Karrie's May Pick

Below Stairs:

 The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey"

By Margaret Powell

I love Downton Abbey. Yes, the third season wasn't the best, but I love being taken back to that time period and thinking about the history those people created without even knowing it. Though Margaret Powell does not present us with the dramatic love stories such as Mary and Mathew Crawley or Sybil and Tom Branson, the humor that she fearlessly expresses gives you a realistic picture of what the people "downstairs" were really thinking.

Powell's memoir moves as though it were a novel or a film that flows flawlessly. Her language is simple and pointed - you never have to question what she is talking about. Her way of comparing present to past, and maneuvering her way through the story paints the perfect picture, almost in comic-strip form. From her childhood, describing the struggle her parents went through to provide for a large family (and to find time for private things - which we learn always happened on Sunday while the kids were at Sunday School), to her frightening departure from home into "service," and her desperate pursuit to find a husband, Powell drives us through an invigorating world of slavery and insults, only to find happiness in the end.

Visit my "About Karrie" page to see more of my favorites!