The book features Emily, who was born in the 19th century into an impoverished home with a large number of siblings. At the age of eleven, she begins in service as assistant to an upper class nursery. She gradually progresses to become a much loved ‘Nannie’ in her teens and through the rest of he life.

While loosely biographical, some of the chronology is incorrect, and many of the people have fictional names. The character of Emily is nicely done, with the majority of the book from her viewpoint. However I was a little disappointed that the writing doesn’t flow as Noel Streatfeild’s other books do; the sentence structure feels stilted in places, with some of the punctuation lacking entirely.

The latter sections of the book are a bit depressing, as Emily loses the opportunity of marriage, and then young men around her go off to the first World War and don’t return. The ending is then rather abrupt. However, I assume that the majority of the narrative is based on factual reminiscences so perhaps the chronological gaps are where little or nothing was recalled.

Still, overall the book paints a good picture of life in the late 19th century and is a useful read from the social history point of view. Certainly worth having for fans of Noel Streatfeild, or for anyone - adult or teen, perhaps even older children - who are interested in this era.

Three and a half stars would be fairer.
( )

This was a sweet, simple book about the life of Noel Streatfeild's father's nanny. It was a fascinating look into the life of an ordinary working class girl then woman. ( )

(Non-fiction, historical)

Doesn’t that title evoke a cozy picture? Indeed, subtitled A Children’s Nanny at the Turn of the Century, this is a charming little book.

From Amazon: “Emily Huckwell spent almost her entire life working for one family. Born in a tiny Sussex village in the 1870s, she went into domestic service in the Burton household before she was twelve, earning £5 a year. She began as a nursery maid, progressing to under nurse and then head nanny, looking after two generations of children. One of the children in her care was the father of Noel Streatfeild, one of the best-loved children’s writers of the 20th century. Basing her story on fact and family legend, Noel Streatfeild here tells Emily’s story, and with her characteristic warmth and intimacy creates a fascinating portrait of Victorian and Edwardian life above and below stairs.”

3½ stars ( )