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A Broom of One's Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning & Life
For the twice-published novelist, reading an article about herself in the National Enquirer—under the headline "Here's One for the Books: Cleaning Lady Is an Acclaimed Author"—was more than a shock. It was an inspiration.
In A Broom of One's Own, Nancy Peacock, whose first novel was selected by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year, explores with warmth, wit, and candor what it means to be a writer. An encouragement to all hard-working artists, no matter how they make a living, Peacock's book provides valuable insights and advice on motivation, craft, and criticism while offering hilarious anecdotes about the houses she cleans.
In A Broom of One's Own, Nancy Peacock, whose first novel was selected by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year, explores with warmth, wit, and candor what it means to be a writer. An encouragement to all hard-working artists, no matter how they make a living, Peacock's book provides valuable insights and advice on motivation, craft, and criticism while offering hilarious anecdotes about the houses she cleans.
168 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
January 13, 2024
I’d not heard of Nancy Peacock before seeing this book somewhere on Goodreads. I loved the title, finding it a clever play on Virginia Woolf’s essay which I read several years ago. Furthermore, the idea of a woman cleaning other people’s houses and writing for a living intrigued me. Why on earth would she do this if she didn’t have to? Well, as it turns out, she needed another source of income for several years before her books earned her a decent livelihood. Plus, can you imagine the ideas one is surrounded with when in the privacy of all these different homes?! It would be hard to resist not jotting down a note or two in one’s journal while changing the sheets, scrubbing the tub, or taking out the trash! Oftentimes the owners vacated or were at work during the housecleaning, but on many occasions they remained right there in the house while Nancy dusted and vacuumed right around them. So not only did she get an eyeful, she quite frequently got an earful as well!
“I think there are two things writers love more than anything else. One is solitude and the other is gossip. In the housecleaning trade I got both…”
“… once I was at work, once my body and conscious mind were engaged in the business of physical labor, my unconscious mind had the freedom to kick into gear.”
Peacock shares many anecdotes from her days of cleaning up after other people. There was the couple on the brink of separation that left notes back and forth on the counter in order to communicate, and the doctor’s wife that thought nothing of attending to her toilette in the nude with the bathroom door open. Peacock notes her suspicion that a maid was not recognized as a sexual being: “Being naked in front of the maid was the same as being naked in front of the dog. The dog didn’t care, so why should I?” What made me laugh the most, however, was the bona fide bull scrotum she had to dust on Dr. G’s wall. “It was the bristly short hair that covered the bag, and the crease that divided one ball from the other that finally clued me in.”
This memoir isn’t all about grime and dirty secrets, however. There’s a lot here about the struggle of the writer’s life and the desire to write in order to understand ourselves more deeply. It’s about those places one finds best suited for putting pen to paper. I think anyone that writes for a living, or even the casual Goodreader that dabbles in review writing in order to share books with our readerly friends or to keep our own minds sharp might find something fun to take away from this work. I’ve read very few books on the process of writing, but I suspect there’s not anything new to learn here. But it’s a fun perspective given this particular writer’s background and conversational style. This probably lands on a 3.5 rating from me, but I’m rounding up for her honesty and humility.
“All of us have a certain amount of work we have to do to keep our lives afloat, and whatever work I choose to do, my writing life is there. Even with a room of my own, writing is not a separate enterprise. It is not a jewel I keep in a velvet box and take out only when conditions are perfect. Writing is more like the yellow rubber gloves I pull on every day. I need my gloves to keep my hands from getting too dry. And I need my writing to keep my life and my mind moist and supple.”
“I think there are two things writers love more than anything else. One is solitude and the other is gossip. In the housecleaning trade I got both…”
“… once I was at work, once my body and conscious mind were engaged in the business of physical labor, my unconscious mind had the freedom to kick into gear.”
Peacock shares many anecdotes from her days of cleaning up after other people. There was the couple on the brink of separation that left notes back and forth on the counter in order to communicate, and the doctor’s wife that thought nothing of attending to her toilette in the nude with the bathroom door open. Peacock notes her suspicion that a maid was not recognized as a sexual being: “Being naked in front of the maid was the same as being naked in front of the dog. The dog didn’t care, so why should I?” What made me laugh the most, however, was the bona fide bull scrotum she had to dust on Dr. G’s wall. “It was the bristly short hair that covered the bag, and the crease that divided one ball from the other that finally clued me in.”
