Dorothy Whipple, Blackburn born writer

At the moment, the day to day minutiae as you say, of women and men’s lives in another age is very comforting.
The regularity of the domestic life, the order brought about by servants has the same appeal as watching Downton Abbey.
I personally would not like live in staff, but it calms me reading about families living this lifestyle.

Too exciting at times, when I’d have preferred a quiet life! These events usually ended up costing us money.

Gosh. Sounds exciting. Write a book about it?

We have had maids/stewards in the house when we lived abroad. It was really quite onerous, as we became more than mere employers, and you get entangled in their lives. We had a murder and a stillbirth to deal with as well as a load of more mundane things.

I would find it a bit embarrassing trying to come up with things for maids to do. Especially live in ones. If you had eg 2 maids and a cook what on earth would I do all day?

Jane10, I always have that impression after reading that type of period book. Trouble is, in real life, I’m more likely to have been the maid than the one being waited upon.

I absolutely love Dorothy Whipple's books. I'm so sad that I've now read them all. I found 'Someone at a distance' such a page turner!
Now I'm back in the 21st century and find that, somehow, I manage without maids and cooks. It was a different world - but I loved reading about it.
I'm now rereading 'Miss Buncle's Book'. Lovely.

I meant to say Someone at a Distance and will order The Priory SueDonim.

I’ve read one of hers, something Hall? No, The Priory. She’s a very good writer of the minutiae of women’s lives at her time.