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    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
    Audiobook7 hours

    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

    Written by The Countess of Carnarvon

    Narrated by Wanda McCaddon

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes's Emmy Award-winning PBS show, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants: Lady Almina, the fifth Countess of Carnarvon. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.nbsp;Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.nbsp; Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.nbsp;This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMar 5, 2012
    ISBN9781452676845
    Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
    Author

    The Countess of Carnarvon

    FIONA, THE COUNTESS OF CARNARVON, lives at Highclere Castle, best-known to millions worldwide as the setting for the popular television show Downton Abbey. As an author, Lady Carnarvon has written several bestselling books, including Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey; Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey; and Seasons at Highclere.

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    Reviews for Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

    3.5/5

    58 ratings50 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Having recently become a fan of the television series Downton Abbey I was curious to find out a little more about the “real” Downton Abbey. This book satisfied my curiosity but only to a certain extent. For me, it started off well but then went into a little too much detail (for my taste) in describing WW1 and its impact. I understand the importance from an historical point of view and the personal impact on Lady Almina, but I was looking for something a little more “gossipy”. I was also looking for a little more information about the upstairs life vs. the downstairs life at Highclere.

      Lady Fiona is the current Countess of Highclere and the great-granddaughter-in-law of Lady Almina, so she had unfettered access to the archives of Highclere Castle as source material for this book and frequently quotes letters and diaries. I did enjoy hearing the names of real people in and around Highclere, names that I also recognized from the television series, albeit sometimes in a different role than their real life counterparts. I can certainly see where the inspiration for the series came from.