This memoir isn’t all about grime and dirty secrets, however. There’s a lot here about the struggle of the writer’s life and the desire to write in order to understand ourselves more deeply. It’s about those places one finds best suited for putting pen to paper. I think anyone that writes for a living, or even the casual Goodreader that dabbles in review writing in order to share books with our readerly friends or to keep our own minds sharp might find something fun to take away from this work. I’ve read very few books on the process of writing, but I suspect there’s not anything new to learn here. But it’s a fun perspective given this particular writer’s background and conversational style. This probably lands on a 3.5 rating from me, but I’m rounding up for her honesty and humility.
“All of us have a certain amount of work we have to do to keep our lives afloat, and whatever work I choose to do, my writing life is there. Even with a room of my own, writing is not a separate enterprise. It is not a jewel I keep in a velvet box and take out only when conditions are perfect. Writing is more like the yellow rubber gloves I pull on every day. I need my gloves to keep my hands from getting too dry. And I need my writing to keep my life and my mind moist and supple.”
January 11, 2019
I'm not going to lie, I have stacks of books in pretty much all of my closets (come at me, Marie Kondo!), and I was looking for something else last week when I found my copy of A Broom of One's Own and inexplicably got a strong feeling that it should be my next book. Clearly my hunch was right, because I flew through this in a day—a day, I feel compelled to add, that included 7 hours of sleep and an 8-hour workday. I just loved everything about this.
A Broom of One's Own is a memoir of Nancy Peacock's life as both an acclaimed novelist and as someone who cleans houses for a living. Although the book is 10 years old, it's quite timely in this age when it's hard for any writer to make a living from their writing. So Peacock dusts bookshelves that contain copies of her own books. She deals with people's reactions to the fact that a published novelist is cleaning houses to support herself. She muses on what she could do instead that would support the writing life she wants to have. She addresses a lot of issues of class and creativity and writes movingly about some of the households she worked for. I loved Peacock's voice and thought this was such a great antidote to all of the MFA holders the publishing industry is always telling us are amazing because they have MFAs. This book was pretty short, but I could have read many more pages of this sort of thing. I'm so glad I found this book and listened to my own imperative to read it. It definitely came along at exactly the right time.
A Broom of One's Own is a memoir of Nancy Peacock's life as both an acclaimed novelist and as someone who cleans houses for a living. Although the book is 10 years old, it's quite timely in this age when it's hard for any writer to make a living from their writing. So Peacock dusts bookshelves that contain copies of her own books. She deals with people's reactions to the fact that a published novelist is cleaning houses to support herself. She muses on what she could do instead that would support the writing life she wants to have. She addresses a lot of issues of class and creativity and writes movingly about some of the households she worked for. I loved Peacock's voice and thought this was such a great antidote to all of the MFA holders the publishing industry is always telling us are amazing because they have MFAs. This book was pretty short, but I could have read many more pages of this sort of thing. I'm so glad I found this book and listened to my own imperative to read it. It definitely came along at exactly the right time.
August 19, 2013
From its clever title to the pithy writing tips at the end, this book is simply wonderful. Nancy Peacock tells her story with unflinching honesty in tight vibrant prose. It’s a sobering story, but told with such fluid grace it leaves you gasping for more. A great choice for a writer’s bookshelf, this book will encourage beginners as well as seasoned writers. I found it hard to put down and irresistibly fun.
July 15, 2010
Nancy Peacock is a writer whose first two books were written with great depth of understanding. "Life Without Water" is one of the few books I have ever stayed up into the early morning hours, unwilling to put down until I had finished it all in one sitting. "Home Across the Road" surprised me even more by the depth of the generations of the characters and the overriding sense of loss that ran through the character's lives.
"A Broom of One's Own" is Peacock's book on writing, life and her job cleaning houses. Her job pays the bills her (fantastic) writing does not and also affords her a look into the private lives of those families for whom she cleans house. This, along with her reflections on her work, her reflections on the people she works for and their environments, and her reflections on her writing, make up the majority of this book.
