Search:

The pharaoh's court / by Hinds, Kathryn,1962-;
Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-68), Internet addresses and index.Describes the daily life of the upper classes during the New Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, from about 1550 BCE to about 1070 BCE, including the structure of society, the differing roles of men and women, and what it was like to be a child in that era.
© c2007., Marshall Cavendish Benchmark,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Maid : hard work, low pay, and a mother's will to survive / by Land, Stephanie,author.; Ehrenreich, Barbara,writer of foreword.;
A journalist describes the years she worked in low-paying domestic work under wealthy employers, contrasting the privileges of the upper-middle class to the realities of the overworked laborers supporting them.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Land, Stephanie.; Women household employees; Working class; Single mothers; Working poor; Poverty;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The henna artist / by Joshi, Alka,author.;
Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist-- and confidante-- to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own ... Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow-- a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Abused wives; Nineteen fifties; Henna (Dye); Women artists; Secrecy; Caste; Sisters; Social classes;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
unAPI

The six : the lives of the Mitford sisters / by Thompson, Laura,1964-author.; revision of:Thompson, Laura,1964-Take six sisters.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The eldest was a razor-sharp novelist of upper-class manners; the second was loved by John Betjeman; the third was a fascist who married Oswald Mosley; the fourth idolized Hitler and shot herself in the head when Britain declared war on Germany; the fifth was a member of the American Communist Party; the sixth became Duchess of Devonshire. They were the Mitford sisters: Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica, and Deborah. Born into country-house privilege in the early years of the 20th century, they became prominent as "bright young things" in the high society of interwar London. Then, as the shadows crept over 1930s Europe, the stark--and very public--differences in their outlooks came to symbolize the political polarities of a dangerous decade. The intertwined stories of their stylish and scandalous lives--recounted in masterly fashion by Laura Thompson--hold up a revelatory mirror to upper-class English life before and after WWII."--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Mitford family.; Mitford, Jessica, 1917-1996.; Mitford, Nancy, 1904-1973.; Mitford, Pamela, 1907-1994.; Mitford, Unity, 1914-1948.; Mosley, Diana, 1910-2003.; Devonshire, Deborah Vivien Freeman-Mitford Cavendish, Duchess of, 1920-2014.; Authors, English; Sisters; Women authors, English;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The unquiet heart / by Welsh, Kaite,author.;
Sarah Gilchrist finds herself trying to prove her fiancé's innocence in the midst of his murder trial. Edinburgh, 1893. Sarah Gilchrist has no intention of marrying her dull fiancé Miles, the man her family hope will restore her reputation and put an end to her dreams of becoming a doctor, but when he is arrested for a murder she is sure he didn't commit, she finds herself his reluctant ally. Beneath the genteel façade of upper class Edinburgh lurks blackmail, adultery, poison, and madness, and Sarah must return to Edinburgh's slums, back alleys, and asylums as she discovers the dark past about a family where no one is what they seem, even Miles himself. It also brings her back into the orbit of her mercurial professor, Gregory Merchiston--he sees Sarah as his protege, but can he stave off his demons long enough to teach her the skills that will save her life?
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Historical fiction.; Women medical students; Fiancés; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Love and death among the cheetahs / by Bowen, Rhys,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.Georgie is excited when Darcy announces out of the blue that they are flying to Kenya for their extended honeymoon. It is only after they arrive that she suspects he has actually been sent there on an assignment. She tries not to be angry, because she is, after all, in a paradise! They are picked up in Nairobi and taken to a lovely house in Happy Valley--the center of upper-class English life there. Darcy finally confides that there have been some spectacular robberies in London and Paris, and it is suspected that the thief was a member of the aristocracy and may have fled to Kenya. Georgie is shocked at the completely decadent lifestyle that involves wild parties and rampant infidelity. One of the leading lights in the community, Lord Cheriton, makes a play for Georgie. She rebuffs him. Then he is found dead along a lonely stretch of road. At first it seems to be a lion attack. But why was he on that stretch of road, alone, late at night? It seems the Happy Valley community wants to close the case, but as Georgie and Darcy investigate, almost everyone has a motive to want Lord Cheriton dead.
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Spy fiction.; Historical fiction.; Rannoch, Georgie (Fictitious character); Aristocracy (Social class); Women spies; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Women's work : a reckoning with home and help / by Stack, Megan K.,author.;
When Megan Stack was living in Beijing, she left her prestigious job as a foreign correspondent to have her first child and work from home writing a book. She quickly realized that caring for a baby and keeping up with the housework while her husband went to the office each day was consuming the time she needed to write. This dilemma was resolved in the manner of many upper-class families and large corporations: she availed herself of cheap Chinese labor. The housekeeper Stack hired was a migrant from the countryside, a mother who had left her daughter in a precarious situation to earn desperately needed cash in the capital. As Stack's family grew and her husband's job took them to Dehli, a series of Chinese and Indian women cooked, cleaned, and babysat in her home. Stack grew increasingly aware of the brutal realities of their lives: domestic abuse, alcoholism, unplanned pregnancies. Hiring poor women had given her the ability to work while raising her children, but what ethical compromise had she made? Determined to confront the truth, Stack traveled to her employees' homes, met their parents and children, and turned a journalistic eye on the tradeoffs they'd been forced to make as working mothers seeking upward mobility--and on the cost to the children who were left behind. Women's Work is an unforgettable story of four women as well as an electrifying meditation on the evasions of marriage, motherhood, feminism, and privilege.