      Although this book is not quite what I was expecting when I picked it up it was still a very interesting, well-written and entertaining read. I knew about Lord Carnarvon’s involvement in the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, but reading about the account in this book was an added plus.
    • 4/5
      I need to write a review of [Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey] by The Countess of Carnarvon, c. 2011I am partial to biographies, and history, and historical fiction. I love peeking into others' lives. And this, of course, was just up my alley. The writing was good enough that it did not distract but was not lovely, or wonderful. The Countess who wrote the book did a fair amount of research, and of course, it was her family. She was not overly prejudiced in favor of the family but she also could not be described as having written a critical book.The book runs from abut 1895 to 1925 covering Edwardian era, World War I, and early recovery from the war. It is based in the family who inhabits Highclere Castle which is the "castle" pictured in the TV show, Downton Abbey. It means to tell both the story of upstairs and of downstairs, but truthfully it was about The Family. And more than any one, it was about Lady Almina. And I do agree she was a fascinating woman, worthy of having had a book written about her. I enjoyed the fact that many of the story threads in Downton Abbey do indeed have their foundation in the stories in this family. None of the TV characters can be said to be based on real people, but there are composites, no doubt.I do recommend it to those who like history, and biography, and the TV show. It is a bit too pedestrian to recommend it to just everyone.
    • 3/5
      I was skeptical about this book when I saw that the author was the current Countess of Carnarvon, but to my happy surprise this book is very well written. Lady Almina was another intrepid young girl who was married for her monetary I. Order two bolster the lagging fortunes of the Carnarvon family. The illigitiment daughter of a upper-middle class French woman and Alfred de Rothschild, Slmina wasn't accepted in aristocratic British circles, but, of course people were more than willing to look the other way when it was learned that he would bring a fabulous dowry to the marriage. And despite its cynical start, the marriage proved to be. A happy one. Almina was a brilliant hostess, produced an heir right away, and poured her money into refurbishing the family estate.Almina's husband, the 5th Eatl of Carnarvon is, of course, famous for the discovery of King Tut's tomb. But Almina also gained fame for herself during World War I when she started a hospital for wounded officers and not content to be just it's patron, also thre herself into the physical act of nursing.This book gives a great inside look at a famous family and at its country house that is nor he setting for the BBC miniseries, "Downton Abey.". It's a fun read fora Anglophiles everywhere.
    • 4/5
      As a huge fan of Downton Abbey I had to read this book. It wasn’t as interesting as I had hoped until towards the end when we find out that Lord Carnarvon was partners with Howard Carter when he found the tomb of King Tut. The whole story about Egypt was fascinating and how Lord Carnarvon was one of the first to succumb to the “curse” even though the author doesn’t talk about that aspect I’ve read and researched enough about Egyptology that to me that was fascinating. I would read more about this time period in the Carnarvon’s life. It made me do some research and I found photo’s of the two of them together in Egypt and finding the tomb so that was fun!As for Lady Almina I admit to being very surprised when she married so soon after the lord died as before that she was so devoted to him and she didn’t wait the acceptable mourning period of the time but the author decided to kind of skim over these facts and didn’t really give us a reason for marrying this sickly man so soon after her beloved husband died. And I would have like to know any social repercussions she suffered because she didn’t wait till the mourning period was over. I did enjoy the parts about her turning Highclere into a hospital which because of Downton I could picture well.Because I am such a huge fan of the TV show there were times when names would come up like Bates, or Crawley , it would throw me a little bit because they weren’t my beloved characters from the show. There was also the time when the Lord got a car and he was speedy around in it and crashed and I thought oh no he’s going to die but he didn’t at that time but all I could think of was Matthew on the TV show!Wanda McCaddon did a wonderful job at the narration she brought a slight haughtiness that I felt was needed in this setting. I would definitely listen to this narrator again.I would recommend this to fans of the show because this kind of gives the outline that Julian Fellows may have built Downton on. Just don’t expect the TV show version of things.3 ½ StarsI received this from Edelweiss and the publisher Tantor Audio for a fair and honest review.
    • 4/5
      This astounding account of Lady Almina and Highclere Castle is rich in atmosphere and dense with details. Meticulously researched, we learn about the life of Lady Almina from the time of her marriage to the Earl of Carnarvon, on through The Great War, to the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by the Earl, and then his untimely death, at which time she must relinquish her control of the castle. There are a lot of details about many of the people who were friends of the Lady Almina and her husband, and about various events. But much of the book centers around the Great War and the charitable efforts of Lady Almina. She turned the castle into a hospital for wounded soldiers and funded much of this cost herself, as well as devoting herself to nursing the sick and wounded. Also explored in detail is the search by her husband for an intact Egyptian tomb, which was finally successful with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. According to this book, Almina was certainly a force to be reckoned with, and kind and gracious as well as giving when dealing with the needs of others. This well written book is quite captivating, much like the Lady herself.
    • 3/5
      Very entertaining true story, with a refreshing frankness about the Carnarvon family's foibles as well as their strengths. Fascinating to think real people really lived in this way. One small quibble: I wish the Countess of Carnarvon would have included a summary of Almina's life after the era described in this book.
