Dora Annie

Dora Annie is an interesting look into life in service that many children had to go into even in fairly recent times.

It's a debut book by Patricia Stone and Brian Bone. It's aimed at children but will be enjoyed by everyone with an interest in social history.

It tells the real story of the grandmother of the author, how she began as a young girl and her hard but loving family life, how at the early age of eight she began her working life as a helper and companion to the sickly wife of a farmer.

How she subsequently went into service at the tender age of 14 as a Tweeny Maid, becoming a Nursery Maid and then, ultimately, as a Ladies Maid.

The book also shows her family life, too, so is not all about her working life, fascinating though that was.

It provides real insights into the lives of people like Dora and others like her, who worked in service,  the early starts to the day, making the kitchen ready for the cook and her staff, washing the dishes, family prayers and the reverence she felt for the house in which she worked.

Dora Annie's life was a very interesting one and she ended up travelling to Canada with the family she worked for.

The book is wonderfully illustrated throughout by Lawrence Cornes.

The book is published by Matador at £10.99 and is aimed primarily at children but will be loved by adults, too, especially those with their own family tales of life in service.

This book also needs to be in social history sections of public libraries and in school libraries, too.