An unconventional parlor maid upends the lives of an aristocratic family in prewar England
Cluny Brown refuses to know her place in society. Last week, she took herself to tea at the Ritz. Then she spent almost an entire day in bed eating oranges. So, to teach her discipline, her uncle, a plumber who has raised the orphaned girl since she was a baby, sends her into service as a parlor maid at one of England’s stately manor houses.
At Friars Carmel in Devonshire, Cluny meets her employers: Sir Henry, the quintessential country squire, and Lady Carmel, who oversees the management of her home with unruffled calm. Their son, Andrew, newly returned from abroad with a Polish émigré writer friend, is certain the country is once again on the brink of war. Then there’s Andrew’s beautiful fiancée and the priggish town pharmacist.
While everyone around her struggles to keep pace with a rapidly changing world, Cluny continues to be Cluny, transforming those around her with her infectious zest for life.
“An entertaining story of England just before the war . . . Top drawer reading.” —Kirkus Reviews
"Cluny Brown has committed an unforgivable sin: She refuses to know her place. Last week, she took herself to tea at the Ritz. Then she spent almost an entire day in bed eating oranges. To teach her discipline, her uncle, a plumber who has raised the orphaned Cluny since she was a baby, sends her into service to be a parlor maid at one of England's stately manor houses. At Friars Carmel in Devonshire, Cluny meets her employers: Sir Henry, the quintessential country squire, and Lady Carmel, who oversees the management of her home with unruffled calm. Their son, Andrew, newly returned from abroad with a Polish âemigrâe writer friend, is certain that the world is once again on the brink of war. Then there's Andrew's beautiful fiancâee and the priggish pharmacist. While everyone around her struggles to keep pace with a rapidly changing world, Cluny continues to be Cluny, transforming the lives of those around her with her infectious zest for life."
“An entertaining story of England just before the war . . . Top drawer reading.” —Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Margery Sharp
“Sharp has a touch all her own when it comes to taking on social class, sex and its consequences, and the changes that the 20th century brought to both those arenas, most especially for women. She remained, always, both polite and biting, looking at the intoxications and delusions of life and love with wit and clear-eyed sympathy.” —The New York Times
“One of the most gifted writers of comedy in the civilized world today.” —Chicago Daily News
“Highly gifted . . . a wonderful entertainer.” —The New Yorker
“[Sharp’s] dialogue is brilliant, uncannily true. . . . She is an excellent storyteller.” —Elizabeth Bowen
“It is as natural for Miss Sharp to be witty as for a brook trout to have spots.” —The Saturday Review of Literature