Peacock has a wonderful way with language. She also has an understated honesty, even when it's expressed in anger, longing or confusion. She presents herself as a writer should, as a complex, not-at-all-tidy collection of thoughts and feelings who is trying to make sense of herself, her life and her writing.
This is a great, great book.
"A Broom of One's Own" is Peacock's book on writing, life and her job cleaning houses. Her job pays the bills her (fantastic) writing does not and also affords her a look into the private lives of those families for whom she cleans house. This, along with her reflections on her work, her reflections on the people she works for and their environments, and her reflections on her writing, make up the majority of this book.
Peacock has a wonderful way with language. She also has an understated honesty, even when it's expressed in anger, longing or confusion. She presents herself as a writer should, as a complex, not-at-all-tidy collection of thoughts and feelings who is trying to make sense of herself, her life and her writing.
This is a great, great book.
April 3, 2023
What a delightful read! Going from house to house, as she cleans her clients homes, all the while trying to write, is a peek into one writer’s life as she tries to do both to keep a roof over her head and food on the table. I love that she’s not college educated, and that from the beginning she lets people know what she does for a living. But then again I love unpretentious people! So I loved Nancy Peacock!
November 15, 2017
Nancy Peacock is both a published and well-received novelist and a professional house cleaner. As you might imagine, she receives different feedback from people depending on which of these roles has her currently engaged. A Broom of One’s Own is a refreshingly brief and humorous book about the author’s writing career and the fifteen years she spent earning her living as a housecleaner.
Nancy Peacock never attended college but her first novel, Life Without Water, was selected by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. Although she received an advance on her next book, the money ran out before the book was finished and she went back to cleaning houses to support herself.
A Broom of One’s Own examines the balancing act that many of us maintain between doing what we love to do and earning a living. How much do we compromise our art or our desired way of life to pay the bills, feel financially secure, or even keep up with the Joneses? Nancy Peacock has a love/hate relationship with her “day job.” She writes about how cleaning houses gives her the scheduling flexibility and independence she needs. And- except in the case of those annoying clients who insist on being underfoot while she cleans- it affords her the solitude she requires to work through ideas. On the other hand, she also writes about how dismissive people are of “maids” and how difficult it is to find them in literature except as stereotypes.
A Broom of One’s Own touches upon the issue of career versus identity, how we define ourselves and how others view us based on our profession. In her life as a published author, Peacock is picked up from the airport by limo and wined and dined, while another day finds her waiting at the checkpoint of a gated community to be questioned by the guard before being allowed to enter with other members of the service staff. She writes humorously about the different houses she has cleaned and people she has cleaned for over the years and in the process the reader gains insight into her life and writing process.
Peacock’s observations as a housekeeper are often hilarious. While there are a few treasured clients who welcome her into their home and then stay out of her way while she cleans (my favorite is the one who likes to point out new nature specimens in his yard while helping her carry in her supplies), many of her clients are downright difficult. There’s the elderly woman who constantly asks her to move heavy objects just so she can see if the ficus tree looks better to the left of the drapes, the couple who allows their children to drop candy wrappers all over the house, and perhaps worst of all the lawyer who never flushes the toilet after number two. She even cleans for an ex-boyfriend and for the couple who moved into a home built on the foundation of her own beloved house that burned down.
A Broom of One’s Own was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. While Nancy Peacock’s dual life in writing and housekeeping is unusual, at the same time there is something universal about her struggle between desire and necessity, art and the mundane. In a special section at the end there is an interview with Nancy Peacock, writing advice from the author (who now teaches writing workshops, having at last abandoned her housecleaning career), and a list of recommended books about writing.
I originally wrote this review for the Read, Dream, Relax blog, where it appeared in 2014.
Nancy Peacock never attended college but her first novel, Life Without Water, was selected by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. Although she received an advance on her next book, the money ran out before the book was finished and she went back to cleaning houses to support herself.
