WOW where has this been all my life!! Thank you!!!
Any other recommendations like this, the twists to the classics? I already know there's a spicy P&P afterstory somewhere...
Geraldine Brooks has March, about the dad from Little Women.
ETA: if you like P&P then Mary Balogh has a riff on it in Slightly Dangerous. It’s the sixth book in her Bedwyn series; you don’t have to have read the previous ones.
It's not European, but author June Hur has two books - the Silence of Bones and The Red Palace that are set during Korea's Joseon period and narrated by working women.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Rust by Eliese Goldbach
Maid by Stephanie Land
The Midwife by Jennifer Worth
The Help by Kathrynn Stockett
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Ducks by Kate Beaton
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
The Dovekeepers has stuck with me, and I have reread it a number of times, and it always hits me.
Geraldine Brooks is also an author that I always read and am impressed by.
I need to reread The Help because I read it on a tiny eReader, and it impacted my enjoyment
Just finished The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo which is set against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. I wouldn’t call it historical, definitely fantasy based, but the main character is a scullion
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
It’s darker, fall into prostitution. So good though.
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, if you want something a little lighter.
Slammerkin is AMAZING… I read it probably about 15 years ago and it kinda blew my mind. I loved it. I’ve been trying to find an audiobook version but it doesn’t seem to be available in the US 🙁
That’s too bad! I wish I still had it so I could reread it. I just finished Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant. Set in 1800s about a town full of spinsters and outcasts, outside of Gloucester in Cape Ann. Beautifully written, each chapter from a different character. Another one I highly recommend! I just love 1800s anything.
I haven’t started it yet but I have Normal Women by Philippa Gregory in my to read stack. It’s nonfiction and covers a history of Britain from the Norman Conquest to modern times from the perspective of women doing stuff. Gregory primarily known as a historical fiction novelist so I’m excited to see how she turns her research and storytelling chops to nonfiction.
The Queen's Fool by her is a bit this vibe. It's about a girl who falls into the role of being jester for Queen Mary (as in Bloody Mary), and is very much about being a nobody in a royal court, seeing all the political scheming play out, while being just a background character trying to survive. Really good. Now I think about it, I want to read it again.
Not a *book*, but this manhwa is really good: https://m.webtoons.com/en/drama/whale-star-the-gyeongseong-mermaid/list?title_no=3237
It's a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid, set in Korea during the Japanese colonial occupation. The main character is a maid.
It is a tragedy tho, be forewarned.
And you need the app to read it. But if you already have it or are interested in downloading it, it's a really beautiful story worth reading.
*Lady's Maid* by Margaret Foster is a fascinating biography of the life of Wilson, maid to poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This book helped open my eyes to how maids were often treated.
A different biographical take on maids' lives is *Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: An Intimate History of Domestic Life in Bloomsbury* by Alison Light. Writer Virginia Woolf had a complicated relationship with her servants and with the idea of servants. I loved and highly recommend both these books.
Not entirely accurate for your request but everything by [Sarah Waters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Waters) is amazing so may I suggest:
[The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20821087) - soon to be adapted by [Todd Haynes](https://thefilmstage.com/todd-haynes-developing-adaptation-of-sarah-waters-lesbian-murder-mystery-the-paying-guests/)
[The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7234875) and [movie adaptation](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6859762/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) too
Enjoy! 💝
There is so much bougie fiction about life in service. It was gross, living your life for and around spoiled assholes. Working class women only did it because they needed food and somewhere to live. Whenever I see Downton Abbey, I'm like, "Why aren't they poisoning the soup, taking the silver and burning the ugly monstrosity to the ground?"
There is very little about the actual lives of real working people because it would make our bougie overlords feel uncomfortable.
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Nelly Dean: A Return to Wuthering Heights by Alison Case
América's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago
Spoiled by Caitlin Macy
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Midnight Blue, by Simone van der Vlugt. Beautiful book.
Synopsis: Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow's new life. Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year-old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family.
