Customer Reviews

A Broom of One's Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning, and Life (P.S.)

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This book is funny, wise and superbly written. Peacock is a novelist who has earned her living by cleaning houses, and her account of this has worlds to say about the writing life and how to cultivate it, and also about the rich, often overlooked tapestry of society, with the great themes that are underfoot. The house is the embodiment of the self, some phenomenologists have said, and this is what Peacock notices as she cleans them. With keen perception, she looks at dirt and clutter, show places and hidden places, colors and accoutrements, and sees the shapes of lives unconsciously expressed. In their houses people tell about themselves nakedly, albeit inadvertently. Peacock tells about herself too, openly but consciously. About these themes of life she is often funny, and sometimes acerbically perceptive, but also kind and understanding. Aspiring writers will find the book enormously refreshing as she writes about a universal struggle of the artist: how to earn a living doing something as base as dirt, and also honor that life in such a way as to transmogrify it into the stuff of art. She tells how, she shows how to do this.

Nancy Peacock's new book, A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN, is a true gem. The clever title evokes Virginia Woolf and delves into the challenges faced by most creative artists--namely, earning a living to support one's work and finding the space and solitude to create that work. Each of the essays in this collection starts with an anecdote about housecleaning, and each piece moves smoothly toward a description of some aspect of the writer's life. The writing is seamless and clear and evocative. As other reviewers have noted, there is a great deal of wisdom--and often humor--in these short essays. Peacock speaks to all of us, whether or not we are artists, and whether or not we clean our own houses. A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN is that rare book that entertains the reader at the same time that it teaches.

I am tempted to say that A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN reminds me of other books that address the creative process--books like Annie Dillard's THE WRITING LIFE or Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD--but the writer that Peacock reminds me of is May Sarton. I thought of Sarton's JOURNAL OF A SOLITUDE when I read Peacock's book. Both writers are intent on exploring the nature of solitude and how it nourishes us. Like Sexton, Peacock is a writer capable of revealing truth through the description of common objects and simple actions.

Peacock's two earlier books--LIFE WITHOUT WATER and HOME ACROSS THE ROAD--were novels, and both were acclaimed by critics. Peacock is a natural storyteller, and the characters in her fiction are as real and true to life as the homeowners depicted in A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN. Hopefully, the publication of A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN will send readers back to these wonderful novels.

A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN will sweep you off your feet.

This book came to my attention by chance about a month ago. I'd never heard of Nancy Peacock, but I bought this book anyway, intrigued by the subject and approach. I am so glad I did that, as this is a wonderful book. I could really not put it down (and being a mom to two preschoolers, that's saying A LOT). Each essay is an engaging, well-written, funny and poignant journey into Nancy Peacock's generous spirit, humble heart and incisive mind. I am a writer too and I appreciated all the things that Peacock writes about the writing life, but those who are not writers will love this book too. Like most good books, this book manages to be utterly universal while telling a very specific, personal story. A Broom Of One's Own is a riveting and lovely thing. Buy it and read!

A Broom of One's Own is a delight--absorbing, sometimes surprising, often funny, wise. Nancy Peacock gives us a deep look into two worlds that may seem at first to be an unlikely pairing: that of a paid housecleaner and that of an insufficiently paid (although critically acclaimed--and with good reason, I can add) novelist. But a great many readers will recognize, as I did, the juggling act it can be between the work that sustains us physically and the work that sustains us creatively. Peacock has some fine things to say about that, and about how you can manage not to sell yourself short at one end while keeping yourself afloat at the other. She speaks to writers, certainly, and to artists in other areas, but I believe she also has something real to say to anyone who is trying to keep life larger than paying the rent.

She says it well, too. This is writing I sank into--smooth, transparent writing, that is often unexpected and always satisfying. It's a cliche to say, 'I couldn't put it down'--but I couldn't put it down. It pleased me a great deal to add it to the list of good reading for writers that I give out to students in the writing classes I teach.

Joyce Allen

Nancy Peacock has published two novels. She's accomplished something many writers only dream of. She's "made it", as they say.

And yet...she cleans houses for a living.

This book is a series of essays about her writing and her housecleaning, and how they (sometimes) work together. She discusses the negative feelings many people have toward their "maids" - "How could a MAID write a book!?" as well as her favorite and least favorite clients. She also writes about her lack of a college degree and whether she should apologize for that or not. Is she as worthy as other writers even though she cleans toilets and doesn't have her degree?

In addition, she shares her advice for budding writers, such as finding the time to write, where to write, dealing with rejection, writer's workshops, etc.

I loved this book because I could relate to the author. For a period of two years I cleaned people's houses to earn a living. When Ms. Peacock described her annoying clients, I felt irritation rise in my chest because I had the same experiences. I also dealt with the stereotypes that 'cleaning ladies are not smart enough to have a real job', etc...

Ms. Peacock also has an engaging style. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves books about writing, or to anyone who's ever cleaned house for someone else!

Nancy Peacock wrote this story of her life as a writer and housecleaner. She kept her day job as a housecleaner while she developed into the talented writer she clearly is. Her prose is tongue-in-cheek humor about the thoughts that ran through her head while cleaning other people's homes. She liked to be her own boss, which is why the job of housecleaner appealed to her. She is an independent spirit. She carries that independence through her success as a writer and ultimately to her success as a writing teacher.