A Broom of One’s Own examines the balancing act that many of us maintain between doing what we love to do and earning a living. How much do we compromise our art or our desired way of life to pay the bills, feel financially secure, or even keep up with the Joneses? Nancy Peacock has a love/hate relationship with her “day job.” She writes about how cleaning houses gives her the scheduling flexibility and independence she needs. And- except in the case of those annoying clients who insist on being underfoot while she cleans- it affords her the solitude she requires to work through ideas. On the other hand, she also writes about how dismissive people are of “maids” and how difficult it is to find them in literature except as stereotypes.
A Broom of One’s Own touches upon the issue of career versus identity, how we define ourselves and how others view us based on our profession. In her life as a published author, Peacock is picked up from the airport by limo and wined and dined, while another day finds her waiting at the checkpoint of a gated community to be questioned by the guard before being allowed to enter with other members of the service staff. She writes humorously about the different houses she has cleaned and people she has cleaned for over the years and in the process the reader gains insight into her life and writing process.
Peacock’s observations as a housekeeper are often hilarious. While there are a few treasured clients who welcome her into their home and then stay out of her way while she cleans (my favorite is the one who likes to point out new nature specimens in his yard while helping her carry in her supplies), many of her clients are downright difficult. There’s the elderly woman who constantly asks her to move heavy objects just so she can see if the ficus tree looks better to the left of the drapes, the couple who allows their children to drop candy wrappers all over the house, and perhaps worst of all the lawyer who never flushes the toilet after number two. She even cleans for an ex-boyfriend and for the couple who moved into a home built on the foundation of her own beloved house that burned down.
A Broom of One’s Own was one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. While Nancy Peacock’s dual life in writing and housekeeping is unusual, at the same time there is something universal about her struggle between desire and necessity, art and the mundane. In a special section at the end there is an interview with Nancy Peacock, writing advice from the author (who now teaches writing workshops, having at last abandoned her housecleaning career), and a list of recommended books about writing.
I originally wrote this review for the Read, Dream, Relax blog, where it appeared in 2014.
June 7, 2011
In the first heady days when I joined Goodreads it was like when you first join Facebook--you add everyone you can even hazily recall but then realize later that you aren't *really* interested in all their thoughts. I did that with books on the to-read list, so now I'm trying to clear them out.
Nancy Peacock is a published author with two novels in print. However, her writing was not enough to support her, so she kept doing the job she found most tolerable: cleaning houses. This is a book of essays that are meditations on her writing process and her employment. It couldn't really decide if it wanted to be a clever set of stories with witty barbs about the houses she cleaned or a standard book about the writing process and how to overcome the blank page. Regardless, it didn't do either very well. The housecleaning stories are a little too cutesy and the writing bits are too cliched "tortured artist"--I just don't care how hard writing is for you.
I feel a little bad giving her a low rating because I was pulling for her to succeed at the end of the book. But it's just not very good and I imagine her novels are quite dreadful.
Nancy Peacock is a published author with two novels in print. However, her writing was not enough to support her, so she kept doing the job she found most tolerable: cleaning houses. This is a book of essays that are meditations on her writing process and her employment. It couldn't really decide if it wanted to be a clever set of stories with witty barbs about the houses she cleaned or a standard book about the writing process and how to overcome the blank page. Regardless, it didn't do either very well. The housecleaning stories are a little too cutesy and the writing bits are too cliched "tortured artist"--I just don't care how hard writing is for you.
I feel a little bad giving her a low rating because I was pulling for her to succeed at the end of the book. But it's just not very good and I imagine her novels are quite dreadful.
October 2, 2020
This collection of essays is just what it says it is: words on writing, housecleaning and life. Peacock's stories are quite interesting and she tells them is an engaging style that is also somewhat humorous. Anytime I picked this book up I wanted to keep reading and see what she had to say.
Peacock doesn't deny that housecleaning is hard work, but she doesn't feel sorry for herself and she doesn't denigrate the people she cleans for (unless they deserve it). She admits to not liking offices, but she doesn't veer into what I call the "hipper than thou" brag: that is when people write in a faux self-deprecating tone that they "can't" do a "real" job or work in an office which is really just code for: I want to sound cooler and more interesting than those who do.
She also talks about writing and offers encouragement (and tips) to those who might want to pursue it.
