Marjorie Campbell's Reviews > The Mistress of Nothing

This is a fabulous book. I read it in one sitting and must say that Pullinger manages to keep you interested in a domestic story of manners for the entire length. It is a very interesting insight into Victorian mores and make me wonder at whether the role between domestic staff and their employers has changed much. The presumptions which dominate the relationship between Lady Duff and her lady's made, Sally, are fascinating. The fact that the mistress treats everyone as if it is a privilege to work for her and often forgets what a hardship it might be for them is incredible (it is clear that due her own reduced circumstances she is often unable to pay Sally and Omar and that they make personal sacrifices - going without food themselves - to be sure that she does not do without). Her own intellectual pursuits and passions - universal suffrage being one while in England and human rights for the Egyptians - do not seem to be applied to those in her closest circle and it never seems to occur to her how similar and arbitrary her own actions are towards those she has power over. This is also a subtle and masterful portrait of the manipulative world view of a long-time invalid. I would highly recommend this book.