A 1950s Housewife: Marriage and Homemaking in the 1950s Paperback – January 1, 2016

This was such a nice book to read. I've always been obsessed with the 1950s and after having taken so many classes that focus on women's history, I wanted a light and happier read. This definitely fit the bill! It was accurate, informative, and kept me interested. I wish it would have provided more of a 'day in the life' feel, but that's just because of my own personal interest in history (I like history to be as personal as possible!)This taught me a lot and gave me some nice conversation starters for my grandma who remembered some of the things in this book as experience in her own life (such as, being a young newly wed, she knew she'd be responsible for making curtains, table cloths, etc, rather than buying them...)

I love the period of the 1950s so this was a fun read all about the every day life of a woman, wife and mother in those days. Quite a bit of fun information on housekeeping, meal planning, fashion, and leisure of the era.

I figured that I could try to stay home and be a housewife. Total fail. I gave the book to my sister and brother in law and it was the perfect present for them. My brother in law is fascinated with the book. Hope that my sister can live up to the expectations.

First and foremost, if you are an American Housewife interested in American Culture, dating, and related topics involving this era? I am afraid to say that this book probably won't entirely be what you are looking for. It is ultimately useless to the woman looking for education on the culture and customs of that era in our own country. The book is certainly not completely useless, however, especially if you have a tendency to consume anything and everything about that era regardless of its country of origin... But it is still written from a British standpoint, and while it alludes to America’s state in some portions many things were not the same across the ocean.That being said, I do thoroughly enjoy the fact that this book covers more than just the Housewife herself. It covers everything; juxtaposing pre war culture against in war culture and even post war culture. As a result, the book gives you a miraculously detailed idea of how society was affected by and functioned in all areas of life which spanned the course of our favorite vintage era.One of the greatest things about this book, though, is that it was written not by Historians, but by someone who lived through it first hand; the author uses not only her first hand accounts and experiences to illustrate their everyday life, but also the stories and experiences of other women who also lived through it as well. This gives you a marvelous peek into the authentic- not speculative or romanticized- life of a 1950′s Housewife in Britain. Even if it is not oriented on American culture, it is still truly is a breathtaking historical account for someone interested in the early 1940′s to the mid 1960′s.The only issue I really had with the book was that I did find it oddly structured. I feel that it jumps around too much from era to era and subject to subject even- within the same chapter. It does this in such a manner that makes it difficult to read and follow along in a true chronological or even historical order. I would have been much happier if the chapters were structured chronologically as opposed to being as flighty as they were. I do believe that this would have helped the readability and understandability immensely- as well as better illustrate the pre, in, and post war differences.Regardless, it was humorously written and certainly educational and eye opening.

A really sweet book that provides a snapshot into a time passed when homemaking was the norm for women. As a SAHM I really appreciated the viewpoints of the those who took pride in their homes and their families. I do not romanticize the past and recognize how far women have come since the 50s, but this is a beautiful look into a time that has passed. An enjoyable quick read.

I really enjoyed this book. The transaction was smooth and the product was as advertised. Only thing I would add is that this book is about 1950s wives in Great Britain, not America. This actually turned out to be a good thing because I was able to see how different life was for families in Great Britain during and after the War, how much better off it was in America, how much more freedom from the Government there was. A very revealing discourse.

I don't know if it's any good, I can't read it. The book is smaller than you would expect and the print is so tiny I cannot read it. There are also very few actual pictures, which is disappointing as I'd hoped for a good amount of pictures from the 1950s. As a research tool, this was a waste of money.

Liked this book a lot. Very interesting things in it and some of it was too funny. Not a modern day thing