The book is by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank B. Gilbreth
2007-03-15 11:50:25 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
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Can someone give me a brief synopsis of Cheaper by the Dozen (the book)?
The book is by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey and Frank B. Gilbreth
2015-08-19 00:38:06 · answer #1 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
j3nny3lf's answer is excellent (I'll be giving you a thumbs up if it'll let me). I just wanted to chime in by saying it's a terrific book, one I read several times. It's funny and charming, and a loving portrait of a very large family written by two of the children. The chapters can be read as stand-alone stories, but like potato chips, you can't read just one. Frank's job as an efficency expert is explained and made a vivid impression on me: he said he looked for the laziest man in the company and watched how he did things (this was in the early days of factories). His stopwatch way of doing things could be maddening. One thing I appreciate in retrospect is how he and his wife were equals in a time when that wasn't necessarily true in many households; she was an intelligent woman who wasn't solely concerned with household matters.
Two standout episodes for me were when they took all the children shopping for school clothes and when the boys tried to teach one of the girls to flounce to attract a beau.
Stay far far away from ANY movie versions of this book. Even the old b/w one, while better than the Steve Martin, wasn't very good. I just love this book and no film could EVER do it justice
2007-03-15 12:44:37 · answer #2 · answered by princessmikey 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth have 12 kids. They raise them using "psychology" (she is a psychologist by education, but a stay at home housewife and mother, this book DID take place in the 1920s), "efficiency" (he is an efficiency expert), and lots of love and humor.
The book is filled with anecdotes of growing up as their father and mother's children during the roaring twenties. It's funny, heartwarming, and interesting. You should read it rather than just ask us to do your book report for you. For this reason, I'm not telling you any more.
And don't try to watch the Steve Martin movie and synopsize based on that - they're hardly alike.
2007-03-15 11:55:59 · answer #3 · answered by j3nny3lf 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
read the book. it is a good book and a short read
2007-03-15 12:26:43 · answer #4 · answered by thelmashirley 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey anyway is a very good story. you show watch the movie. Is a family story. is funny.
2007-03-15 11:54:29 · answer #5 · answered by mylee t 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