosina Harrison
I was interested in learning about what it was like to be a servant to a woman of power. Rosina Harrison’s book was interesting but I found it more interesting in the beginning, when it was about her as she began her life in service as a junior lady’s maid to her rise to lady’s maid. I wanted to hear more about her duties and her travels. I really did really care about Lady Astor so much but that’s what this book is ultimately about, and i...more
I was interested in learning about what it was like to be a servant to a woman of power. Rosina Harrison’s book was interesting but I found it more interesting in the beginning, when it was about her as she began her life in service as a junior lady’s maid to her rise to lady’s maid. I wanted to hear more about her duties and her travels. I really did really care about Lady Astor so much but that’s what this book is ultimately about, and i...more
This one, provided by netgalley, was published in the 1970s, so it might seem a little outdated, but I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It gave absolutely fascinating insights into the lives of the upper- and lower-classes in the first half of the 20th century, as told by a woman who saw it with her own eyes, and generally didn't lose her sense of perspective.
It reads like something your grandmother would say, full of wise words, bizarre admonishments and fascinating insights into a time long p...more
It reads like something your grandmother would say, full of wise words, bizarre admonishments and fascinating insights into a time long p...more
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As I have entered full-blown Downton Abbey mania, I was curious to read this memoir by Rosina (Rose) Harrison, who was lady's maid to Lady Nancy Astor for 35 years. It is a fascinating look at the "downstairs" aspect of service to British aristocracy in the early 1900's, but is is also a wonderful account of the unusually close relationship between Rose and Lady Astor. Servants are often thought of as menial, existing only to serve and be invisible. Although that was often the case, servants to...more
I bought this book in the shop at Cliveden which once belonged to the Astors. It describes a lifestyle which existed for many years in England and is now defunct (probably a good thing). What's interesting about this book is the complicated relationship between Rose the maid and Lady Astor. Although Rose had a lot of respect for her, Lady Astor clearly irritated and frustrated her in many ways. Lady Astor doesn't come across as very likeable however I suspect she was fairly typical for a woman...more
This is a niche read, in that I think it would only interest we Anglophiles who want to know more about that Edwardian "Downton Abbey" era, but it does serve that purpose well. It details the author's life as a lady's maid to the mercurial Lady Astor, who was an American turned aristocrat Brit, first female Member of Parliament, and suspected Nazi sympathizer, just to name a few tidbits.
"Rose" is written in more of a chatty, talkative voice than a literary one, and the iffy grammar and vernacula...more
"Rose" is written in more of a chatty, talkative voice than a literary one, and the iffy grammar and vernacula...more
This was an absolutely fascinating book--almost like reading about an alien life form! It confounds the mind to read about a woman who led such a life as this--a life that is so far from what most of us consider normal that it is almost as if we are two different creatures on the same planet.
Rosina Harrison spent her entire life in servitude to the Astor Family, one of the richest, most powerful and influential families in both America and Britain. For almost 40 years, Rose worked for the Astor...more
Rosina Harrison spent her entire life in servitude to the Astor Family, one of the richest, most powerful and influential families in both America and Britain. For almost 40 years, Rose worked for the Astor...more
An excellent companion piece to "Downton Abbey" and "Upstairs, Downstairs" -- this recollection of her thirty-five years of service to Nancy Astor by personal maid Rosina Harrison was a fascinating story. The photos that accompany the text are great too. Now I'm interested to explore more about the life of Lady Astor and those who lived "upstairs" in the first half of 20th century Britain.
This was a lucky find and a joy to read. I liked the major part of the book when Rose is maid to Lady Astor as the Astors had a huge influence in my home City of Plymouth and my Mother remembers her well. The wartime chapter was particularly poignant as Plymouth was utterly devastated during the blitz and both my parents experienced, and survived, that too.
This book was interesting, though I usually like those 'upstairs/downstairs' books anyway. However, I found this a very uneven read. Parts I found really interesting, others boring. Often the author would just list events in her life, much like a short diary entry, other times she went into some detail. Even so, I still didn't get a good grasp on what it was like to be a servant to the Astors.
Enjoyable for what it was, glad I read it, but this topic interests me very much and I wish it could ha...more
Enjoyable for what it was, glad I read it, but this topic interests me very much and I wish it could ha...more
Rose Harrison was lady's maid for Nancy Astor, first woman member of Parliament and a highly demanding wife of Lord Astor, owner of Cliveden...a huge English estate. There is plenty of interesting travel, entertaining, and day to day details but the plodding writing style made me lose interest and resort to skimming.
