THE BROWSER: A quick look at recent releases

The genteel and orderly world of the English country house changed drastically during World War I. Valets and footmen went off to battle. Serving girls and cooks looked around for a more meaningful life -- as nurses, or as members of a trade union. Women began speaking up and demanding the right to vote. Some of the estates, such as Highclere Castle, the model for the PBS hit series "Downton Abbey," interrupted their leisurely rhythm to take in wounded soldiers when the hospitals were full. This lovely, intensely illustrated book, part history, part behind-the-scenes, explores the fading Edwardian world depicted in the TV series. Upstairs, downstairs, in the kitchen, in society, Fellowes -- a journalist, and niece of series creator Julian Fellowes -- explains the arcane rules, the complicated clothing, the strict hierarchy, and how all of it began slowly, slowly dissolving during the war. And if a book -- even such a lavish book as this one -- isn't enough, don't forget: Season two begins on Sunday.

LAURIE HERTZEL,

BOOKS EDITOR

Once

you've mastered a skill, you can't believe that others struggle. If you're a struggler, you doubt you'll ever be successful. If the skill in question is cooking, the tension often is heightened by a mix of emotions, health concerns, economics and self-esteem. Yet Kathleen Flinn pushed her grocery cart into the breach, determined to give nine clueless cooks the knowledge to prepare real food instead of relying on prepared packaged meals. Flinn, with her culinary degree, quickly discovered that knowledge was easy to pass along; what each of these women lacked was confidence. With an engaging style that avoids condescension, Flinn recounts her series of classes that demystified braises, defined "a pinch" and, with a roasted chicken, changed the lives of these cooks, as it might any reader's. As with Flinn's first book, "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry," recipes are included.

KIM ODE,

STAFF WRITER