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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
I hated this book with a passion - read it for the underground Bookclub
Was Melanie Hoopers choice
Was Melanie Hoopers choice
I always loved this book. I still love it, really. It has some occasional language (appropriate for the time), but the stories are delightful. The Gilbreths aren't perfect, but they love each other and support each other, and it's just very enjoyable to read about. I highly recommend the book for pretty much any age.
In the present day, the most important thing to remember is that this book was written 75 years ago about events that took place 100 years ago. The language reflects the thinking and mindset of that time, for a family of that size, at that socioeconomic level. To own two homes--one in New Jersey and one in Massachusetts--is no cheap thing to do. Where they lived were also even more predominantly white than they are today. These two things play a big role in the perspective of the subjects and the authors since they are one and the same.
Would this book be written today exactly as it is? No. However, it's not that much different than reading a book about the Duggar family (before the Josh Duggar scandals).
If nothing else, it's a peek into what it was like to live in Montclair and Nantucket in the early 1900s as well as what it's like to be a part of this large family back then.
Would this book be written today exactly as it is? No. However, it's not that much different than reading a book about the Duggar family (before the Josh Duggar scandals).
If nothing else, it's a peek into what it was like to live in Montclair and Nantucket in the early 1900s as well as what it's like to be a part of this large family back then.
I read this book years ago, when I was a teenager, and I remember finding it very funny. It's still funny : the everyday adventures of a 14 persons family! The father, the central character, is certainly out of the ordinary. But I can't helping being thankful I only had one sister growing up! Also, it didn't hurt that the Gilbreth family had a bit of money. I'm sure the life of a poor family would read very differently.
funny
lighthearted
This was a cute read that I picked up while working the crisis line over night shift in my 20s. What I like is it is not some weird religious breeder manifesto but a family during a different time with a great deal of education in the parents at the time period too, both college graduates with advanced degrees and study.
Skip the shit movie that is just a breeder manifesto and read the book
Skip the shit movie that is just a breeder manifesto and read the book
medium-paced
As a child, I LOVED this hilarious tale of a family with 12 children! However, rereading it as an adult revealed that it has not aged entirely well. It is dated and there are some interactions involving women and ethnicity that are clearly products of the time period. That being said, it is an enjoyable and entertaining story! And, the mother is clearly a strong female character. 5 stars based on my nostalgia, but I dropped it down a bit based on the racism and sexism of the time.
Husband and I have been reading this together over the last few months, here a little, there a little. And we finally finished it. I enjoyed this book immensely. Often it had me laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. Some of it is dated, for sure. But some of it is timeless, hilarious, and relatable. I took off one star because I didn’t like the ending.