Customer Reviews

Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping: Timeless Wisdom and Practical Advice

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I loved this book!! I initially picked it up and just skimmed throught it, which is very rewarding and fun anyway because the tidbits of info and the wonderful Victorian pictures are just incredible! BUt one quiet afternoon, i finally sat down with the book and began reading it from page one!! And when I was finished, not only did I have such a healthy respect for the way our forebears lived, it also inspired me to create a much more wholesome and warm home for my own family. and thank GOd, I don't need to use lye to wash my husband's smelly socks in, but believe it or not, many of the old household hints are relevant today. IN fact, with all the health concerns about the chemicals we use to clean with everyday and how harmful they are not only to ourselves but the environment, I actually bought a six pack of Baking Soda at the discount store to use for the myriad of ways Mrs. Dunwoody recommends. A timeless book of timeless treasures and timeless wisdom!! Makes you wish for simplier times!! I recommend it to anyone wishing to make their house more of a HOME!!

This book is great! Fun for brousing through. It has a little of everything and would make a great gift for a bride or new home owner, or anyone who enjoys making home a cozy place. Based on Southern "receipt books" that Southern women kept after the civil war, this book covers everything from homemade, safe cleaning solutions to letter writing and etiquitte. Some of my favorite sections include "Mrs. Dunwoody's Essential Guide to Absolutely Delightful Parties", "Mrs. Dunwoody's List of Requirements for an Exceptional Spouse" and some great Southern recipes including "Captain Clemintine's Mint Julip" and "The Robert E. Lee Cake".

Chapter titles are: The Art of Homekeeping, The Cares of House and Home, Miss Sallie Anne's Splendid Directions for Laundry, Notes and Recipes from the Kitchen, The Art of Entertaining, Matters of Formality, Health and Beauty, Marriage and Family, The Garden, and Fill-In Pages-A Treasury of Memories.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the space at the end of each chapter for making your own notes. There's even a family tree to fill out, and a place to record births, deaths, marriages, etc., just like the old Bibles used to have. Lot's of cute, funny quotes too. For the price -you can't go wrong with this one!

Mrs. Dunwoody's is loaded with timeless advice and tips for homekeeping, from a homemaker's daily routine, recipes for various house cleaning solutions, sewing tips, recipes for good 'ole southern food, a guide to entertaining, etiquette, letter writing, health and beauty, advice on marriage and family, planting a garden, and the book is filled with pages to fill in your own advice/tips/recipes/family memories and stories/and your family tree. This is a must for any woman who keeps a house!

Ok...I must admit, a book like Mrs Dunwoody is not usually up my alley, but when I took a look inside this one at the bookstore, I was compelled to keep reading. I stood next to shelf for almost an hour, completely lost in the amazing tips this book has to offer.

Written in the voice of a Victorian era southern matriarch, Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping is kind of an "everything" book. It's got it all: from household cleaning tips to etiquette to entertaining. Following the pattern of a traditional southern receipt book (an heirloom lifestyle guide), this book is less of a do's and don'ts manual and more of a glimpse into a bygone era where gentility ruled and respect was earned, not granted.

Whether you are looking for some time-tested housekeeping tips (like using tea to restore wood) or a fun flip through a century of southern wisdom, Mrs Dunwoody is your perfect guide.

This book is the kind one buys for sisters, friends, family, teachers, weddings, birthdays, and anyone that wants to make a house a home. (I bought extras for my gift closet.) The fill-in pages at the end of each chapter personalize it and make it a treasure book for the family, something you would want to pass down to the younger generations.
The words are timeless, like a long lost great-aunt encouraging and rooting for the reader. Yes, the nuts and bolts of keeping house are there, but the real charm of this book is the way the author encourages the reader to find the sacred in the ordinary and every day. I love the charm, wit, and wisdom and the fact that I can pick it up and read from any page and carry something away with me. (I love books like that in my chaotic life!) I think this timeless book will be around for a long while and become a classic, much like The Joy of Cooking.

What a lovely book! Everything about it: the illustrations, the typeface, and the color of the pages gives the impression of age and value. Mrs. Dunwoody's advice book is written like the old "reciept books" that Southern women once wrote for their children and friends. These books contained tips on cooking, housework, children and gardening as well as social graces. I was not only charmed by this gentle, gracious book but I learned some things too.

Yes, you must get a copy of this book, it deserves to be classic.
Yes, it is heartwarming and touching in places and it made me stop and really think about what home means to me. That fact alone makes it stand out against all of the "hints and tips" and "how to" books currently on the market.

In fact, I've started my very own "receipt" book for my niece separately and am fashioning it along the lines of Mrs. Dunwoody's tome. Of course, when I present my niece with it (in a few years) a copy of "Mrs. Dunwoody" will accompany it.

It is the best book to come along in along time. Thank you Ms. Lukken for such a quietly inspirational classic. In fact, I know I will have to order another copy soon as my copy is wearing out from constant reading.

I love this book! It's charming. Witty, and filled with practical information. Plus, it is like reading your grandmother's journal!

Every home needs this book. Every reader with any love of history, will want this book!

Great!

Though Mrs. Dunwoody hails from the past, her advice--with the exception of the whitewash recipe--is timeless. This book is a great encouragement to those who long for well-kept home. The book is funny with enough amusing details from our foremothers (see whitewash recipe) to keep them human while reminding us of what was so great about grandmother's house. Helpful, amusing, and tender as a mother's touch. You've got to get it!

This book is a true "GIFT". It is heartwarming, endearing and pratical. Every Home should have a copy. I just looked through the book for the first time and have already bookmarked several pages. This is a book to savor and keep forever. Thank you Mirian Lukken for such a wonderful, homey book!!!