Peacock doesn't deny that housecleaning is hard work, but she doesn't feel sorry for herself and she doesn't denigrate the people she cleans for (unless they deserve it). She admits to not liking offices, but she doesn't veer into what I call the "hipper than thou" brag: that is when people write in a faux self-deprecating tone that they "can't" do a "real" job or work in an office which is really just code for: I want to sound cooler and more interesting than those who do.
She also talks about writing and offers encouragement (and tips) to those who might want to pursue it.
April 12, 2018
A very interesting book about writing. "An encouragement to all hard-working artists, no matter how they make a living..." (That's on the back of the book. :) )
February 24, 2016
I love this book. I want to own it and be able to go back to it for later reference. Nancy Peacock hits so many nails on the head that seem to directly apply to my own life.
In this book she recounts her experiences as a published Author, who still cleans houses for a day job. It's an interesting process she goes through from having writer's block to almost being fearful of success, and to even becoming comfortable with simply being a maid. And then finally her strength and foresight to slowly quite cleaning houses one after another and write more. It's all very inspiring.
As a current janitor and author in progress I found this novel to be very hopeful, at times funny, and ridiculously relatable. I devoured this book in two days, finishing it today and I already miss it.
In this book she recounts her experiences as a published Author, who still cleans houses for a day job. It's an interesting process she goes through from having writer's block to almost being fearful of success, and to even becoming comfortable with simply being a maid. And then finally her strength and foresight to slowly quite cleaning houses one after another and write more. It's all very inspiring.
As a current janitor and author in progress I found this novel to be very hopeful, at times funny, and ridiculously relatable. I devoured this book in two days, finishing it today and I already miss it.
January 18, 2012
One of the best books I've read in a long time. Her candor and powers of observation won me over as did the fact that she lived/lives within her means.
LOVING this book. Can't put it down. Local author endorsed by one of my heroes - Lee Smith. One of the first dates with my husband was when I was a student at NCSU in Raleigh. We went to hear Lee Smith talk about writing. She stressed the importance of writing what you know. Nancy Peacock knows a lot about people and writing. This book also made me very proud of how I have treated housekeepers over the years -- as people worthy of respect and gratidude.
LOVING this book. Can't put it down. Local author endorsed by one of my heroes - Lee Smith. One of the first dates with my husband was when I was a student at NCSU in Raleigh. We went to hear Lee Smith talk about writing. She stressed the importance of writing what you know. Nancy Peacock knows a lot about people and writing. This book also made me very proud of how I have treated housekeepers over the years -- as people worthy of respect and gratidude.
March 14, 2014
I loved every bit of this book.Having worked as a housecleaner myself, I could relate to the author's descriptions of many of her clients and to her struggles of how to make her life the one she wanted to live. Thank you Nancy so much for writing this and not being bullied into submission by bad advice(no one wants to know you are a housecleaner who didn't go to college). Wrong- I wanted to know and it has enriched me. Keep up the good work of writing and living and not being ashamed of who you are and how you got there. If I was closer I'm sure I'd be at one of her writing prompt classes.
October 29, 2008
I haven't read Peacock's fiction, but I enjoyed her reflections on her day job (as a housecleaner), her dedication to writing, stranger's unsolicited writing advice to her (get an MFA, read Proust)and people's snobbery. A quick read with some sensible writing advice. A library patron who came to our Let's Talk About Books meeting told me about it . . .
April 28, 2009
One of the best books about the writing life I have ever read. It also covers some of the same social justice territory as Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed.
September 5, 2008
Keen observations from a writer/housecleaner. Nancy is a sensitive introvert who takes the things that people say and do in front of her to heart, and often needs to write it out to make sense of it--and often to get over/through it. Kinda like me...
May 31, 2009
This book helped me so much! I'm a struggling writer having to figure out to support my habit and keep my family from living in a cardboard box. You do what you need to do, but on your own terms to keep your integrity. It's hard. But it's true. I hope I can meet Nancy in person someday.
November 17, 2011
These essays about the writing life and what it takes to live it are funny and wise. Any illusions you have about the glamour of that life, well, sorry, but you'll have to part with them. But you'll appreciate your favorite writers even more.
February 19, 2009
Not particularly insightful for a book of essays.
