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How to be the Perfect Housewife: Lessons in the Art of Modern Household Management (Perfect House Wife) | 
 enlarge | Author: Anthea Turner
Publisher: Virgin Books
Category: Book
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £6.14
You Save: £6.85 (53%)
New (18) Used (3) from £5.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  21 reviews
Sales Rank: 1045
Media: Paperback
Pages: 128
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 8.2 x 0.5
ISBN: 0753512858
EAN: 9780753512852
ASIN: 0753512858
Publication Date: March 29, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 16 more reviews...
 A Book for the Modern Girl October 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As someone who didn't grow up with a housewife for a mum, I didn't know anything about organization or cleaning and I thought cooking meant jacket potatoes.
I really appreciate this book because it can be applied to anyone, even someone with absolutely no knowledge of how to keep house which is how I was. If you feel overwhelmed and you don't know where to even begin, then this book is for you. It is also for you if you have the house fairly under control, but just need some new ideas to inspire you. The book is divided into sections, which you can go through at your own pace. This enables you to take baby steps, and sort out your house around your own schedule.
Some people rubbish housework and think it is a menial job. But your surroundings do have a big impact on you, and if you can be organized at home, all other areas of your life will also improve.
I recommend the DVD series that this book accompanies also, they are very motivational and inspiring when you see the before and after's
A great Potters export-thumbs up for Anthea! August 11, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I often wish I had 36 hours rather than 24 in a day. The firt time I tuned into Antheas show I was expecting something like bootcamp however found it quite pleasant to watch.
I quickly ordered her 'manual' as soon as it become available and I must say I am very very impressed with the book.
I, like many busy people have a chest freezer which although seems to be full a full meal could never be cooked from its contents. Anthea has clear guidelines on what you can freeze and how to freeze it (e.g. you can freeze a cake-for simplicity just cut it beforehand). Since reading the kitchen chapter I have made some changes in my routine. My mum also makes shopping lists now and we often do our shopping at less busier times (to avoid queuing times).
Cleaning is now less of a chore-10 minutes spent in the bathroom cleaning the sink which you wait for the toilet cleaner to work its magic is nothing in the grand theme of things. It will save you time down the line (the less dirt, the easier it is to clean).
I'm even giving meal planning a shot!
A book I can recommend to any of the following:
men living alone (or in a big group)
students-male and female
anyone who has recently moved out of their parents home
newly weds moving in together (will save a lot of tears at cleaning time)
new mummies who have no time to do anything
work from home people who find it hard to find time to do daily chores
new stay at home mums/wives/husbands
...plus anyone else who is struggling to grasp the functions of their vacuum, duster and mop and bucket.
A great manual which will make a great housewarming present.
I have just purchased Antheas entertaining in style book and shall post a review soon.
Hail Queen Anthea! June 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My friends all laugh at me and say I have OCD cleaning issues, but Antheas book informed me that I am running a tidy household! Her tips are great, especially her spring cleaning list, which I am working through just now even though it is summer. The tips for cleaning out your wardrobes have inspired me to get a babysitter this week and devote a day to tackle my wardrobe problems. I found the book quite positive and inspirational in parts. I have read a lot of it previously in a 1950's book I found about home management and just wonder how much Anthea got from historical cleaning routines that have been written about. Nevertheless, this is a good book and tends itself well for the new housekeeper, it can be daunting if you are not quite as precise as Anthea and may leave you feeling you are 'not quite' meeting standards expected, but it gives you something to aim for, I loved Antheas TV series and bought the dvd to actually watch the tips in action, again, as another reviewer stated, it would have been nice to have some demonstration pics in the book. I have changed my opinion of Anthea, I did honestly think (sorry Anthea!) that she was a bit of a nobody, but my opinions have definately changed and I hope she does another series. I really do think that a lot more woman would like to devote more time to their households but the pace and way of life these days means woman are split in so many directions, I am just thankful my life allows me the freedom to work and also keep an orderly home.
4 stars Anthea!
 Please don't buy this TV cash-in December 26, 2007
3 out of 22 found this review helpful
Surely having a happy home is vastly more important than feeling inadequate because the never-seen-or-used upward facing sill of your doorframes are dusty. I agree very strongly with all the points made in the review by flingthecow in June 2007.
If you are thinking about buying this book, please consider that Anthea Turner makes her living from her public image and in this case by the humiliation of the "students" on this show. She is one of today's "celebrities" who appear on reality shows, sell photo rights of their wedding day to gossip magazines. I understand that the premise of the book and the tv series is that Anthea maintains the enormous mansion shown on TV to her exacting standards with no help, and that this "perfect housewife" image has been very helpful to Anthea in terms of combatting some of the less flattering media coverage. To me it seems somewhat implausible that she isn't employing someone, if only to allow her enough time for her media appearances etc. There has been a lot of public concern over other TV misrepresentaions of the truth recently and I wonder if the more subtle ones may be also be quite damaging.
Preachy rant over, I am very sorry to say that I am now about to buy a copy of this book and DVD for my sister-outlaw. Perhaps my bitterness is because she has rejected the present which we spent hours searching for and fixing up. So, faced with the prospect of moodiness at family get-togethers, and my partner getting to see his delightful nieces even less often than he already does, my ideological objections to this cheap TV cash-in have been banished in favour of express delivery.
sigh....
Inspiration & Motivation! August 1, 2007
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
I find that books like this one (ie How Clean Is Your House, 10 Minute Housekeeping, Sink Reflections, etc.) as well as the related shows out there are motivators for me. I enjoy finding out new things about household management, organization, and cleaning just as I enjoy trying out new recipes. You may not use every single tip that's in the book but I'll bet you do find one or two things that you hadn't thought of or tried before! If in the long run it's going help me apply KISS (Keep It Supremely Simple) principles then I'm all for it.
While the book is catagorized very well, I find that I can pick it up and start reading anywhere. The book & show have inspired me and given me that theoretical "kick in the pants". Now I am definitely not going to win Homemaker of the Year but I can honestly say that Anthea & her book have given me food for thought and inspired me to want to do better. I will NEVER have a house as clean as hers but if I can use just a portion of the ideas and routines she presents, then maybe I won't have to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off when it comes time for the holidays, or company coming.
I don't think that a clean, well managed house and warm inviting home are mutually exclusive! It's just nice to know that if I WANT to use some special touches(like when mother-in-law visits) or need some practical information - I have a wonderful resource to guide me.
***** The only thing lacking is the same comment previous reviewers have had and that is I wish there were some detailed diagrams & photos to go along with some of the things she has demonstated on her show.
I am from the US and extremely envious that those of you in Region 2 are able to purchase and at least WATCH Anthea's DVD as well. I don't know if or when I'll see the show again on the BBCA channel.
Who do I need to talk to about getting some of your wonderful shows in the UK on DVDs that we can play here in the US??!!
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