    • 1/5
      Oof, what a disappointment. As a fan of Downton Abbey and English history in general, I was very excited to find this book. I was expecting much more than meandering anecdotes of the wealthy residents of Highclere in WWI. There was little to nothing about servant life, and really the book could have been about any English estate. Actually ended up abandoning this one only half way through.When it comes to writing, I don't think the Countess should quit her day job.
    • 4/5
      I learned quite a bit about this Lady of Highclere castle. I had no idea that she was the widow of Lord Carnarvon of King Tut fame. She had a very interesting life and brought quite a bit of pizzazz to the society of that time. It is sad that her time as Lady of the castle was cut so short.
    • 2/5
      We should know our betters : know that toffs will not be transparent. They will only tell you what they want you to know and to minimise the scandal they will painfully minimise the accuracy. Despite pointing out the howlers in the captions on several photographs, and the historically flawed text in Highclere’s “ Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey” ( after the hardback came out in the UK, last September ) the transformation of this book into it’s new “ First US Edition”, with the inners unchanged, confirms that view.The book does have an attractive new cover but it’s still the content that counts. It’s all another instance of Herbert history repeating itself. There is already a less than honourable pile up of Carnarvon-family scribes who put their heavy-handed gloss on the accuracy regarding past members of the clan. Elsie, the second 4th Countess of Carnarvon, rigorously controlled and censored the posthumous biography of Henry, the 4th Earl of Carnarvon, a notable Victorian politician and Cabinet Minister. Lady Winifred Burghclere, the sister of George, 5th Earl of Carnarvon of Tutankhamun fame ( Almina’s husband ) did exactly the same, stopping the leak of any embarrassing fall out about “Lordy!” ( the name the Egyptian natives gave Lord Carnarvon in the Valley of the Kings ). In 1923, Lady Winfred crafted an elegant and impeccably worded posthumous sketch of her adored brother, George, but as seen through her very rose tinted glasses, and it made no mention, of faults, or George’s darker proclivities. Almina was demolished by Winifred’s blast of the trumpet in a single, dull, sentence. Then there was the womanising 6th Earl’s ghosted memoirs that stopped well short of fact about his catalogue of carnal cavorting. And, unsurprisingly, the ghost writers have done it yet again with this book, portraying Almina as a saint. This lady was no saint! But there’s a lot at stake in only offering up a sanitised edition of Almina’s life with the rake-in being synonymous with the public popularity of Highclere Castles’ expansive ( and expensive ) use as the backdrop to a television programme called “Downton Abbey”.People actually believe in, and follow this TV series as mesmerised as grazing sheep watching car headlamps flicking in the winter darkness of night. But the same extremes between fiction and reality portrayed in “Lady Almina…....” are at best an attempt to confuse the masses to make them actually believe the fiction, much as Orson Wells first deceived half of America into leaving their homes as they thought the men from Mars were about to land.What good features there are in the book – and there are some genuinely interesting and worthy parts – albeit only carefully selected examples from Highclere’s Secrets Archives- are lost in the colossal wave of hypocrisy by the painfully irritating plotters. Almina’s true-life experiences are often scuttled, just as assassin or assassins scuttled an earlier biography of her in the 1990s– the reason being that on that occasion evidence was found that Almina had “strayed”, the 6th Earl’s paternity was in very great doubt. The gene pool of Porchey Carnarvon’s father is mentioned in the narrative but in the wrong places, to bring him out with any meaningful recognition. But you will find this confronted in another biography of Almina, Countess of Carnarvon in addition to the rest of her secrets. Besides the paternity issue, which remains an open wound, Almina’s own paternity is a matter of some dispute. Porchey, the womanising 6th Earl of Carnarvon, who absolutely hated his mother, was first to claim, publically, that the millionaire banker, Baron ( he was never a “Sir”) Alfred de Rothschild was Almina’s biological father. This, despite a birth certificate that states her dad was “ Frederick C Wombwell”, a gentleman, although also a cad. Wombwell believed he was Almina’s father, but he is ridiculed in Highclere’s text. They choose also to ignore Almina’s brother, who was a visitor at Highclere and to whom the Countess raised a fine memorial when he died. Going back to Almina being a Rothschild bastard, this nonsence has been maintained with constancy and the Wombwells discredited. But there is NO proof in favour of the Rothschild in this book, indeed they are as frigid as the fiction of Downton Abbey on the central point of their treatise. It seems a case of employing the technique of Mr Goebbels that if one utters a big enough untruth and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. In this case when the golden opportunity presented itself, to reveal the full facts about Alfred and cite the evidence for these claims of Almina being a Rothschild, the book can only declare limply “. the question of Almina’s paternity can’t be conclusively determined with any certainty….” The strengths of “ Lady Almina…..” include the descriptions of Highclere ramparts at war. Almina found her forte as a nurse and spent over thirty years working steadfastly (and often waywardly) in private nursing care, mainly pampering to the Royals, the rich and the famous. But none of Almina’s story in the later period of her life is included in the book.Almina transferred her Castle for the Great War and later moved her wartime nursing home activities to London’s Mayfair. But all this storyline ( which is well enough told ) is small glory, in what is otherwise a cowardly approach, messing with a woman’s life and only stating her pleasantries. Almina’s real life, the character and make up of the woman, her struggle for love, and for own carnal pleasures, as well as her motives in wanting to do