This is a great little book, written in 1975. Well written and great for fans of Downton Abbey and say, Jane Austen books! It is both enlightening if you don't know the history of the time and entertaining as well. The author, lady's maid to Nancy, Lady Astor, must have been a great lady in her own right!
Have read other accounts of ' life in sevice' which I enjoyed more. Lady Astor was a thoroughly unpleasant woman, and although Rose appeared to gain her respect, she nevertheless still had the upperhand. There were some interesting snippets , but on the whole not as interesting as it should have been.
This memoir, originally published in 1975, is an interesting portrait of the times and of a young woman who knew what she wanted from her life (to travel) and attained her goal. She approached her 35 years working for Lady Astor (not the most easy person to work for) with humor.
This is not my normal read. I bought it among others at a flea market to put in our fishing cabin. Last month I picked it up and started reading it just out of curiousity and ended up reading the whole thing. It is about the personal maid of Mrs. Astor. What a life they lead and what a relationship was forged between these two. It was quite interesting and a slice of life that I am not sure exists any more. Maybe the Royal's still have such huge households of people serving them. I am going to s...more
This book was interesting but a little hard to get through. Obviously the author wrote it herself and in some ways that made it interesting and in other boring. I was interested in what it was like to be a servant in that era of English life and the author covers this extensively.
This is a memoir of a lady's maid in early 20th century England. Rose served Lady Astor. It was very interesting to read her stories, but the organization was terrible. It read like ramblings, and talked more about Lady Astor than about service. Which was her intent, just to tell about her (Rose's) life, which for 35 years was in service to Lady Astor, so of course much of the book is about Lady Astor. Anyway, not bad.
This fascinated me. As a middle-class American, I read and reread Austen and Heyer and marvel at the nobility portrayed, but _Rose_ sheds much needed light on the other side of the coin. It's a favorable (or at least not hostile) look at servant life; I wish I could find more books like this one. I find that autobiographies by "ordinary" people are never unbiased; that's not their goal. But they are always fascinating and enlightening about real conditions in their time periods, less about "spin...more
I didn't connect with either Rose or Mrs. Astor. I wanted to be drawn into the life of a lady's maid, but felt the writing was too removed. It was interesting, but nothing to rave about.
I maybe got a little too into Downton Abbey. I'm not apologizing, just saying that Downton Abbey is 100% the reason why I read this book. And also probably why I gave it three stars. This woman was the real life O'Brien. I don't think I cared for her much, but some of the little details of her life in service were really interesting. She totally glossed over the Astors' Nazi sympathizing, but I guess that's what wikipedia is for.
Very interesting gives a real glimpse into the lives of those in service as times changed over the 20th century.
Along the lines of "Below Stairs," but with more detail and focused on the relationship between Rose, a lady's maid and her employer, Lady Astor.
This is a delightful memoir written by the maid of the aristocrat Viscountess Astor, the first woman to sit as a Member of Parliament in the UK House of Commons. It follows the highs and lows of the relationship between the two women, right from the stormy beginnings to the fondness they developed towards each other in the last years. Absolutely fascinating!
If you are a fan of "Upstairs Downstairs", "Downton Abbey" or other period dramas featuring lords, ladies and their servants, you will enjoy...more
If you are a fan of "Upstairs Downstairs", "Downton Abbey" or other period dramas featuring lords, ladies and their servants, you will enjoy...more
Had its moments, but kind of tough to get through.
One of the best memoirs I've read this year. Great read!
Rose Harrison was the personal lady's maid to Nancy Astor, the divorced American woman who became the wife of Lord Astor and a Member of Parliament in Great Britian. This book is an interesting look inside the life of the aristocracy and the working classes of England during the World War I-II period of history. It is also an admittedly biased but revealing look at Nancy Astor, who was nothing if not a complicated, often contrary personality. Rose clearly loved and admired Lady Astor, but speaks...more
For Downton Abbey fans
Lovely little book by Rose Harrison, who was Lady Nancy Astor's personal maid for over 30 years. Rose's tone is a bit stiff, nearly Victorian, but certainly authentic. Her love of her employer shows in every word. A vivid and engaging portrait of a life in service which took a young Yorkshire girl all over the world and back again. Covers the war in chilling detail, fearlessly examines famous personalities and has enough jewelry mentioned to make even me happy.
A very lively account of being a lady's maid in Edwardian and WWI/WWII England. Rose Harrison worked for Lady Astor for more than three decades and this memoir, while rather simply written in style, has quite a few treasures in its pages. Recommended if you are a fan of the series, Downton Abbey.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Downto...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Downto...
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