When Jane Brocket was writing her book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, I was quite excited, and could not wait until her book was available. Well, indeed I did wait, because as per my usual style, I waited until the book was available at my local library. Which meant that I needed to wait for the book to be published in the United States (it was originally published in the UK).I put a hold on the book at the library, and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally I got a notice telling me that the book was in. I checked it out, and brought it home. When I opened it, I was disappointed.
I had expected new and exciting pictures, recipes, and knitting, but instead found the same pictures and material that I had been seeing and reading for several years on Jane's blog yarnstorm. I thumbed through the book several times and then returned it to the library.
Last month I was at the library and spotted The Gentle Art of Domesticity on the shelf. I decided to check it out again. This time, after flipping through and enjoying the photography, I started at the beginning and read. It is true, most of the material was presented in some form or fashion on Jane's blog. But she has since deleted her blog yarnstorm, thus deleting all the knitting, crocheting, baking, beading, and quilting content. So since I knew I couldn't go online and find the same content, it was quite an enjoyable read.
Most of the book is not really how to enjoy one's domestic life. Rather, it is how Jane enjoys her domestic life. It is a fun read. The book lends itself to short reading bursts, which is all I seem to have anyhow.
After reading this book from cover to cover, I have been inspired to knit more, read more, and bring more beauty into my domestic life. Which, I am pretty sure, was Jane's purpose.
Image from Amazon.com
3 comments:
I checked this book out from our library after reading a review of some months ago... I was a little disappointed, but the pictures were so gorgeous I was glad I checked it out, just to browse the photos.
It was lovely the way it authenticated the domestic arts, but I just couldn't personally identify with her expression of those arts or her seemingly unlimited budget. ;)
Lizzy, I'm so glad to see your comment! I was thinking about you the other day, but I couldn't remember your blog link!
I am in agreement - it does seem that she has an unlimited budget! But many of her domestic pleasures can be enjoyed by anyone, even if you are on a budget!
Thank you for the review, I've always wondered about this book.
I think she is still blogging though, isn't this her blog?
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