something worthwhile don’t get mentioned. Perhaps they were afraid of scaring the horses at Highclere stud, the beasts were once owned by Almina, who was made bankrupt by 1951, and lived with a man twenty years her junior, in a apple orchard in Somerset, completely unknown to Highclere’s hounds. The book makes a good meal out of the rituals of Society entertaining and Almina’s brave challenge to be the grandest hostess of the hour. The stay at Highclere Castle by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1895 is a good chunk, but this was published in a previous book by the same stable, so it’s double dipping. Another weakness of the book is in its abrupt ending. Almina’s story is cut-off suddenly in 1923, just after the 5th Earl’s famous mosquito bite and then cruel demise. That said, the last page refers to her second marriage, to an ex- army Colonel (whilst saying nothing of the blackguard plunging her into a scandalous Court case of DENNISTOUN v DENNISTOUN in 1925, which cost her $100,000 worth of misery). In summing up Almina’s next four lively decades in a single paragraph – and not a very good one – it leaves the brainwashed reader with only that other biography to best reflect the Countess’s full life and loves, her glories and her descent into bankruptcy, but ultimately to her greater story, which in being told without warts or blemishes leaves this important, unstoppable, eccentric woman, who really didn’t give a damn, a much lesser figure than she really was. She deserves a much better memorial than a nice new book cover.
    • 2/5
      A triumph of marketing, but that is all.An aunt gave this to me as a birthday/graduation present simply because the words Downton Abbey were on the cover, and she knew I was obsessed with the ITV/PBS show. That's probably the only reason the book became a bestseller—and the only reason it was published was because the author has a title, I'm sure—and it's quite misleading. Yes, Downton Abbey is filmed at Highclere castle, but otherwise I don't see many similarities between Almina's story and the tales Julian Fellowes is spinning on television. There are similarities, but simply because of Almina's social class and the times. I'm sure you could write a book about pretty much any aristocratic family set before, during, and immediately after, and market it as "the story behind Downton Abbey!" The Countess of Carnarvon just has an advantage in that DA is filmed in her home, and Lady Almina was already a fairly noteworthy figure. As far as the background to the series, I believe Fellowes spread his nets wide and looked at the history of several families of the period, including his own.The DA connection aside, this is still a pretty sad biography. So much of the book is taken up with detailing the lives of the rich and famous, and talking about how perfect and glamorous everything was, and how happy everyone was. It's incredibly dull and shallow—and from what I've read in other reviews, a lot of stuff got swept under the carpet. But when Almina converts Highclere castle into a hospital, things become interesting. I was also fascinated to learn about her husband's involvement in the discovery of King Tut's tomb—but here, the quoted secondary sources are so much more eloquent than what the Countess (or rather, her ghost writers) provide for us, that I started to wonder why I was reading the book in the first place.
    • 5/5
      This excellent book by the current Countess of Carnarvon reminds of us of life in the Edwardian and World War I eras.The text is absolutely fascinating. Any fan of Downton Abbey would surely be interested in this book about Almina, Countess of Carnarvon, and her work at Highclere Castle.This is a great read and I can't give enough compliments to the author.A job well done!
    • 4/5
      As always, I find it difficult to separate the subject of biographies and the writing. I would say that the writing, in this case was "okay," but that on the other hand, the subject, in the guise of Almina, to not be very attractive and in the guise of the castle itself, to not be very forthcoming. There was little in the way of comparing Downton Abby with Highclere, which seemed unfortunate, nor were comparisons made between the denizens of the occupants of the two castles. Still, it was an interesting time and I am prompted to read more about the discovery of King Tut's tomb.
    • 4/5
      Quite a readable and interesting history of the setting for Downton Abbey- a portrait of the times and a moving reflection on the costs of WWI
    • 5/5
      As I've never seen Downton Abbey, but I do love history, so I chose to read this book instead. I have always found the stories of the real people who inspired the characters to be much more fascinating.Almina was an incredible lady, of incredible privilege in her life, but with a vision & a passion for nursing, & she was at the cutting edge of her field, insisting in strict hygiene, employing the best physicians, & the best of the new technologies & breakthroughs in the fields of post operative & trauma medicine. Yet she also believed that the patient's mental health was every bit as important as their physical well being.She was overshadowed by her husband's triumph of his partnership with Howard Carter & their headline topping discovery of King Tut's tomb, which still fascinates people today.The fact that there are photos & drawing & snippets of letters in several places in the book bring the history to life as well. I am very thankful that this Countess wrote this book & shared her family's history with the rest of us.This is my first 5 star review of the year. I am looking forward to reading any of the other books she has written
    • 2/5
      I'm torn on how to best rate this book. On the one hand, it is an interesting glimpse into the lives and times of "the real Downton Abbey". On the other hand, it is a fawning, at times disjointed account of the author's ancestor and a jumbled picture of how she lived after becoming the lady of the manor.
      Worth a read for people who love British history or Downton Abbey. 2 1/2 stars.
    • 3/5
      Interesting reading for any Downton Abbey fan. I enjoyed reading about the real story taking place during World War II.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy these great house histories. Even though I discovered afterwards that the book was somewhat controversial for the rosy picture painted of Almina, I think it was a well told story with a kind point of view, and I appreciate that.

