One Pair of Hands (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

What does a young, well-off English woman do with herself when she's thrown out of acting school and is tired of being a debutante? Well, if you're Monica Dickens, you become a cook. She makes the plunge to a life "below the stairs," confident in her abilities to be a cook because she once took a course in French cuisine. She quickly learns the difference between school learning and real life. Scalded milk, dropped roasts, and fallen souffles plague her in her domestic career, but she perseveres. What makes this book so delightful is the sense of humor and drama Monica Dickens brings to her work. From dressing up for job interviews in a "supporting-a-widowed-mum look" to eavesdropping on dinner guests, she tackles her work with an enthusiasm for discovery. To her descriptions of battles with crazy scullery maids, abusive employers, and unwieldy custards, she brings a humorous and pointed commentary about the delicate and ongoing war between the wealthy and their servants. Written in 1939, this true-life experience reveals a writer who wasted no opportunity to explore daily lives and dramas. Her keen eye for detail, youthful resilience, and sense of the absurd make One Pair of Hands a deliciously inside look at the households of the British upper-class. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Sonja Larsen

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Academy Chicago Publishers; First Thus edition (March 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897333047
• ISBN-13: 978-0897333047
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #78,905 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #21 in	Books > Entertainment > Humor > Cooking
  #87 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Hoot!!, January 1, 2002

By	Tracey A. Nettell (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was one of the most delightful books I have read in ages. Monica Dickens (great-granddaughter of Charles), despite her privileged upbringing, despite being presented at Court as a debutante, is bored and has little desire to do the rounds of social events expected of a young upper class girl in the mid 1930s. And so she decides to try her hand at domestic service. If you have ever enjoyed watching the wonderful "Upstairs Downstairs" series or reading other tales which reflect the upstairs downstairs lives of the British class system, this is for you. It is light, entertaining and the author writes so fluidly, it has inspired me to begin reading more of her works.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging glimpse "below stairs", June 6, 2001

By	Stefanie N (Schuyler, VA) - See all my reviews

Monica Dickens, the great-grandaughter of Charles Dickens, fits into the "good sport" type of memoirist, recalling life experiences for which she was quite unprepared. I think of Betty MacDonald's "The Egg and I." Apparently well-to-do, Ms. Dickens decided to work as a Cook General for a couple years during the 1930's. The book is a chronicle of her relationships and experiences with various employers. I fully expected that the various households would blend into each other but was delighted to discover how vividly the personalities were portrayed, and so they remained distinct. Most memorable was the clothing designer with a constant finger on the call button, a mistrust of her spending habits and a penchant for draping her in fabrics to envision his newest creations. Some may have a problem with the fact that Ms. Dickens took on the job as a lark and could return to her comfortable life at any time, but the fact is that she really was up to her elbows in the muck of a 1930's kitchen. All in all, I found it a delightful read, although the final chapter which recounts a lecture on "The Problem of the Servant Today" is tedious and merely restates in an arid manner the "problems" so well-documented in the rest of the book.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life as a servant isn't all work!, November 25, 1998

By A Customer

Monica Dicken's autobiographical novels are some of the most delightful books I have ever read. I first read "One pair of hands" some 25 years ago after finding an old copy in my local library. I rarely remember novels, but her's were so entertaining, I simply could not forget them. Her exploits trying to make it as a servant, even though she knew little about cleaning or cooking, are really funny--something akin to "I Love Lucy." I hope some day that some smart movie producer takes all of her novels and makes a series of movies about them--at least Masterpiece Theatre ought to be interested! Monica Dickens wrote about being a reporter, training as a nurse, and working in a factory making airplanes for the war as well. Her books are worth finding in a used book store. I got to reread them through inter-library loan from Meridith College, Raleigh, NC.