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603 reviews for:
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Therese Oneill
3.76 AVERAGE
603 reviews for:
Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Therese Oneill
3.76 AVERAGE
funny
informative
slow-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Pretty informative, and sometimes the banter was funny. But overall I'd say it was actually kinda annoying. Any more than 7 hours (at increased speed, of course) and I probably would have considered putting it down. As it was, though, not bad. Not great, either. Probably a good 1/3 or more of the witty banter could have been cut down and it would have been just as enjoyable.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
This book was okay. It has a funny tone which starts out hilarious and then becomes kind of grating and condescending. Then you realize the author used to write for the now defunct Jezebel site and it all makes sense.
In my opinion, this book is mis-titled. I was hoping Oneill would cover things like menstruation, childbirth, LGBTQ topics, and other taboo things. Instead it's basically "look at how these male doctors of the time gave bad medical advice, lol how ridiculous!" There's a lot of references published works and advertisements.
A lot of the included imagery is neither dated nor is the artist given credit, or any sort of frame or reference. Some of the pics looked like stills from silent films, which was of course decades later??
Special attention is paid to Dr. Kellogg of course, who is infamous for his enemas. I think this book made a mistake only focusing on the men. There were women (and men) at the time who really worked to "fix" all of these misconceptions, ignored the dude's advice, and figured things out for themselves. THAT'S what I wanted to read about. A lot of the advice for the time was born out of faulty/biased data and pure ignorance. They didn't even know what germs were!
Another glaring problem is that Oneill switches between American and British cultures at the drop of a hat. Is she talking about New York or London? Living in the country or in the city? She claims to focus on upper middle class, but then talks about how a woman of the house did all the laundry, for example.
It's vague on time period too. Going back and forth from the early 1800s all they way to the early 1900s. A lot of inventions and progress was made during that time, but Oniell makes it seem like it was still the Stone Age.
If you are looking into some insight into a woman's life in the 1800s, this book isn't it. Maybe keep it as a toilet read for your guests to flip through and laugh at. They probably don't know as much about the Victorian ages as you do, anyway, and won't care!
In my opinion, this book is mis-titled. I was hoping Oneill would cover things like menstruation, childbirth, LGBTQ topics, and other taboo things. Instead it's basically "look at how these male doctors of the time gave bad medical advice, lol how ridiculous!" There's a lot of references published works and advertisements.
A lot of the included imagery is neither dated nor is the artist given credit, or any sort of frame or reference. Some of the pics looked like stills from silent films, which was of course decades later??
Special attention is paid to Dr. Kellogg of course, who is infamous for his enemas. I think this book made a mistake only focusing on the men. There were women (and men) at the time who really worked to "fix" all of these misconceptions, ignored the dude's advice, and figured things out for themselves. THAT'S what I wanted to read about. A lot of the advice for the time was born out of faulty/biased data and pure ignorance. They didn't even know what germs were!
Another glaring problem is that Oneill switches between American and British cultures at the drop of a hat. Is she talking about New York or London? Living in the country or in the city? She claims to focus on upper middle class, but then talks about how a woman of the house did all the laundry, for example.
It's vague on time period too. Going back and forth from the early 1800s all they way to the early 1900s. A lot of inventions and progress was made during that time, but Oniell makes it seem like it was still the Stone Age.
If you are looking into some insight into a woman's life in the 1800s, this book isn't it. Maybe keep it as a toilet read for your guests to flip through and laugh at. They probably don't know as much about the Victorian ages as you do, anyway, and won't care!
A wonderfully funny book that doesn’t mince words or take liberties to dull the terrible truths of the Victorian Age. The author takes the reader on a journey back to the Victorian Era and coaches you as a wealthy lady of the time. Humor is unmatched as well as attention to historical accuracy. 10/10 would read again.
DNF at 56%
Interesting information, but the chatty, condescending style (probably highlighted by the fact I listened to the audiobook) totally killed it for me.
Interesting information, but the chatty, condescending style (probably highlighted by the fact I listened to the audiobook) totally killed it for me.
Very well researched book on the trials and tribulations of the Victorian era - I just literally grew tired of the sarcasm about a third of the way into the book. The concept of taking us back into the times worked well, however the author's need to add a clever quip about EVERYTHING just wore me down.
This book is such a hilarious, historical gem! I laughed aloud many times, and I learned so much. Also, I want to hang out with Therese Oneill.