      I was mildly disappointed that some of the historical photographs she describes are not included in the book, but on the whole, just a really enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      This is an interesting book about Highclere Castle from the 1890's to the 1930's, and the family presiding in this English landmark. The family living in this castle is the Carnarvons, and the story centers on Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. The story begins with Almina Wombwell, the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild, preparing to marry the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. The story centers on Almina and the Earl, and briefly tells of the vast number of servants. The lifestyle is lavish with money provided by Alfred de Rothschild. The amazing stories involve Almina's generosity with providing a hospital for wounded soldiers during WWI. Almina supplied nurses and doctors and food and board for these men at her own expense. Almina's husband, Lord Carnarvon, provided the money and time for the excavation and exploration of King Tut's Tomb. The current Lady Carnarvon wrote the book. Many times the endless names of family and friends and events seemed massive. I would have enjoyed a timetable of events and maybe a family genealogy.
    • 4/5
      Alimna was the daughter of Alfred de Rothschild & his long-time lover Mrs. Maria Wombwell. He spared no expense on Almina, as would have other men in his position, and made sure that she was introduced to the right people thus insuring her a place in London SocietyAlmina met and eventually married George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon heir to Highclere Castle (Downton Abbey). They had two children and the Earl was instrumental in financing and uncovering King Tutankhamun's burial chamber along side Howard carter.Although Highclere Castle was the setting for Downton Abbey, and Almina was given a substantial dowry & income which she used to save Highclere, that is where the similarity ends. Almina & George were not the models for Robert & Cora Grantham. Cora was actually modeled after Mary Lieter Curzon, another American heiress of the time. It is the history of Highclere that is reflected in the series of Downton Abbey... The use of Highclere as a hospital during WW I, the taxation & selling of some of the land for housing, the self-sustaining farming, etc. as well as some of the Downton Abbey characters having similar names & histories as those around Highclere.Both Almina & her father, Alfred were financially responsible for major improvements in both Highclere and other war hospitals, as well as the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.What I found alarming was the extent of abuse the soldiers took from the government: no matter how many times being wounded, upon recovery those physically able were shipped back to the Front & the stubborn stupidity of those leading the troops in Gallapoli and other battles where there was no chance of advancement.Almina was also involved in the Egypt expeditions as was her daughter and both spent a good deal of time (off season) in Egypt.This was a very interesting book and with the exception of the seemingly never-ending saga of WW I, I enjoyed it very much.It was easy to read and thankfully not a scholarly tome.
    • 2/5
      I really wanted something different from this book--coming to it as a fan of "Downton Abbey", I expected more of a look into the daily life of Highclere and the different experiences of the "upstairs" and "downstairs" residents. Instead the book is primarily about World War I, and not even about Highclere's role in World War I...instead of focusing tightly on Lady Almina's experiences running a wartime hospital, the narrative meanders all over the place and includes quite a bit of time spent going over basic history.

