Tuesday, November 7, 2017

So good I can't believe it went out of print

One Pair of Hands
by Monica Dickens

I couldn't recommend this to a thriller addict. The most suspenseful bit is whether or not her perfect souffle will survive waiting for the overdue dinner guest.  Thriller addict--what's the point?  Me--hilarious!

It's about this young lady who gets bored with the society rounds of tea/party/theater and decides to take up a profession. She'd tried acting school and got kicked out on her duff--couldn't act--so she decides to take up cooking. And by "take up" I don't mean dabble in a little haute cuisine on her own--I mean "hire out as a paid laborer."  And labor she did--plus a good bit of acting.  I say it takes one fine actor to smile and say, "Yes Sir, I'll get right to that," when she's really thinking, "You fat lazy slob, where do you get off expecting me to do all this work for twenty-five shillings a week?"

Not that she thinks that sort of thing out loud. Not very often, anyway. She just describes her employers, jobs and labor in as dry and descriptive voice as she can muster. She lets her readers supply the laughter.

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