Rose: My Life in Service to Lady Astor

There has been much written on life 'Above the Stairs' or Aristocracy, but little about those who served them. This is because few of the maids, cooks, butlers, skivvies etc were educated and did not place much value on what happened to them. Their life was one huge grind from often before 6am to possibly midnight, so writing something down was unthinkable because they were so tired. Downtown Abbey has aroused much interest in what happened 'below the stairs' which has thus generated books like the one being reviewed. This is and interesting book written from the human angle of a girl given the 'opportunity' to live a life of 'service'. It was considered by many in an English village, for anyone able to serve the local aristocrat, a marvellous start in life. Of course, many stayed with the same employer, such as the nanny, while others married other servants or local boys. The sad part is many girls in service were fair game for their employers, became pregnant as a consequence and were discarded to live a life of shame. Goodness knows what happened to the poor 'bastard, It must also be mentioned that the 'lower classes' had much higher morals, from the aristocrats, as seen with King Edward V11. I recommend readers to buy this book and enjoy a glimpse of a life which is luckily slowly vanishing.

This may be one of the the few - or only - books by a domestic about what life in a well-known English Country home was really like the first half of the event-filled 20th century. As the personal maid to the indomitable Nancy Astor, Rose Harrison, as Astor's maid, had a front row seat on the people and events which shaped Britain and world history. You'll find out why Winston Churchill would never eat at Astor's home. You'll get an additional perspective on the Profumo Affair and the Cliveden Set.But what I found most interesting was how a domestic lived then. You will see how a great house was run. The maids had no days off it seemed. And their work was almost like being a slave as they were on call all of the time if they were home. You do learn from this book that WWII bonded servants and their employers so there was more of a sense of family.Nancy Astor was the first woman elected to Parliament. If Rose is a reliable narrator, Astor was a bit of a dragon lady. Rose called her sadistic - and it seems like she enjoyed belittling Rose and lording over her. Astor's behavior makes you wonder if she were a trifle bipolar-lite or hypomanic. She could be charming and loving, and mean and petty by turns. She loved saying controversial things publicly and the resulting limelight. As a mistress, she was demanding, and seemed to enjoy depriving Rose of simple pleasures. I wouldn't want employees living in my home. Nor would I want to be an employee living in another's home - especially working for someone like Astor.Whether Astor's behavior was typical of a lady of a great house, it's hard to say from this book. While Astor scurried around with self-importance, not sure what she contributed to Britain except some parties, her service in Parliament and her efforts during WWII. Then, Rose assures us, her behavior was unselfed and exemplary.Astor was kind to Rose in that she paid for her travel and allowed her pleasant accommodations. It is interesting to read about the trips. Rose discusses Astor's religion, which was Christian Science. Astor had been an invalid until WWI, but was healed and only sick twice since then until her death in her mid-80's. Astor used to continually say "shut up Rose" which isn't typical of this religion's preaching. I was raised in Christian Science, and many of Astor's behaviors are opposite to what the faith teaches. If Rose is harsh on the religion, it's because she saw it practiced by someone who wasn't an example of its teachings. Rose wrote the church doesn't do charity work. Actually, it does have a relief fund for disasters. And it encourages its members to take to heart "love others as yourselves" and give to others your time, talents, and resources plus prayer. Astor would have treated her maid the way she would have been liked to be treated if she were following the church's precepts. In numerous instances Astor didn't do this. Her children were much kinder to Rose than their mother it seemed.Of the two women, Rose comes across as a more likable and admirable person. She had many talents, including dressmaking and could make clothes for Astor from scratch. This is a fascinating account of the inside life of a great English country house, its inhabitants and visitors during an eventful time in world history where Britain was at the center of the action. And Cliveden, Astor's home, was centered there, too.

