The Housekeeper's Tale

The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House

By: Tessa Boase

Narrated by: Tessa Boase

Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Working as a housekeeper was one of the most prestigious jobs a 19th and early 20th-century woman could want - and also one of the toughest. A far cry from the Downton Abbey fiction, the real life Mrs. Hughes was up against featured capricious mistresses, low pay, no job security, and grueling physical labor. Until now, her story has never been told.

The Housekeeper's Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving ambition that shaped these women's careers. Using secret diaries, unpublished letters, and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of five working women who ran some of Britain's most prominent households.

Dorothy Doar was Regency housekeeper for the obscenely wealthy first Duke and Duchess of Sutherland at Trentham Hall, Staffordshire. Sarah Wells, a deaf and elderly Victorian (mother to H.G. Wells), was in charge of Uppark, West Sussex. Ellen Penketh was Edwardian cook-housekeeper at the impecunious Erddig Hall in the Welsh borders. Hannah Mackenzie ran Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, Britain's first country-house war hospital. Grace Higgens was cook-housekeeper to the Bloomsbury set at Charleston farmhouse in East Sussex for half a century.

Revelatory, gripping and unexpectedly poignant, The Housekeeper's Tale champions the invisible women behind the English country house.

New version - now with no music.

©2014 Tessa Boase (P)2016 Tessa Boase

Good book

I loved the story of the First Lady .... very interesting. Worth giving a listen to.

Fascinating

Riveting, informative, so well written that mundane details become exciting. I almost passed it up due to comments about the music- in total, music was about 1 minute of the entire recording, and was only for a few seconds at a time, so not a factor for me at all. The narrator was excellent and I am very happy I purchased this one.

Niche market

It was OK. 3.5 stars. Probably the most interesting part came at the end talking about a modern Housekeeper's responsibilities and the interview with her. The rest of it was a different version of similar biographies of those "in service".

A great history of every day people

This is a great account of the lives of every day working women. The author did a great job of portraying the lives of housekeepers in a time when the distinction between classes and knowing your place in the order of things was the glue that kept everything together.

Several reviews mention the music being abrupt. I am at a loss as to why. I listened to this using headphones and did not find the musical interludes intrusive or loud. I also did not find the music helpful to the story, so it could have been left out completely.

Very interesting and well performed

I enjoyed Tessa Boase’s voice and performance. This book had more stories in it than I expected and flows very well. I appreciate her time and research into the lives of people that never would’ve expected someone to do so.

good concept for a book

I really enjoyed the historical portion of this book. the narrator was easy to listen to and the story was equally as entertaining. That being said the music in between the chapters was too loud and it was like listening to Nails on a chalkboard.

Rolling of saliva later in the book gets too much

For the last few hours of the book, the rolling of saliva every few sentences is just too noticeable to enjoy the book. I've turned the volume down, I've walked far away from the computer, and I can still hear it. It is gross and distracting and makes it difficult to listen to what she's saying. I got too annoyed to keep listening.

There are sounds of book page turning from time to time too. The author is actually a voiceover artist, but the production is still not as professional as the better books. I didn't have a problem with the music.

The book's content itself is fine. First 2/3 is more enjoyable. Last 1/3 has the problem above, and the stories are less interesting. The author's interjection of herself and her own role is kind of a turnoff. That should be something that's in the foreword and sticks to the foreword. It pulls you out of the 1800s into the present and have to think from the author's perspective, which is not that interesting and drags you out of the story. She keeps explicitly reminding you that some of the things are her imagination, which interrupts the story line.

Well Done!

It is obvious so much hard work, love and dedication went into this book to share the lives of so many women that were never recognized for their lifetimes of dedication, service and loyalty. These are the women that are truly inspirational!

Utterly intriguing

If you could sum up The Housekeeper's Tale in three words, what would they be?

This is a meticulously researched and absorbing book, and a glimpse into the stories of the women who ran the country estates in the19th Century. My only reservation is with the production itself which employs over-wrought music to mark the introduction and chapters. Listeners of audio books prefer to have the words speak for themselves and not be assaulted by heavy-handed music which strives to set the mood or ramp up the drama. Still, I can't recommend the book itself highly enough.

Any additional comments?

AUDIO PRODUCERS: PLEASE STOP USING MUSIC IN RECORDED BOOKS!

Good historical insight

What did you love best about The Housekeeper's Tale?

I loved the real-life stories of these housekeepers. Their memories are often lost to history and I appreciated the research that went into telling their stories.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Difficult choice- I liked all of them for different reasons.

What about Tessa Boase’s performance did you like?

She was easy to listen to.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

How similar their stories are, despite spanning more than a century.

Any additional comments?

I really didn't care for the transition music between chapters and parts. To me, it took away from the story. I just want the audio of the text, delivered in a pleasant voice.