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This Victorian Life

Modern Adventures in Nineteenth-Century Culture, Cooking, Fashion, and Technology

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About this listen

We all know that the best way to study a foreign language is to go to a country where it's spoken, but can the same immersion method be applied to history? How do interactions with antique objects influence perceptions of the modern world?

From Victorian beauty regimes to 19th-century bicycles, custard recipes to taxidermy experiments, oil lamps to an ice box, Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman decided to explore 19th-century culture and technologies from the inside out. Even the deepest aspects of their lives became affected, and the more immersed they became in the late Victorian era, the more aware they grew of its legacies permeating the 21st century.

In her first book, Victorian Secrets, Chrisman recalled the first year she spent wearing a Victorian corset 24/7. In This Victorian Life, Chrisman picks up where Secrets left off and documents her complete shift into living as though she were in the 19th century.

©2015 Sarah A. Chrisman (P)2015 Tantor Americas United States Women Victorian History
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Sarah has written yet again a fascinating tone, that brings insight, not just to someone’s life , but the life of all things 19th century America. This book is far more entertaining than a celebrity biography. So many areas of life is covered and there’s plenty of areas of society and life for everyone to enjoy

Yet another awesome book

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fascinating commentary on rediscovering lived life as a Victorian along with a charming look at a couple with a dream starting a lived life together.

fascinating commentary on life as a time traveler

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Imagine a female Bill Bryson choosing to learn about the 1890s by full immersion. This book is witty, entertaining, beautifully written and educational in its authenticity. I wanted it to go on forever and wished Sarah Chrisman was my friend!

Thoroughly enjoyed this

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bought this for historical interest but was annoyed to find this was an opinion book rather than proper historical research. the author appears to receive daily abuse for her decision to live and dress in Victorian style and this book appears to be written as a response to the daily criticism she and her husband get. it only features thin scatterings of actual information on Victorian living with an air of smugness when comparing modern life to victorian equivalents. one thing in particular annoyed me, at the start of the book the author goes on about how infuriating it is to encounter historical stereotypes and general ignorance about history and yet she herself in a later chapter mentions vikings attacking castles which itself is an inaccurate historical stereotype.

opinion book rather than historical research

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self satisfied, self indulgent nonsense, feeling the need to explain the utter obvious, very boring indeed

just sooo boring

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