Book Review-The Gentle Art of Domesticity

By Jane Brocket. This book review is really overdue. I read it several months ago when I spied it at the local library. I enjoyed reading this although I did not find it valuable enough to buy afterwards. Jane has a great voice that comes through very clearly and beautiful pictures. I didn't try any of her recipes or projects but it did give me some inspiration for my own. I also had to read it with a dictionary and I have a degree in English! Maybe it's because she's English. The quote I will take with me from this book is "It took me many years to realize that I was thoroughly domestic and only grudgingly domesticated." pg 8. Like Jane I enjoy the domestic arts of cooking, baking, sewing, and crafting. I do NOT enjoy cleaning and the general upkeep of a home and only do it to keep us from living in complete squalor. Many times I questioned myself on how some domestic arts I love and how others I loath. Am I a traditional fifties housewife or a feminist who believes my husband should do his share? How do I put both parts of myself together for a whole? Now I have the answer, I can be domestic without being domesticated. I can do the parts of keeping a home that I enjoy without sacrificing my personality. I can be a wild woman and a domestic diva without apologizing. So to Jane Brocket I say thanks! And if you ever write another book I'll certainly read that one too!