February 14, 2011
first 3 pages... already love it ;)
March 26, 2018
If you liked Truman Capote's essay "A Day's Work", about his cleaning lady, you'll enjoy this book. This time, the cleaning lady herself is writing the essays because she is the writer. Ms. Peacock is a published writer of two novels, but still can't pay all the bills, so she cleans houses part-time. The essays cover various aspects of her situation and has lots of funny stories about the houses she cleans and their different states of disarray...
The book also has a lot of lessons for writers and Ms. Peacock eventually becomes a writing teacher. Anyone who has a passion but has to have a day job to pay the bills will enjoy this book.
The book also has a lot of lessons for writers and Ms. Peacock eventually becomes a writing teacher. Anyone who has a passion but has to have a day job to pay the bills will enjoy this book.
January 31, 2019
Nancy Peacock picked an honest profession, housecleaning. Maybe it lacked glamour and it was hard work, but it gave her the solitude, flexibility, and quiet she needed to write. I'd love to sit and have a coffee with her. This charming book was a great pick me up. Full of funny observations, real emotions, and advice for writers or anyone pursing a passion. It's not a, don't give up story. It's more of a keep moving through your issues story.
I do hope she's moved on from cleaning homes. I look forward to reading her other books.
I do hope she's moved on from cleaning homes. I look forward to reading her other books.
June 18, 2019
This collection of essays by novelist Nancy Peacock contrasts the romantic image of “being a writer” with the reality of being a writer and having to earn a living—for Peacock by cleaning houses. The stories are mostly entertaining with an edge, as being someone’s housecleaner and presenting oneself as a housecleaner to other writers isn’t always comfortable. But through this challenge of spirit, Peacock has managed to retain her humor and gain some clear sightedness.
January 31, 2020
4.5 stars
I zipped through this book, which is part memoir, part writing advice. I recommend this highly to other writers. It’s funny, honest, and thought-provoking. The reason I held back a half a star is because I think in a couple of the essays Peacock could’ve dug a little deeper. I wanted her to explore why that house held so much influence over her. I wanted to know more about why she feels hampered by a typical office job. But, overall, this was a tonic for the lonely writer’s soul!
I zipped through this book, which is part memoir, part writing advice. I recommend this highly to other writers. It’s funny, honest, and thought-provoking. The reason I held back a half a star is because I think in a couple of the essays Peacock could’ve dug a little deeper. I wanted her to explore why that house held so much influence over her. I wanted to know more about why she feels hampered by a typical office job. But, overall, this was a tonic for the lonely writer’s soul!
April 20, 2020
I waited a day after I finished reading this book to review it because my opinion raised by her writing tips at the end. This book is really about that. The fact she cleaned homes for people for years was such a negative experience that it tainted her view of the world. I understand that she needed to earn a living, but she should have done something else. Being a writing teacher was a much better job to complement her being a published author.
February 22, 2017
Intimate, funny, revelatory, inspiring. A Broom of One’s Own had me growling at some of Peacock’s house-cleaning clients, cheering at her gumption, and laughing at descriptions, foibles, and human vulnerabilities. Her honesty and openness to revealing the wide spread of human emotions is inclusive and empowering. Her words make me love her.
June 17, 2020
I've read this one more than once, and will surely read it again. Even acclaimed authors have to pay the rent, so Peacock keeps working as a cleaning woman even after her first novel is released. The juxtaposition of those two worlds seamlessly blended and so artfully written, it should be required reading for all writers.
April 18, 2025
First of all, the writing is great. Secondly, the very human reality and insights delivered in simple yet punchy language had me highlighting passages and writing "nice" and " well said" in the margins. Finally, in sum, it was a delight to read Nancy Peacocks's writing. Looking forward to discovering more of her work.
January 29, 2019
Despite the querulous tone, this collection of essays offers helpful advice for aspiring writers who struggle with making a commitment to their craft; includes an interview with the author, writing tips, and a selected bibliography of books on writing.
July 30, 2020
Quick read memoir of how the author cleaned housed to make living while being a writer as well. She has really strong opinions about the houses and the people whom live in them. Sometimes overbearing and judgmental, but mostly light and fun, and the author has some tips for writers at the end.
May 5, 2017
Enjoyable little essays. Would have been fun to read in a weekly, or monthly column, but not all at once.
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