I really enjoyed this book. It gained keeper status on my shelf. I heartily recommend this book to other independent spirits out there longing to find a book with a humorous look at writing.

A Broom of One's Own is a good book to read along with On Writing by Stephen King. King will get you excited about writing. His enthusiasm for the act of writing is irresistible. While I believe he really enjoys writing as much as he says he does, Nancy Peacock's experiences are much more likely to be familiar to the average writer, published or not, professional or amateur.

Peacock works for a living, as a house cleaner, scrubbing toilets and mopping floors. She drags herself out of bed early in the morning so she'll have time to write before her day job leaves her too exhausted, physically and mentally, to write anything worthwhile. She daydreams about having written, not about actually writing. When she finally has her first book published, it doesn't change her life all of a sudden. She still has to keep cleaning houses, working at the deli, tending bar. She quits her job. She gets another. She quits writing. She finds she can't quit writing.

A Broom of One's Own is a short book, 208 pages, and the first part is mostly about the houses Peacock cleans and the people who live in them. Essay by essay, the focus shifts from cleaning to writing, as Peacock's transition from house cleaner to writer progresses.

Like Stephen King's On Writing, A Broom of One's Own is an inspiring book. But while we might dream of being as fabulously successful as King, Peacock's story is closer to that of most published writers. Read On Writing when you need a shot of motivation. Read A Broom of One's Own when you need a dose of reality. Read both to experience good writing and expert storytelling.

Browsing in a book store on a rainy afternoon, I spied A Broom of One's Own and was immediately intrigued by the title. Was this similar to A Room of One's Own? Was it about witches? When I picked it up and skimmed through it, I knew I had to own it. Here was a book about writing that didn't appear to be pedantic, overly instructive, or dull. It looked like a fun read, and it was.

Nancy Peacock, author of two novels (in addition to the broom book), writing teacher, and former housecleaner, somehow managed to combine advice on the writing life with her experiences in cleaning houses and offices. She hated cleaning those offices! The only thing redeeming about the office cleaning were the goods she managed to scarf up, like the paper clips that she used on manuscripts that she send for possible publication.

Regardless of the house itself or the people who lived or worked there, Peacock was able to use the scenarios in her work, thus proving that writing is not just thinking, it's noticing. "Writers don't need to live abroad in order to practice their craft. All we need to do is open our eyes to the lives we live now," she says. A great philosopher, her work also gave her much food for thought. For instance, waiting in line to get into a gated community brought up questions about the purpose of a gated community. Was it to keep the riffraff out or was it for show and prestige?

What I mainly liked is the way the author wove her life experiences together with advice about writing, advice not so much about the craft but about just doing it...finding the time and space. Towards the end of the book, I underlined a few sentences and later read them aloud to my husband who doesn't always understand my need for solitude. If married,"A writer needs a spouse who understand the vagaries of her writing self. The ups and downs, the mediocrity, and the insecurity. A spouse who honors the need for quiet and space and privacy."

If you're looking for an entertaining and yet instructive and insightful book about writing, read this one. You won't be disappointed.

OK, I love this book: A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN by NANCY PEACOCK. This woman/author is a housekeeper in her day job. And she writes about how her housekeeping fits in with her writing life. She has so much grace and wisdom in her book A BROOM OF ONE'S OWN - that I almost feel gauche reviewing her book. Now, don't dis her writing, just because she is a maid (as some people wondered if I, as a Flight Attendant could ever have anything to say...). Her Novel, LIFE WITHOUT WATER was a New York Times Editor's Choice. And her book on writing - well, let's just say it's a classic. If you are someone who thinks 'if only I had time to write' this book is for you. If you are someone who thinks, 'if I was a writer FULL TIME, then I'd get things done' this book is for you. One of my favorite quotes in the book, and there are many...is when Nancy says, "Every writer has to work with what he or she has and I can tell you, there is no such thing as a perfect writing life." She says later, "We all have to learn to work anyway, no matter what is going on around us.' If you are a writer - and I am the author of several books - so I qualify - or if you are a wanna be writer - as all writer's once were: then buy this book, it will help you get where you want to go - faster and with more confidence!

Nancy Peacock's A Broom of One's Own let me peek into the lives of two groups I'd like to join: the published writers, and the people who hire housekeepers

Peacock, the author of two previous novels, has put together a series of vignettes from her experiences cleaning other people's houses for over fifteen years. She explores different aspects of the writer's craft, her experiences after publication, and the struggle to support herself while making her writing a priority. It's very bracing for those who think that finally being published is all they'll need to enjoy financial security and literary acclaim.

Her descriptions of clients and the particular challenges of each house are hilarious, poignant, and frequently exasperating. It made me feel better about the general state of my house that I do not own any relatives who would dare to leave deposits in the facilities, so to speak, as a welcome sign for the housekeeper.

I checked this book out from the library, and in it Peacock specifically mentions her frustration with authors who insist that people have to purchase their books in hardcover or they might as well not read them. I like a writer who is okay with my having borrowed the book. But this is one I'm going to have to purchase; full of wisdom and entertaining, to boot.

I tell you what. If I ever do spring for a housekeeper, I am going to make sure I am darned friendly.