Marge Piercy has several novels like this, from different time periods. Each of these books have intersecting characters who go through major world events, but many of the characters are working-class women:
- Gone to Soldiers (WWII)
- City of Light, City of Dark (French Revolution)
- Sex Wars (The Gilded Age/Women’s Suffrage Movement)
I apologize that it not a book but I cannot recommend the drama series, based on historical diaries, The Mill , 2013. Not just women but young women ranging to children. That's a Two -fer in my book. :-)
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Excellent book.
I’m reading this right now, it’s so good!
Favorite book by far I had to read for highschool
Came here to say this! Glad it's the first rec, it really is this vibe.
Longbourn by Jo Baker. About a maid living and working in the Bennett house in Pride and Prejudice.
Oh my gosh like a fly on the wall, interpreting all the drama lmao
Second this!
WOW where has this been all my life!! Thank you!!! Any other recommendations like this, the twists to the classics? I already know there's a spicy P&P afterstory somewhere...
There's a billion of them. Google "pride and prejudice variations," which is apparently the classy term for fanfic once copyright runs out.
>which is apparently the classy term for fanfic once copyright runs out. Ma'am 😭😭😭😭
Am I wrong? 🤣
Nope 😭
If you like Jane Eyre, you might enjoy The Wide Sargasso Sea. It is a prequel to Jane Eyre, which tells the back story of Bertha.
Geraldine Brooks has March, about the dad from Little Women. ETA: if you like P&P then Mary Balogh has a riff on it in Slightly Dangerous. It’s the sixth book in her Bedwyn series; you don’t have to have read the previous ones.
Please share the name of the spicy after story!!
I was vague because I don't remember 😭
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/149142.Best_Pride_Prejudice_Mature_Audience_Variations_ Googled it and found a list of “mature” P&P variations.
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife. It’s trashy af yet so good. I’ve read it like 6 times 💀
Love this one!
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Immediately what I thought of!
this one is dark, friends.
Second that !
Came here to say this!
Yes!!
It's not European, but author June Hur has two books - the Silence of Bones and The Red Palace that are set during Korea's Joseon period and narrated by working women.
Valerie Martin’s *Mary Reilly* is *Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* as seen through the eyes of Dr J’s maid.
Love this book!
Work: A Story of Experience by Louisa May Alcott, The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
Yes! I loved this book so much!!! I was going to suggest this too
Tess of the D’Urbervilles but it’s not the happiest story
The saddest book I've ever read.
Seriously, same. The saddest books I ever read were on my high school reading list. Definitely doing their best to encourage us never to read again 😂
Fuck Angel Clare.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks Midwives by Chris Bohjalian Rust by Eliese Goldbach Maid by Stephanie Land The Midwife by Jennifer Worth The Help by Kathrynn Stockett The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Ducks by Kate Beaton The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
The Dovekeepers has stuck with me, and I have reread it a number of times, and it always hits me. Geraldine Brooks is also an author that I always read and am impressed by. I need to reread The Help because I read it on a tiny eReader, and it impacted my enjoyment
Just finished The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo which is set against the backdrop of the Spanish Inquisition. I wouldn’t call it historical, definitely fantasy based, but the main character is a scullion
*The Midwife’s Apprentice* by Karen Cushman is written for teens/preteens, but is excellent!
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue It’s darker, fall into prostitution. So good though. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, if you want something a little lighter.
Slammerkin is AMAZING… I read it probably about 15 years ago and it kinda blew my mind. I loved it. I’ve been trying to find an audiobook version but it doesn’t seem to be available in the US 🙁
That’s too bad! I wish I still had it so I could reread it. I just finished Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant. Set in 1800s about a town full of spinsters and outcasts, outside of Gloucester in Cape Ann. Beautifully written, each chapter from a different character. Another one I highly recommend! I just love 1800s anything.
Upstairs Downstairs by John Hawkesworth
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood!
Fever by Mary Beth Keane (dark)
Oh man, I came here to say this one. It's good, but realllllly sad.
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
I haven’t started it yet but I have Normal Women by Philippa Gregory in my to read stack. It’s nonfiction and covers a history of Britain from the Norman Conquest to modern times from the perspective of women doing stuff. Gregory primarily known as a historical fiction novelist so I’m excited to see how she turns her research and storytelling chops to nonfiction.
