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126 reviews for:
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
Fiona Carnarvon
3.45 AVERAGE
126 reviews for:
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
Fiona Carnarvon
3.45 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Slow moving. Gets more interesting towards the end.
Interesting account of Lady Almina, the fifth Countess of Carnarvon, mistress of Highclere Castle - better known these days as Downton Abbey. The book starts out in the golden age of high society. We learn about life in the late 19th and early 20th century. We do learn a bit about the "downstairs" residents at Highclere, but the book is mostly dedicated to those "upstairs." The book then moves into life during World War I. I especially enjoyed reading about the hospital Lady Almina established; first at Highclere and then in London. The remainder of the book explores life after WWI - what happened to the family. Of course, the most interesting piece is the discovery of King Tut's tomb by her husband, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, and his partner Howard Carter.
Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were a few rough spots for me. It was tough for me reading through all of the WWI descriptions. I even left the book for a bit and read other things before I came back to that section. I would have liked a bit more on the "downstairs" aspect of life at Highclere, it was touched on, but there could have been much more throughout the book. I also felt like the book wrapped up too quickly after the Earl's death and Almina leaves Highclere to allow her son to take over as the sixth Earl. I would have liked to know more about her life after leaving the Castle. All in all, an interesting read of life (of the ultra rich) during this time period.
Overall I enjoyed the book, but there were a few rough spots for me. It was tough for me reading through all of the WWI descriptions. I even left the book for a bit and read other things before I came back to that section. I would have liked a bit more on the "downstairs" aspect of life at Highclere, it was touched on, but there could have been much more throughout the book. I also felt like the book wrapped up too quickly after the Earl's death and Almina leaves Highclere to allow her son to take over as the sixth Earl. I would have liked to know more about her life after leaving the Castle. All in all, an interesting read of life (of the ultra rich) during this time period.
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could - I found the history of Lady Almina and the Carnarvon family very interesting, but wouldn't read it again.
This was such a fun read! It was so interesting to see how much of Downton Abbey is fiction and how much is based on fact.
I liked the story. Very interesting. Loved all the photographs. Disappointed that it ended without really wrapping up the story. I love Downton Abbey and I loved learning about the real story. Would have loved the rest of what happened to all the characters. Maybe there will be a sequel
Obviously I picked this up because I'm obsessed with the show Downton Abbey. While the story of the "real Downton Abbey" is really nothing like the show, it still doesn't disappoint a fan of historical tales of British nobility, and it's well-written and entertaining, with an endearing and memorable group of main characters.
One thing that surprised me about the book was how much it contained about World War I and how much I learned about the war as a result. I had never really understood the vast losses and the persistently awful conditions of that war until I read this book.
The main criticism I have for the story is the wide range of peripheral characters that were so hard for me to keep track of. The Countess tries hard to remind us who everyone is when it's critical; nevertheless, I found it almost impossible to remember who most of the war-related people were. (I do kind of love that this book was written by a Countess. Oh Downton Abbey, what have you done to me?)
So basically, this is a good read for someone looking to supplement the lonnnnng wait until season 3 of Downton Abbey airs. (Last I heard, it was due out in September.)
One thing that surprised me about the book was how much it contained about World War I and how much I learned about the war as a result. I had never really understood the vast losses and the persistently awful conditions of that war until I read this book.
The main criticism I have for the story is the wide range of peripheral characters that were so hard for me to keep track of. The Countess tries hard to remind us who everyone is when it's critical; nevertheless, I found it almost impossible to remember who most of the war-related people were. (I do kind of love that this book was written by a Countess. Oh Downton Abbey, what have you done to me?)
So basically, this is a good read for someone looking to supplement the lonnnnng wait until season 3 of Downton Abbey airs. (Last I heard, it was due out in September.)
I love Downton Abbey, so this was an obvious book to purchase. I also love reading the history of people and, more specifically, the history of women in times when their worth was measured in their ability to create an heir more than anything else. It was actually only recently that I became infatuated with non-fiction books.
I love the way The Countess of Carnarvon describes life at Highclere and Lady Almina. It is clear she is devoted to the family she married into, but she also doesn't paint a scene that is completely rosy and without fault. She takes care to highlight Almina's shortcomings, as well as that of Lord Carnarvon. This is a difficult task to undertake when you are talking about a family member, even one only by law. The family is fascinating and life in the time of huge estates is so intriguing!
There were many things I learned about American history as well. High school history classes make WWI out to be something that was a sure-fire win, that the division of fronts was highly detrimental to the Germans. But, that wasn't really the case and this book really showcased that fact. The war was not one that was "in the bag" as they had thought it would be, it was actually very difficult to win. Based on my history classes, I had no idea Russia was ready to surrender!
One thing I truly loved about the book was noting similarities between Highclere and the Carnarvons and Downton Abbey and the Granthams. It is clear that Julian Fellows did his research into the Carnarvon family and other aristocratic families when developing the show. But I found it wonderful that stories The Countess of Carnarvon shared were mirrored so nicely in the television show.
I highly recommend this book even if you didn't watch or love Downton Abbey. It's a wonderful showcase of what women could do in a time when their political value wasn't high, but they had the power to sway society.
I love the way The Countess of Carnarvon describes life at Highclere and Lady Almina. It is clear she is devoted to the family she married into, but she also doesn't paint a scene that is completely rosy and without fault. She takes care to highlight Almina's shortcomings, as well as that of Lord Carnarvon. This is a difficult task to undertake when you are talking about a family member, even one only by law. The family is fascinating and life in the time of huge estates is so intriguing!
There were many things I learned about American history as well. High school history classes make WWI out to be something that was a sure-fire win, that the division of fronts was highly detrimental to the Germans. But, that wasn't really the case and this book really showcased that fact. The war was not one that was "in the bag" as they had thought it would be, it was actually very difficult to win. Based on my history classes, I had no idea Russia was ready to surrender!
One thing I truly loved about the book was noting similarities between Highclere and the Carnarvons and Downton Abbey and the Granthams. It is clear that Julian Fellows did his research into the Carnarvon family and other aristocratic families when developing the show. But I found it wonderful that stories The Countess of Carnarvon shared were mirrored so nicely in the television show.
I highly recommend this book even if you didn't watch or love Downton Abbey. It's a wonderful showcase of what women could do in a time when their political value wasn't high, but they had the power to sway society.
This book, about the 'real Downton Abbey', is just as interesting as the TV series it inspired. The style of the book is engaging; it hovers between non-fiction and fiction, which ends up giving you a real sense of the time period it's describing.
This gave me good insight into life during the time period and how they lived their lives. I especially enjoyed hearing about the Earl's role in finding King Tut's tomb. I never realized how long they searched and to realize they almost gave up....interesting.