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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
I loved Downton Abbey and I have had my eye on this book for a while, so when someone donated it to a library I volunteer at, I was very excited. This book is about the real castle that Downton Abbey is filmed at. This book follows the 5th Earl of Carnarvon and his wife during the same time period as Downton Abbey. Unfortunately for Almina it looked like the Earl wanted to marry her for her money. Luckily I guess they liked each other so it ended up okay. Almina had a very wealthy father but she was his illegitimate child so she was very much shunned by society. The Duke knew she came with wealth and he had a lot of debt so he sought her out. The book had so many fascinating pictures in it, which I loved seeing. I felt there were too many chapters about WWI so that slowed down my reading. An interesting tidbit is that back then wealthy people funded the hospitals. Almina made her home a hospital, which they used that in Downton Abbey as well. Also I found it interesting that because so many people in the country were mad at Germany during WWI, that the royal family changed their name from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. Also, the Earl is the one who discovered King Tut's tomb. So many fascinating things in this book.
"A good education is the best heritage we can give our children."
"In the dark ages, which are not very far behind us, we used to be called the weaker sex. We never were, and we never shall be weaker in our patriotism. In this as in similar matters we are neither inferior nor superior, but only very different and I am convinced that we shall do most good to our country and her cause if instead of imitating men we endeavor to widen and perhaps enrich the spirit of public life by being simply ourselves."
"A good education is the best heritage we can give our children."
"In the dark ages, which are not very far behind us, we used to be called the weaker sex. We never were, and we never shall be weaker in our patriotism. In this as in similar matters we are neither inferior nor superior, but only very different and I am convinced that we shall do most good to our country and her cause if instead of imitating men we endeavor to widen and perhaps enrich the spirit of public life by being simply ourselves."
Very enjoyable, informative and easy read. This is the story behind the real "Downton Abbey" Highclere Castle and it's resident Almina and her husband the Earl of Carnarvon. They lived in a unique time at the peak of the aristocratic life style as well as it's decline. If Julian Fellowes needs any ideas for plots (I suspect he has already taken a few) then he should look no further then the place they film.
I quite enjoyed the mix of historic events and personal accounts of the family members (along with some assumptions by the author, of course). An interesting look into part of aristocratic Brit life back in the day.
It's a quick read, but I wish there was little more depth and verve. The Countess touches on a lot of interesting stories that I want to know more about, but never manages to have enough detail or emotion to make you truly involved in the book or the people.
There is a little too much deference for Lady Almina and not enough of the spirit of Downton Abbey - that dishy spirit that both celebrates the foibles and triumphs of both upstairs and downstairs which makes the series so enjoyable to watch.
There is a little too much deference for Lady Almina and not enough of the spirit of Downton Abbey - that dishy spirit that both celebrates the foibles and triumphs of both upstairs and downstairs which makes the series so enjoyable to watch.
While the lives of the subjects were interesting, it wasn't a particularly well-written book, in my opinion. It could have used another editing pass (or two) and the little errors (tense changes, name changes, tangential paragraphs) added up and became very distracting to me. Case in point: the "epilogue" is literally a 5-page summary of the first 270+ pages. It contains no new information. This is a biography that doesn't tell you when/how the subject died. Like I said, Almina and her family lived fascinating lives, and I had fun discussing that aspect of the book with my book club, but it could have definitely used some polish as far as the actual writing goes. (That being said, if you're obsessed with Downton Abbey - as I know many are - this is a must-read.)
I initially picked up this book being a fan of the TV Show "Downton Abbey" and believing the character Lady Cora was based on Almina, the real-life Countess of Carnarvon.
Within pages, I was completely lost in this real-life tale of love, sacrifice, adventure and heartache. The tag line of "sometimes fact is more interesting than fiction" has never been more appropriate.
Remarkable story about a remarkable woman. Captivating.
Within pages, I was completely lost in this real-life tale of love, sacrifice, adventure and heartache. The tag line of "sometimes fact is more interesting than fiction" has never been more appropriate.
Remarkable story about a remarkable woman. Captivating.
This was fascinating--not at all what I was expecting. The "real" Downton Abbey family was not much like the one in the movie--the Countess wasn't American, there weren't three daughters, there was an heir, etc. But the house WAS used as a hospital in WW1, and there were some other distant similarities. The most interesting thing was that Lord Carnarvon was Howard Carter's patron--and therefore involved in the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen in Egypt. FASCINATING correlation there. I wonder if future seasons of Downton Abbey will explore that?? Would be neat!
Not for me. I was hoping for more of a story and less of a historical account. For those history lovers out there, I'm sure it's awesome, but I couldn't handle the historical descriptions of the clothing, letters, houses, etc.
informative
slow-paced
An informative listen. Almina was more than a spoiled heiress and found her true calling in providing and advocating for nursing care during WWI. Her 1st husband was the collaborator in the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb. This would be a good book for Downton Abbey fans and those interested in the Great War.