Great book, but I can't read anymore of it: too many spoilers for books I want to read eventually. ( )

4/9/22

This book was a little silly compared to some of the other, more immersive books that I've read on the subject of daily life and customs in 19th century England. It's more like a books of facts rather than a book that follows a narrative. I think it would definitely be handy to have around as a reference for when you are reading literature from this time period. ( )

I picked it up on a whim at the library and, as soon as I picked it up to read, knew I had made a mistake. Apart from monetary matters (who can keep British coinage and slang about coinage straight anyway) I knew most of it from deduction and various histories. Thus, I was not the primary target for this book.

Bother.

And, to further complicate matters, new research has since been published that questions some of the facts presented herein.

Double bother.

But I skimmed it anyway. And found that there were some sections that deserved skimming because they skimmed themselves.

Also, I felt that the time (1780s to 1880s) was a little too broad. Picking one time period (either Victorian or pre-Victorian) would have allowed for more specificity. ( )

Good overview, but not enough detail for anyone who picked it up in order to write historical fiction. Useful details when it comes to carriages and servants. ( )