Subjects: Biographies.; Stack, Megan K.; Child care workers; Child care workers; Working mothers; Americans; Americans;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The world : a family history / by Sebag Montefiore, Simon,1965-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From the acclaimed author of The Romanovs--a magisterial history of humanity viewed through the lens of its most powerful dynasties In this sprawling and eye-opening book, best-selling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore chronicles the world's great dynasties across human history through engrossing tales of palace intrigue, glorious battle, and the real lives of people who held unfathomable power. He trains his eye on founders of humble origin, like Sargon, the Mesopotamian cupbearer sent to help defeat a rival who returned with an army to dethrone his own king, and Liu Bang, a peasant who became a rebel leader and founded the Han dynasty. Montefiore illuminates the achievements of fearsome emperors, including Yax Ehb Xook, whose Mayan city-state Tikal boasts some of the most monumental ancient architecture that exists today; Jayavarman II, who proclaimed himself "universal king" and whose Khmer empire in South Asia heralded a thousand years of Indic ascendancy; and Ewuare, the African emperor who built a capital city that rivaled any in Europe. He writes, too, about remarkable women rulers, like Hatshepsut, the first female pharaoh, and Maria Theresa, the only woman to rule the Habsburg empire. These families represent the breadth of human endeavor, with bloody civil wars, treacherous conspiracies, and shocking megalomania alongside flourishing culture, moving romances, and enlightened benevolence. A dazzling epic history as spellbinding as fiction, The World is testament to Montefiore's acclaimed career as our poet laureate of power"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Kings and rulers; Royal houses; Upper class; World history;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Lady Charlotte always gets her man / by Marsh, Violet,author.;
"Fleeing through the streets of London in a gown meant for her betrothal ball is not Lady Charlotte Lovett's finest decision. Seeking shelter at her estranged cousin's coffeeshop, however, turns out to be utterly inspired. Soon Charlotte has brewed up a plan to help create a secret backroom where women can sip coffee and debate on equal terms with men. It's also the perfect way to escape her arranged engagement. Not only will it provide income for her, but she can learn about London's dark side as she sets out to prove that her intended-or rather unintended-has villainous connections. Her first lead is the man's own brother, Dr. Matthew Talbot. The third son of a duke, Matthew was born into the peerage but never welcomed, especially by his malicious older brother. His choice to become a physician and a naturalist has cemented his outsider status. But when the alluring Lady Charlotte shows up at his favorite coffeehouse, the scholarly adventurer finds himself drawn back into her world of rarefied literary salons and upper-class elegance. Even as Charlotte is increasingly beguiled by Matthew, she becomes more and more convinced that he is hiding a secret, but does it involve his murderous older brother? Charlotte must decide whether to put her trust in Matthew so they can fight for their future and freedom in a world that challenges those who dare to defy the social order"--
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Novels.; Aristocracy (Social class); Coffeehouses; Man-woman relationships; Nobility; Physicians; Secrecy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The hidden city / by Finch, Charles(Charles B.),author.;
"Against the vividly drawn backdrop of Victorian London, amateur sleuth Charles Lenox must unlock a mystery concealed in the architecture of the city itself, in this new novel from acclaimed author Charles Finch. It's 1879, and Lenox is convalescing from the violent events of his last investigation. But a desperate letter from an old servant forces him to pick up the trail of a cold case: the murder of an apothecary seven years before, whose only clue is an odd emblem carved into the doorway of the building where the man was killed. When Lenox finds a similar mark at the site of another murder, he begins to piece together a hidden pattern which leads him into the corridors of Parliament, the slums of East London, and ultimately the very heart of the British upper class. At the same time, Lenox must contend with the complexities of his personal life: a surprising tension with his steadfast wife, Lady Jane, over her public support of the early movement for women's suffrage; the arrival of Angela Lenox, a mysterious young cousin from India, with an unexpected companion; the dizzying ascent of his brother, Sir Edmund Lenox, to one of the highest political posts in the land; the growing family of his young partners in detection, Polly and Dallington; and the return of the problems that have long bedeviled one of his closest friends, the dashing Scottish physician Thomas McConnell. Featuring a beloved cast of characters, a top-notch puzzle, and Finch's trademark humor and richness of historical detail, The Hidden City is a novel by a master at the top of his form"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Novels.; Lenox, Charles (Fictitious character); Murder; Private investigators;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI