Above the Stairs by Margaret Powell

This is Powell's follow up to her highly successful Below Stairs.  This volume recounts what the social scene was like amongst domestic servants in the 1920's.  With their crazy schedule and the unappealing label of "skivvie" how in the world did they meet men and go courting enough to find one that they could and would marry.
Once again, Powell's touch of humour and grace gently guides you through this lost era.  She also recounts some of her experiences post service as a married woman in England.  An absolutely delightful read.

Below Stairs by Margaret Powell

I picked up this book at Costco a couple of weeks ago.  It looked interesting to me.  The memoirs of a 1920's kitchen maid.  At first I didn't know if it was someone's real memoirs, or, just a book that was written from such a point of view.  After I brought it home, I found out this was a reprint of a book that first came out in the 1960's.  Indeed Margaret Powell went into service as a teenager in the 1920's in England.  This turned into a very fascinating read about what life was like back then and the class differences of the time.  Really, this book is more than that.  Powell accounts for her childhood in Hove as one of 8 or 9 children with a father who floated from job to job.  She left school at 14, not because she couldn't have achieved higher levels, but because her family simply couldn't afford the fees.  Powell started in laundry service before moving into domestic service as a kitchen maid, the lowest ranked in the household. 
She writes with humour and grace as she recounts her experiences, capturing the time beautifully.  You can picture how life was back then.  This book was one that was used as inspiration for Upstairs, Downstairs.  I now have a longing to watch those shows again, having a vague memory of them in my childhood.  I highly recommend this book.

The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal

Once again, Shobhan Bantwal has captured my attention in her book, "the Unexpected Son".  She write of modern Indo-Americans and the issues relating.  This book tells the story of Vinita, married for close to 25 years to Girish Patal.  She immigrated to the US from India shortly after their marriage.  A mysterious letter from Mubai arrives letting her know that the son she secretly gave birth to 30 years before lives and is dying from leukemia.  Vinita had been told that that son had been born stillborn. 
The story flashes back 30 years to India, where Vinita had been a very serious college student, seduced by Som Kori, a local playboy.
As always Bantwal brings to light the complex issues surrounding (in this case) unwed mothers and family pride in India.  A fantastic read.  I just love her writing.

Full Moon Bride by Shobhan Bantwal

Full Moon Bride explores the idea of arranged marriage in Indo-American culture.  Soorya is a fully modern first generation American woman.  She is a succesful lawyer and has embraced her home country.  She is also fully respectful and fully involved in her Indian ancestery.  She lives at home with her parents and is fully respectful of them and her grandmother who lives with them.  What Soorya is looking for now is marriage.  She has never dated.  She would love to have a family.  She sees her best friend embarking onto her own life in marriage, a love match typical of Americans.  She also knows that her own parents have a successful marriage and that theirs was arranged in India.  So what for Sorrya?  Does she continue on with 'bride viewings' and potential Indian suitors of similar backgrounds, or, does she venture out of arranged marriages completely and give the American dating scene a go?  A very enjoyable read.

When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury

When Joy Came to Stay is the story of Maggie, a woman battling depression.  She seems to have the perfect life but as is often true, the masks we wear cover up a history of hurt.  Maggie ends up checking herself into a mental institution.  Her husband comes home to find her note.  What is uncovered is a history that will challenge them both to the bottom of despair and back again.  It's a really great tale of how we can find the root of our hurts and how to begin to heal from them.  It is also a great tale of loving people and how to love people.  I really enjoyed this book.

On Every Side by Karen Kingsbury

On Every Side is a story about public rights and freedom of religion.  Jordan is a very angry, young, successful lawyer.  The company that he works for deliberately sets out to squash any sort of public expression of Christianity.  He decides that the next target should be a Jesus statue that is in a public part in a small town.  You know from the get go that there is an underlying reason that he is targeting this particular town and that reason is connected to his own personal biases against Christianity.  It's a matter of reading through the story to find out just what those are and how it all plays out.  As often happens in a Kingsbury book some of the play by play just seems a little too good to be something that would actually ever happen.  But then there is a suspension of disbelief in novels as well as an allusion to "with God all things are possible".  Still, an enjoyable read and an interesting basis for a story, especially considering in the years since she wrote this book how much today's society has hidden away any sort of public testimony.

Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

Ellen is a busy, career focused married woman who is called home for the funeral of her father.  She absolutely idolized him.  Her siblings however, have a very different picture of who he was and how they grew up.  Ellen's longing to return and relish in her cherished memories unearth other memories, memories of her first love.  She finds herself overwhelmed with emotion and unsure of where to turn.  This book was a very touching, very real read.