Wednesday, February 13, 2013

"Rose My Life In Service to Lady Astor" My Thoughts


In 1928, Rosina Harrison arrived at the illustrious household of the Astor family to take up her new position as personal maid to the infamously temperamental Lady Nancy Astor, who sat in Parliament, entertained royalty, and traveled the world. "She's not a lady as you would understand a lady" was the butler's ominous warning. But what no one expected was that the iron-willed Lady Astor was about to meet her match in the no-nonsense, whip-smart girl from the country.

For 35 years, from the parties thrown for royalty and trips across the globe, to the air raids during WWII, Rose was by Lady Astor's side and behind the scenes, keeping everything running smoothly. In charge of everything from the clothes and furs to the baggage to the priceless diamond "sparklers," Rose was closer to Lady Astor than anyone else. In her decades of service she received one 5 raise, but she traveled the world in style and retired with a lifetime's worth of stories. Like Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, Rose is a captivating insight into the great wealth 'upstairs' and the endless work 'downstairs', but it is also the story of an unlikely decades-long friendship that grew between Her Ladyship and her spirited Yorkshire maid.


My Thoughts...
This is a memoir by Rosina (Rose) Harrison, it is a behind the scenes look at the life of Rose as she ministered to Lady Nancy Astor. Not knowing much about Lady Nancy Astor I googled her and read more about her history. She was one of the leading ladies of the early 1900s.

I found this book and interesting book about Rose a lady's maid for 35 years to Lady Astor. I think I especially found it interesting because of my interest in the TV show, "Downton Abbey."

Rose recalls many memories of the Astor family, day-to-day life with them, and her life's wish to travel and see the world. This wish was fulfilled after she bacame the lady's maid to Lady Astor. This was a delightful look back to times almost a hundred years ago.

I found this a fascinating read and since as I said I like "Downton Abbey" this became a must read on my list of books to read this year. I can even feel some of the storyline of Downton Abbey in this book. If you are a "Downton Abbey" fan I think you will probably enjoy reading this book. I found this book both interesting and educational. I enjoyed this book so much I awarded it 4****

This book is part of my Nook Library.

2 comments:

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  2. This sounds very enjoyable! I don't know much about Lady Nancy Astor either. I need to watch Downton Abbey--I keep hearing that it is so good!

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