ashleylm's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely hilarious, because it's true (not that people are clumsy, but that someone actually wrote this god-awful book in all seriousness). It's not mediocre and bland bad writing, it's truly jaw-dropping I-can't-believe-it demented prose.
A good illustration of the old adage "if you can't say anything nice, write a travel guide."
A good illustration of the old adage "if you can't say anything nice, write a travel guide."
k_lee_reads_it's review
3.0
Never having left England, Mrs. Mortimer wrote a guide book to the world for Victorian readers. It is alternately laugh out loud about the outrageousness and cry in despair over the bigotry. Mrs. Mortimer was some else. We could use self righteous, bitter, caustic, rude, bigoted, among many more.
csmoore13's review against another edition
5.0
Well and beyond awesome in its unintentionally funny meanspiritedness. Filled with OMG moments. It was definately a different world back in yee old Victorian times.
foxwrapped's review against another edition
3.0
HA! She's so sweet. Well, when she's not hating on Catholics and heathens, and ah... teaching kids the weirdest bullshit about people.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
3.0
As Pruzan says in his introduction, "No matter where your ancestors had the misfortune of living--no doubt smoking too much, or taking snuff, or reading useless novels--Mrs. Favell Lee Mortimer had something nasty to say about them." Mrs. Mortimer had a successful, forty-year career writing Victorian children's books. Here's an example of her style from her bestselling [b:The Peep of Day or a Series of the Earliest Religious Instruction the Infant Mind is Capable of Receiving]:
"God has covered your bones with flesh. Your flesh is soft and warm...How easy it would be to hurt your poor little body! If it were to fall into a fire, it would be burned up. If a great knife were run through your body, the blood would come out. If a great box were to fall out of a window, your neck would be broken. If you were not to eat some food for a few days, your little body would be very sick, your breath would stop, and you would grow cold, and you would soon be dead." Children's books were written just a tad differently, back in the day.
Mrs.Mortimer wrote a number of books about other countries, despite having only been outside England twice--once to Brussels and Paris, and once to Edinburgh. Hardly a world traveler, and yet she churned out chapter after chapter. To no reader's surprise, her descriptions of other nations are wildly inaccurate and viciously prejudiced. Pruzan has collected some of his favorite chapters and pulled them together with a little preface of what was actually going on in that region. I enjoyed this book a great deal, but it's hard to read in one sitting. This would make an excellent bathroom book, or joke present.
"God has covered your bones with flesh. Your flesh is soft and warm...How easy it would be to hurt your poor little body! If it were to fall into a fire, it would be burned up. If a great knife were run through your body, the blood would come out. If a great box were to fall out of a window, your neck would be broken. If you were not to eat some food for a few days, your little body would be very sick, your breath would stop, and you would grow cold, and you would soon be dead." Children's books were written just a tad differently, back in the day.
Mrs.Mortimer wrote a number of books about other countries, despite having only been outside England twice--once to Brussels and Paris, and once to Edinburgh. Hardly a world traveler, and yet she churned out chapter after chapter. To no reader's surprise, her descriptions of other nations are wildly inaccurate and viciously prejudiced. Pruzan has collected some of his favorite chapters and pulled them together with a little preface of what was actually going on in that region. I enjoyed this book a great deal, but it's hard to read in one sitting. This would make an excellent bathroom book, or joke present.
ldaly4242's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the republishing of this book was clumsy! While it was quite interesting to read the original author's vitriol -- and very entertaining in a macabre way -- the "new" author didn't seem to do much at all. The chapter introductions about each country were worthless. This was a great topic wasted. Where was the insightful commentary? The introduction was a good start but I think the author fell asleep or something.
pinkalpaca's review
3.0
A bit tedious at times when reading all at once. My favorite parts were the introduction, which was both educational & a bit horrifying, and the bit about the men who soaked their hair in rancid butter then placed stalks of asparagus in it to indicate enemies slain. Thanks to Sarah for the opportunity to read it!
More...