Rose (Rosina) Harrison had the incredible experience of working for one of the most brilliant and rich and privileged women of the 20th century, Nancy, Lady Astor. An American by birth, she married into the family bringing her fabulous wealth, inherited down the line from 19th-century master entrepeneur John Jacob Astor. This was not uncommon, as many British aristocrats had fallen on financial hard times. In many cases, including this, a marriage of minds and souls; history, taste and wealth, brought new life to the often staid aristocracy while postponing the inevitable decline of a class so privileged and isolated from the masses.Other reviewers have addressed the book's specific contents. I was impressed by Harrison's plainspoken but shrewd and insightful analysis of both "Upstairs" and "Downstairs" life. She had the gift of finding the telling anecdotes to demonstrate her opinions, and to offer trivia that illuminated without becoming tiresome. I particularly liked the general lack of sentimentality; they weren't the "good old days" for the vast majority. Harrison was fond of her boss and she, in turn, cared for Harrison, but neither had any illusions about their allotted roles. If you're looking for gossip, it isn't here; for Harrison her job was a vocation.A former Southerner, Lady Astor took to her elegant and not too dissimilar life wholeheartedly, as mistress of two houses in or near London (one just a few miles from Windsor Castle), and three elsewhere in Great Britain. She and faithful nannies reared five children and she kept up with her considerable entertaining duties. (The book is almost worth its price alone for the incredible organization chart identifying the scores of people employed by the Astors.)Also interesting was her election to Parliament in the 1930s, the first woman to be so honored. By Harrison's account Lady Astor took her responsibilities very seriously and aligned herself with progressives. Lord Astor represented the area in and around Plymouth, on the western coast. When WWII broke out Plymouth was singled out for bombing as massive as that which befell London, as Plymouth had a major naval yard. Harrison's compelling descriptions of enduring days of these attacks are page-turners. Only the Astors' rank and persistence finally brought aid to the beseiged city.One thread throughout the book in particular addresses the Astors' avowed strict adherence to Christian Science. Harrison is literally furious that even the simplest medical care is denied for ill members of the household (even Upstairs), and tells of at least three major instances where medical involvement should have been obtained immediately. In one case, that of a child, the parents eventually relented when their daughter suffered a spine injury, but Harrison believed both Lord and Lady Astor suffered unecessarily painful and early deaths.For all of the reasons above, I can't praise this book enough for the fresh look it provides on a subject one might consider already done to death.

Very interesting but toward the final chapters I found myself briefly looking over the page rather than reading and absorbing. Rose writes with clarity and candor and never seems to lose sight of herself.

There have been lots of upstairs/downstairs books though this one is a little different because of the bond that developed between the lady and her maid over thirty-five years, and the nature of the lady, who became Britain's first woman member of parliament. It's a tale of a world that is no more, where the long-standing servants saw themselves as part of the family firm. It's an attitude that persisted in companies up until quite recently, paternalism was engendered by the senior management in some companies very purposefully. In service it did not have to be engendered, for the senior-rank servants were pleased and proud to be rubbing shoulders with aristocracy and nobility, this comes through very clearly in the book.Rosina Harrison naturally defends life in service, saying that service provided lots of employment, which is true, and gave the opportunity for travel and meeting people that few other occupations could give to a working class person, which was true for some, true for her, though by no means true for all as she alludes to in relation to seeing domestic servants in other households.There is something else though, that she doesn't mention, which is that a person in service could only progress so far, they undertook a kind of apprenticeship in the lower ranks, and then rose to lady's maid or butler or whatever; and that was it, there was nowhere they could go after that. They couldn't even go to evening classes to learn more about anything, for they would not be able to get the time off.For Rosina Harrison that was fine, she would not have expected anything else, as in general working-class people didn't at that time.Now, things have changed. Anyone whatever their background can become the managing director, if they have a mind to go down that route. That would probably not have been seen as a benefit, by Rosina. So a record of a time that was, and can be no more.

You may learn little or nothing about Nancy Astor's political life as the first female MP to take her seat in parliament. But this account of her from the point of view of her maid, who served her for over three decades, is a fascinating read. Closer to Lady Astor than her own children, than her husband even, Rose both hero-worshipped and was on occasion exasperated by her employer, and above all she knew her better than anyone. By her own account she did not put up with the worst of Lady Astor's imperious behaviour and was the only one who could order her about when necessary. I enjoyed this book very much. A great glimpse into a bygone age.

The book was very self congratulatory by the Author, she narrates as though Lady Astor was unable to cope without her although Lady Astor was an extremely intelligent capable woman.There are also inconsistencies ie she spoke about when the daughter of the family injured her back severely and they called the surgeon that Lady Astor used when she needs surgery but previously mentioned that she had never used Drs or ever had surgery?It is full of grammatical errors which again made it irritating to read.At the time it was written society was very different and I believe there is a degree of poetic licence.

This book gives insight into the early part of the 20th century and the changing role of women in society . Now aged 85 I had a glimpse of the period and from my grandmother (born 1876) gained further knowledge.Whether the relationship between maid and "lady' as it developed over a prolonged period was typical is doubtful as Lady Astor was not a British born aristocrat.A most readable, well written account.

This is a fascinating piece of social history; as lady's maid to Nancy Astor, the first female MP, Rose witnessed a life of unimaginable wealth, luxury and power, while as a working class woman, albeit one of relatively high status, she was totally dependent on the whims and good humour of her imperious mistress, and paid a pittance for the long hours she worked, constantly at Lady Astor's beck and call. They clearly developed a respect and affection for each other, and Rose was a feisty woman who learned to stand up for herself, but nevertheless I was often reminded of Stevens, the butler in Ishiguro's Remains of the Day, and his unwavering respect for an aristocratic world where he would never be accepted as an equal. This whole series by Tom Quinn has been a joy to read, and a powerful reminder of how the servant class was oppressed and exploited until relatively recently - a very far cry indeed from the twee cliches of Downtown Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs.