Drawing on her own adventures living in re-created Victorian conditions, Goodman serves as our bustling and fanciful guide to nineteenth-century life. Proceeding from daybreak to bedtime, she celebrates the ordinary lives of the most perennially fascinating era of British history. From waking up to the rapping of a "knocker-upper man" on the window pane to lacing into a corset after a round of calisthenics, from slipping opium to the little ones to finally retiring to the bedroom for the ideal combination of "love, consideration, control and pleasure," the weird, wonderful, and somewhat gruesome intricacies of Victorian life are vividly rendered.

Includes index. "First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Penguin Books Ltd."--Title-page verso.

Getting up -- Getting dressed -- A trip to the privy -- Personal grooming -- Morning exercise -- Breakfast -- The main business of the day -- Back at the house -- The midday meal -- The day's work resumes -- Meanwhile, for the young, there was school -- A few snatched hours of leisure -- The evening meal -- A bath before bed -- Behind the bedroom door.