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Interesting,
Insightful,
Slow

2 reviews

At Home: A Short History of Private Life
by

Published:
Hardcover : 512 pages
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3 clubs reading this now
1 member has read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 2 members
From one of the most beloved authors of our� time?more than six million copies of his books have been sold in this country alone?a fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

?Houses aren?t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.?

Bill Bryson and ...
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Introduction

(From one of the most beloved authors of our� time?more than six million copies of his books have been sold in this country alone?a fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

?Houses aren?t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.?

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to ?write a history of the world without leaving home.? The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade;%2

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

Suggested by Members

An obvious subject would be comparing the changes - and lack of them - in domestic history.
Each member might be asked what bit of history they found the most interesting or surprising and why?
I would query how/why domestic chores have not changed that much in the new millennium. Yes, you can buy fancy new appliances, but while cell phones, laptops, etc are a given a dirty dish is still a dirty dish..
by mmhubbell (see profile) 10/21/11

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

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Book Club Recommendations

Perfect for a book club with an interest in domestic history
by mmhubbell (see profile) 10/21/11
You will find a plethora of ideas in the kitchen and dining room section about what to serve (tho many you might not want to try!) and how.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
  "Very Interesting Audiobook"by Melissa M. (see profile) 10/21/11

I will admit I might not have picked up or stuck with this book if my husband had not already listened to it on audiobook - but, in addition to the fact that I have enjoyed Bryson's books before - overhearing... (read more)

 
  "Too Wordy"by Denise B. (see profile) 01/20/11

Although an interesting subject; it was just too wordy for our liking.

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