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cattytrona's review
3.0
There’s a quote from a review on the back of my copy of this, which says “this the book amateur home anthropologists have been waiting for”, which shook me, because, like, that’s a market? There are enough amateur home anthropologists to be waiting for a book? Then I realised that I am, in fact, reading this book. I am therefore its audience. The amateur home anthropologist is coming from inside the house.
This was pretty interesting. I read it as thesis research, which weirdly means I have less thoughts than I might have if I’d picked this up for pleasure (and may, arguably, upgrade me to semi-professional home anthropologist status). Kinda irrelevant to my particular thesis angle, but that's my problem, not the book's. Also my problem is the fact the airing cupboard off my childhood bedroom went unutilised as a crystal growing space, and that I will forever regret.
This was pretty interesting. I read it as thesis research, which weirdly means I have less thoughts than I might have if I’d picked this up for pleasure (and may, arguably, upgrade me to semi-professional home anthropologist status). Kinda irrelevant to my particular thesis angle, but that's my problem, not the book's. Also my problem is the fact the airing cupboard off my childhood bedroom went unutilised as a crystal growing space, and that I will forever regret.
halfmanhalfbook's review
2.0
An Englishman’s home is his castle, supposedly, but sadly most of us don’t have that sort of size property. The maxim still holds though, with people still thinking that they are masters of their own domain within those four walls. Even though the unimaginative building companies turn out carbon copy houses we still manage to make our mark on them to make them homes. As Highmore travels through each room of a regular house, he mixes history with a contemporary view on the present state of the home. Each chapter has an ironic title, for example the kitchen is ‘Put the kettle on’, and he considers the way each room has changed roles over time.
Way back in time the hall was the central room, and often the only room in a house, and everything happened in there, the cooking, sleeping and living. Nowadays the hall is more of a passageway, full of coats and shoes and the other modern paraphernalia of modern life. Stepping from the hall into the living room you will find a room that has changed dramatically in the past century. Now full of technology, TVs and game consoles, it is the room that the family use for leisure activities. It had been know in the past as the parlour, and was a room that was only used occasionally or for special occasions.
The function of the kitchen hasn’t changed over the years, but the look of the room has dramatically altered. Gone are the separate pieces of furniture, dressers and ranges. Kitchens are now sleek, modern, very advanced gadgets and hugely expensive. The irony is the most that people can rustle up these days is a ready meal, which they take through to the living room for a TV dinner, not actually eating in the dining room. This is probably the most multi-purpose room in the modern house now; used for homework, home offices, and games and occasionally for meals and dinner parties. Having eaten, you’ll probably need to visit the smallest room in the house. This room has moved from down the bottom of the garden, to being an integral part of the bedroom now with the en-suite. Thankfully they are all white and chrome now rather than the seventies avocado.
The function and purpose of the bedroom hasn’t changed at all, but the materials have. Gone are the high metal bedsteads with the cold blankets and we now have kingsize beds with continental quilts. There is an chapter on children’s bedrooms, including some amusing comments on the no go zone of the house, the teenagers bedroom! And he dares you to venture into the attic, and considers the ways people try to expand their limited space with loft conversions, outbuildings and extensions.
Mostly this was an interesting book to read. There are lots of parts that make you smile as you remember the things that you may have had at home like the vivid coloured bathroom suites, woodchip wall paper and TVs that lived in cabinets. Other items such as the hostess trolley, the teasmaid and blankets now are only found in charity shops. It is fairly well written too, full of anecdotes, detail and whimsical observations. But, whilst it is important to set the context for the rooms, I felt it did suffer from too many additional quotes at times. Worth reading for anyone with an interest in social history; 2.5 stars.
Way back in time the hall was the central room, and often the only room in a house, and everything happened in there, the cooking, sleeping and living. Nowadays the hall is more of a passageway, full of coats and shoes and the other modern paraphernalia of modern life. Stepping from the hall into the living room you will find a room that has changed dramatically in the past century. Now full of technology, TVs and game consoles, it is the room that the family use for leisure activities. It had been know in the past as the parlour, and was a room that was only used occasionally or for special occasions.
The function of the kitchen hasn’t changed over the years, but the look of the room has dramatically altered. Gone are the separate pieces of furniture, dressers and ranges. Kitchens are now sleek, modern, very advanced gadgets and hugely expensive. The irony is the most that people can rustle up these days is a ready meal, which they take through to the living room for a TV dinner, not actually eating in the dining room. This is probably the most multi-purpose room in the modern house now; used for homework, home offices, and games and occasionally for meals and dinner parties. Having eaten, you’ll probably need to visit the smallest room in the house. This room has moved from down the bottom of the garden, to being an integral part of the bedroom now with the en-suite. Thankfully they are all white and chrome now rather than the seventies avocado.
The function and purpose of the bedroom hasn’t changed at all, but the materials have. Gone are the high metal bedsteads with the cold blankets and we now have kingsize beds with continental quilts. There is an chapter on children’s bedrooms, including some amusing comments on the no go zone of the house, the teenagers bedroom! And he dares you to venture into the attic, and considers the ways people try to expand their limited space with loft conversions, outbuildings and extensions.
Mostly this was an interesting book to read. There are lots of parts that make you smile as you remember the things that you may have had at home like the vivid coloured bathroom suites, woodchip wall paper and TVs that lived in cabinets. Other items such as the hostess trolley, the teasmaid and blankets now are only found in charity shops. It is fairly well written too, full of anecdotes, detail and whimsical observations. But, whilst it is important to set the context for the rooms, I felt it did suffer from too many additional quotes at times. Worth reading for anyone with an interest in social history; 2.5 stars.
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