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601 reviews for:
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Therese Oneill
3.76 AVERAGE
601 reviews for:
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Therese Oneill
3.76 AVERAGE
This book was completely fascinating to me. I love the author’s sense of humor.
I gave 2 stars because some information (mostly the first part of the book) was somewhat interesting. Although I can't really say I learned much. The more you read, however, the more you realize that the author is just providing snarky observations about her pet generalizations about Victorians.
reflective
slow-paced
This book was super funny. I couldn't stop laughing, and I read maybe a third of the book out loud in the car. My mom stole it immediately after I finished it.
I kept hoping the book would get better, but the writer's irreverent lack of knowledge made this book a disappointment. The tone tried to be conversational but ended up vapidly flippant and dismissive. Most of the time I felt like I was reading a high school history project written by someone so cavalier they didn't care what grade they get.
The most egregious passage I found was towards the end of the book:
"First of all, your visitor shall be invited into the drawing room, not the parlor. (I am sure there is a difference, though what it is presently escapes me.)"
...Excuse me? Even Wikipedia, the questionable bastion of information, gives you the answer in the first two sentences: "A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the 16th century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th century, and made their first written appearance in 1642."
If you read two more sentences you arrive at the answer:
"In a large 16th to early 18th century English house, a withdrawing room was a room to which the owner of the house, his wife, or a distinguished guest who was occupying one of the main apartments in the house could "withdraw" for more privacy. It was often off the great chamber (or the great chamber's descendant, the state room or salon) and usually led to a formal, or "state" bedroom."
If the author couldn't be bothered to at least Google the answer, why should we be bothered to read this book?
If you'd like a superficial knowledge of Victorian life, I suggest Wikipedia--which is at least more fleshed out than this book.
If you'd like quality writing and facts, I highly suggest "How to Be a Victorian" by Ruth Goodman.
The most egregious passage I found was towards the end of the book:
"First of all, your visitor shall be invited into the drawing room, not the parlor. (I am sure there is a difference, though what it is presently escapes me.)"
...Excuse me? Even Wikipedia, the questionable bastion of information, gives you the answer in the first two sentences: "A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the 16th century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th century, and made their first written appearance in 1642."
If you read two more sentences you arrive at the answer:
"In a large 16th to early 18th century English house, a withdrawing room was a room to which the owner of the house, his wife, or a distinguished guest who was occupying one of the main apartments in the house could "withdraw" for more privacy. It was often off the great chamber (or the great chamber's descendant, the state room or salon) and usually led to a formal, or "state" bedroom."
If the author couldn't be bothered to at least Google the answer, why should we be bothered to read this book?
If you'd like a superficial knowledge of Victorian life, I suggest Wikipedia--which is at least more fleshed out than this book.
If you'd like quality writing and facts, I highly suggest "How to Be a Victorian" by Ruth Goodman.
The author has a fun writing style. I started the book loving the historical information and her witty commentary. The images were also great. As the book continues I found myself wishing there were fewer long paragraphs from original sources and more of her observations.
Fascinating, enraging, laugh out loud funny, and a gorgeous book!
4.5. It's a funny and very interesting book. Her humor offsets how terrible it was to be a women in Victorian times. I'm glad we have showers.
This was.. wow. I knew some things in theory - like chamber pots, lack of civil rights, and the basics of nineteenth century medicine, but DAMN. Therese paints a picture of what life was really like in the Victorian era - exceedingly uptight, ignorant, and decidedly patriarchal. And she someone manages to do this while sounding like the pair of you are discussing this over glasses of wine. Brownie points for including a bibliography. I'm recommending this to so many people!
Unmentionable is a history book that about women in the Victorian era that covers a variety of topics such as hygiene, clothing, menstruation, marriage, and much more. Each chapter is broken down into a specific topic, and is written in a very conversational, chatty tone. This tone throughout the book which was really weird for me since I'm not used to reading non-fiction historical books that don't talk at you, but rather talks to you. An added bonus is the humor aspect, which will definitely make its readers laugh out loud.
The Victorian era that you see in the media (movies, TV shows) tends to gloss over the era, because it only shows you the nice parts and pleasures of high-society rather than the nitty-gritty. I used to think the Victorian era was super romantic until I grew up and actually to the time to study its history in-depth. This book strips its readers of any romantic notions and tells you all the ups and down of living in this time.
Overall, this book is fun, knowledgeable, and straight forward. It refreshed the history that I initially learned in school, but I ended up learning a lot of new things about the Victorian era especially some pretty disturbing facts. It was astonishing to read about all of the hypocrisy (especially from doctors) about the do's and don't of society and health practices that sometimes resulted in illness or death. The usage of photos, ads, and diagrams along with the text gave the explanations really clear context and made it easier for the material to digest. I also liked that the chapters are broken up into sub categories so that things don't get jumbled together
Some of my favorite chapters within the book include the segments on the rigorous process getting dressed, beauty routines, bathing, periods, and courtship. The only complaint about the book is that I did want to see more intersectionality within the book, because I only saw there were only a few segments about women of color, etc.
If you like learning about history in general or specifically the Victorian era, I highly recommend this book!
The Victorian era that you see in the media (movies, TV shows) tends to gloss over the era, because it only shows you the nice parts and pleasures of high-society rather than the nitty-gritty. I used to think the Victorian era was super romantic until I grew up and actually to the time to study its history in-depth. This book strips its readers of any romantic notions and tells you all the ups and down of living in this time.
Overall, this book is fun, knowledgeable, and straight forward. It refreshed the history that I initially learned in school, but I ended up learning a lot of new things about the Victorian era especially some pretty disturbing facts. It was astonishing to read about all of the hypocrisy (especially from doctors) about the do's and don't of society and health practices that sometimes resulted in illness or death. The usage of photos, ads, and diagrams along with the text gave the explanations really clear context and made it easier for the material to digest. I also liked that the chapters are broken up into sub categories so that things don't get jumbled together
Some of my favorite chapters within the book include the segments on the rigorous process getting dressed, beauty routines, bathing, periods, and courtship. The only complaint about the book is that I did want to see more intersectionality within the book, because I only saw there were only a few segments about women of color, etc.
If you like learning about history in general or specifically the Victorian era, I highly recommend this book!