Trials and Confessions of a Housekeeper

by T.S. Arthur, Kehinde (Narrator)

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Genres: Audiobook

MP3

Published February 9, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Timothy Shay Arthur was a popular 19th-century American author. He is famously known for his temperance novel Ten Nights in a Bar-Room and What I Saw There, which helped demonize alcohol in the eyes of the American public. Founder of the magazines Arthur's Home Gazette, Arthur's Home Magazine, and The Children's Hour, and editor of the Baltimore Athenaeum and Baltimore Saturday Visitor.

Reviews

[Lorena Burciu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can imagine the value of entertainment of this book as it was read in the 18hundreds when it was first written, but I found it repetitive and dull at times as the narrator, a Mrs Smith tells of the little episodes of excitement in her life as a housewife in those times. These include spats with the domestics, where to get the best bargains on furniture, advice on moving house etc.

I had the audio version of this book and found it very convenient to listen to the chapters on my commute, as they were quite short and very easily digestible. I think I made the right choice in picking this format, as I would've probably found going through the written version too tedious.

I should also mention that I felt slightly cheated that the author is man and not a woman, so I am tempted to question the authenticity of the book as a real indication of life during those times.

Finally, I did find it a bit unnerving that the narrator and main character, Mrs Smith, didn't engage with society more but rather the majority of her chapters are about dealing with domestics or money.

[Jeanine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amusing,light fare with views into life as an upper-middle-class homemaker in the latter 1800s in America. Each 15-minute chapter is a different topic, from child rearing to furniture buying to problems with the household help.
You might think it was written by a woman, perhaps as a column for a monthly ladies' magazine, but you would be wrong. Or, half-right.
The T. S. stands for Timothy Shay, and among other things, he wrote for
"...Godey's Lady's Book, the most popular American monthly magazine in the antebellum era." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_...]

It is now slightly less charming to me knowing the stories are a man's perception of life as a "housekeeper" - and not a true confession. Ah, the trials of a reader (listener).

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love old books and one night I found saw this was a free Kindle book. The title and publication year interested me so I thought I'd try it. What a great read. There were times I laughed, times I completely related to her story, and then at the end I found myself thinking of how much I have to be thankful for and how I could improve as a wife and a mother.

[Betsie Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the humor in this book... the stories are great! The last chapter (on parenting) was a drag though. If it weren't for that last chapter it would definitely have been 5 stars.