Rings Around Us

by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Story of the marriage of Ernestine who co-wrote Cheaper By The Dozen.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Ernestine Moller Gilbreth, Mrs. Carey (April 5, 1908 – November 4, 2006) was an American author.

Born in New York City, she was the daughter of Lillian Moller Gilbreth and Frank Bunker Gilbreth, early 20th-century pioneers of time and motion study and what would now be called organizational behavior.

The upbringing of the twelve Gilbreth children was chronicled in the successful, comic memoir Cheaper by the Dozen (1948, adapted in a 1950 film). The book, as well as a sequel, Belles on Their Toes (1952), was written by Carey with one of her younger brothers, Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Follows one of the Cheaper By The Dozen girls through her marriage & motherhood. I know it's old. I know things were different then. However, the whole thing put my teeth on edge. Carey's husband was arguably the model male chauvinist pig who started the feminist movement merely by talking in public. I couldn't get past his loathsomeness and her complicity to enjoy the story.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick easy read, but fun. Not as good as Cheaper By the Dozen, but still fun, this one is about Ernestine's young married years. She marries a man who seems to be a lot like her father, and then shares bits of her two children's personalities. Cute story that ends rather abruptly.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Because this book was written by one of the co-authors of the beloved book Cheaper by the Dozen, I was eager to get my hands on it. However, it ended up being a rather disappointing read. Ernestine writes rather blandly about her life after marriage and having two children and hardly references her childhood at all, and she makes barely a mention of her parents. While on one hand it's interesting to see one of the "dozen" as an individual, it also makes for a rather dull and ordinary book.

The main thing that stood out to me when I was reading was Ernestine's husband Chick; even by her trying-to-be-humorous portrayal, he comes off as a terrible person. Granted, this book was written in the 1950's about marriage during the 30's-40's, so I suppose some misogyny was a given, but reading again and again about how Chick was rude, dismissive, or overtly chauvinistic got old fast. And while Ernestine's writing style blended well with Frank's in Cheaper by the Dozen to create a riotous, colorful prose, here, without the polishing of Frank's style, the prose is somewhat grating and annoying.

I'd only read this if you're looking to completely round out your Gilbreth family knowledge or want to get a view into marriage in the 1930's. Otherwise, give it a pass.

Related Reads:
Time Out for Happiness (Gilbreth)

[Linda Quarne · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked this but the first book, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, won my heart more.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay - very dated and old-fashioned. Some of the "jokes" just don't translate well to a modern ear.

[Su · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the Cheaper by the Dozen family since I was in middle school, so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to get round to this one. Still as fun as the original dozen.

There are some bits that are a product of their time and therefore jarring to modern readers.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very old fashioned. Not usually a problem for me. It made me wonder. I remember loving Cheaper By the Dozen, was it the same? Perhaps the influence of her brother made the difference. It had some cute moments, but I almost didn't finish it.