"If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home" by Lucy Worsley

Earlier this year I was enjoying historical TV documentaries by wonderful Helen Castor - even read her book "She wolves" about earliest female rulers in England - so naturally, eventually I came to discover another celebrated historian and TV celebrity, doctor Lucy Worsley. Now, Worsley is completely different kind of presenter - she is also hugely knowledgeable and informed but hers is lighthearted and sparkling presence, perhaps also because she looks petite, cute and somehow mischievous. There is a steel behind her charming smile and I can sense the strength behind that bubbly personality, so don't be fooled by all that cuteness, but she is extremely interesting and TV is definitely perfect medium for somebody so engaging - Worsley did many TV documentaries and they are all available on youtube, in fact there is actually a programme where both Worsley and Castor appear together, however I needed something lighter after bone-chilling previous book so I decided to dive into Worsley's "If Walls Could Talk" (while simultaneously watching her TV show) just for a welcome change of pace.

Worsley is hugely entertaining and very charming as a TV presenter - this book is a tie-in with a celebrated TV show - it is a kind of female answer to similar book by Bill Bryson who has already covered very much the same territory earlier, but where Bryson simply roams trough the house and gleefully recount all sorts of random anecdotes that had popped up in his mind, Worsley is much more focused - instead of exploring the house from bottom to the top, she zooms on four rooms of particular interest to her: bedroom, bathroom, living room and a kitchen. It is a very interesting story and full of delightful little details about the ways everyday life has changed trough the centuries, but it must be told that particular charm and spark that Worsley personality has in abundance on TV screen don't necessary translate in the book - not that the book is dry or boring (far from it), its just that by reading the book you would never guess what a delightful TV personality she is - I recommend checking the TV show, simply for the fun of seeing her doing all sorts of crazy experiments, which are not part of the book itself.