      The prose style is also extremely choppy and many of the anecdotes' punchlines fall flat because they're so poorly told...Overall I would not recommend this one, particularly for readers primarily looking for a Downton fix.
    • 4/5
      I didn't expect this to be a riveting book, but it was. I was expecting a puff piece tying the history of Highclere to the Downton Abbey series. I am not the least bit disappointed to have been utterly wrong. The true story (one assumes sanitized at least a little, of course) is many times more interesting than the soap opera television series. The real people who lived at Highclere during the end of the 19th & beginning of the 20th century were larger-than-life and so terribly interesting to read about. Highly recommended for Anglophiles, history buffs, nurses, Egyptophiles and fans of Downtown Abbey.
    • 3/5
      With Lady Almina's presence, the doors of Highclere Castle are opened to tend the wounded of WW1."The story is described as an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle."7 audio discs
    • 4/5
      I love watching Downton Abbey and was thrilled when a friend gifted me with this book. I loved it. Sometimes it was a little slow but books that are primarily nonfiction tend to be for me. The pictures are fun and it is such a joy to know the backstory to a beloved tv show.
    • 4/5
      I thought this would be fluff, but it turned out to be the very opposite. Through photos and excerpts from family archives, the focus is primarily on Lady Almina, the Countess of Carnarvon after her marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. Highclere Castle may be the setting for the popular TV series, Downton Abbey, and there are some similarities in events that took place in both the fictional family seat of the Crawleys and the Carnarvons, but this generation of the Carnarvons made contributions to society that have endured to present time. Almina Wombwell, alleged illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild, married Lord Carnarvon, into the Herbert family and became the next mistress of Highclere Castle. While we're treated to an insight into the glittering lifestyle of the wealthy and titled during the late 1800s, there was eventually more to this family than frivolous self-indulgence. It is a snapshot of the times when Queen Victoria reigned over the great British Empire. There are references to the families who live in the Castle to maintain the Castle and serve the family, who work the grounds and the village around the castle, but the focus is solely on Lady Almina and Lord Carnarvon,and later, their two children, Lord Porchester (always known as Porchy) and Eve.The most interesting portions of the book, in my opinion, is the coverage of England when the Great War breaks. Men from Highclere's staff enlist or are called up, including Lady Almina's son, Porchy. Lord Carnarvon as a result of poor health, is spared, but his step-brother, Aubrey, despite poor eyesight, is determined to do his bit for his country. As the war progresses and more soldiers are injured or die on the front line, Lady Almina's finds her calling. Believing that soldiers recuperate better if they're in calm and luxurious surroundings, she proceeds to convert Highclere into a recuperative hospital, with funds from Alfred de Rothschild, hiring dedicated nurses and doctors. Her unflagging energy and determined concern for the soldiers earn her enormous respect, love and gratitude from their families, to whom she wrote missives, letting them know how their husbands, sons or brothers are doing, and at times, even inviting them to come for a visit.Lord Carnarvon's passion, on the other hand, is Egypt, and archeology. He is introduced to and teams up with Howard Carter. Despite poor health, he continued to fund and spend the cold winter months in Egypt, hoping to discover important tombs and to increase his collection of Egyptian antiquities. Eventually, of course, he and Carter discover Tutankhamun's tomb and we all know how his life story ends. Following the death of the 5th Earl, Lady Almina steps down as the Countess of Carnarvon and the reigns are turned over to her son, now the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, his wife and their son, and there the book ends. Written simply and with an engaging style, I found myself completely captivated.
    • 2/5
      This book is simply a piece of family propaganda. The author gushes over the center of the story - Lady Almina.. This is similar to one of those silly little stories one would find as a photocopied booklet for sale in a house museum gift shop.
    • 4/5
      Not being a viewer of "Downton Abbey", I'm surely at a disadvantage. Still, I found this view of Highclere Castle history to be an interesting one - particularly the World War I years.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable read about the real Downton Abbey. Interesting historical view.
    • 3/5
      If you are looking for Downton Abbey in book form than this is not the book for you. I had a hard time with that at first. I was looking for the same feel of the Downton Abbey television series. I wanted the stories of both those living in the castle and those whose job it is to keep it running smoothly. There is obviously some of that in this book but as it is not a fictional story written for drama, it can not be the same.It's well written and a good history. There are lots of interesting pieces of information and connections. I found both Lady Almina and her husband, the 5th Count of Carnarvon, very compelling subjects. The Count in particular played a large part in a wonderful, historical find of that time period. This story is not solely about Lady Almina and Highclere castle which I felt actually added something to the book. However, I think I frequently got side tracked by the many names thrown out there not pertinent to the story. Names that were obviously important names in that time in English history, but since they were often not more than a mention it did as much, if not more, to distract from the book than it did to add to it. If you are interested in this time in English history I am sure you will enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      Definitely enjoyed this book. Lots to think about. I'm sure it wasn't the most scholarly history of the time period, but just what I was looking for.
    • 4/5
      Almost everyone has become familiar with the immensely popular PBS drama series Downton Abbey. The series is inspired by an actual estate called Highclere Castle. This book is a nonfiction account of Highclere and the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, who married into the family and became Highclere's mistress in 1895. The story doesn't really focus on life at Highclere, but rather on the era in which Almina lived. That includes WWI and the discovery of King Tut's tomb in which Lord Carnarvon partnered with Howard Carter. I wasn't sure I would like the book when it was given to me but I did very much.