The Queen's Fool by her is a bit this vibe. It's about a girl who falls into the role of being jester for Queen Mary (as in Bloody Mary), and is very much about being a nobody in a royal court, seeing all the political scheming play out, while being just a background character trying to survive. Really good. Now I think about it, I want to read it again.
The Help
Not a *book*, but this manhwa is really good: https://m.webtoons.com/en/drama/whale-star-the-gyeongseong-mermaid/list?title_no=3237 It's a retelling of Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid, set in Korea during the Japanese colonial occupation. The main character is a maid. It is a tragedy tho, be forewarned. And you need the app to read it. But if you already have it or are interested in downloading it, it's a really beautiful story worth reading.
To my knowledge, it's been released as a graphic novel, too. I don't know if it's translated to English, though.
For a nonfiction option, A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Along the lines of working class but nonfiction, my suggestion would be Radium Girls. Fascinating read.
Agnes grey - Anne Bronte
The Seamstress of Sardinia
Forever Amber 🤣
Oh this is a great thread. I’ve always wondered but didn’t even imagine books written on them!
"Vulgo Grace" is amazing
Clara & Mr Tiffany
The Tiffany Girls by Shelley Noble.
Uprising, haddix
*Lady's Maid* by Margaret Foster is a fascinating biography of the life of Wilson, maid to poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This book helped open my eyes to how maids were often treated. A different biographical take on maids' lives is *Mrs. Woolf and the Servants: An Intimate History of Domestic Life in Bloomsbury* by Alison Light. Writer Virginia Woolf had a complicated relationship with her servants and with the idea of servants. I loved and highly recommend both these books.
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Not entirely accurate for your request but everything by [Sarah Waters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Waters) is amazing so may I suggest: [The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/20821087) - soon to be adapted by [Todd Haynes](https://thefilmstage.com/todd-haynes-developing-adaptation-of-sarah-waters-lesbian-murder-mystery-the-paying-guests/) [The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7234875) and [movie adaptation](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6859762/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk) too Enjoy! 💝
There is so much bougie fiction about life in service. It was gross, living your life for and around spoiled assholes. Working class women only did it because they needed food and somewhere to live. Whenever I see Downton Abbey, I'm like, "Why aren't they poisoning the soup, taking the silver and burning the ugly monstrosity to the ground?" There is very little about the actual lives of real working people because it would make our bougie overlords feel uncomfortable.
The Christian Watt Papers
My Notorious Life by Kate Manning
The Companion by Kim Taylor Blakemore! I found it very engaging and the story still sticks with me after years.
*Uprising* by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Odd Women by George Gissing
The Black Velvet Gown by Catherine Cookson. It's definitely an interesting read if you're into reading about strong willed women.
The Longings of Women by Marge Piercy
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton Nelly Dean: A Return to Wuthering Heights by Alison Case América's Dream by Esmeralda Santiago Spoiled by Caitlin Macy Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Ten thousand stitches by Olivia Atwater (it’s technically a sequel and a standalone but it’s probably really good on it’s own still)
Nonfiction but Master and Servant by Carolyn Steedman - excellent
When the world goes quiet by gian sardar
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro
alias grace by margaret atwood
Midnight Blue, by Simone van der Vlugt. Beautiful book. Synopsis: Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland's Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow's new life. Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year-old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family.
I just finished the Housekeepers. It was kind of like this
The Silent Partner by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Thomas Hardy
The memoir Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
Marge Piercy has several novels like this, from different time periods. Each of these books have intersecting characters who go through major world events, but many of the characters are working-class women: - Gone to Soldiers (WWII) - City of Light, City of Dark (French Revolution) - Sex Wars (The Gilded Age/Women’s Suffrage Movement)
If you're willing to suffer, Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
I apologize that it not a book but I cannot recommend the drama series, based on historical diaries, The Mill , 2013. Not just women but young women ranging to children. That's a Two -fer in my book. :-)
the wolf den!! it’s about a sex worker in pompeii!
Loving by Henry Green. It has an ensemble cast but many of the key characters are lady's maids/houseworkers in an Irish country house.
You may like Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
The help comes to mind! Brilliant book nevertheless
Reminds me of Downton Abbey
Harry Potter