Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Rea..., The Countess of Carnarvon
Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Rea..., The Countess of Carnarvon
2 Rating(s)
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Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey

Author: The Countess of Carnarvon

Narrator: Wanda McCaddon

Unabridged: 10 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/29/2013

Synopsis

Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes’s Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Catherine Wendell.  In this transporting companion piece to the New York Times bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, Catherine, a beautiful and spirited American woman who married Lady Almina’s son, the man who would become the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, presides over the grand estate during a tumultuous time for the British aristocracy. Following the First World War, many of the great houses of England faded as their owners fortunes declined in the new political and social world of the 1920s and 1930s. As war loomed, Highclere’s survival as the family home of the Carnarvons was again in the balance—as was peace between the nations of Europe.

Using copious materials—including diaries and scrapbooks—from the castle’s archives, the current Countess of Carnarvon brings alive a very modern story in a beautiful and fabled setting, paying particular attention to the staff who provide Highclere Castle with continuity between generations.

About The Countess of Carnarvon

Lady Fiona Carnarvon studied English and German at the University of St. Andrews before becoming an accountant. She met her husband, Geordie, in 1996 and, in 2001, they took over the tenureship of Highclere Castle, Berkshire, becoming the eighth Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. The Countess of Carnarvon is also the author of Carnarvon & Carter: The Story of the Two Englishmen Who Discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rebecca on December 13, 2014

Following the first book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, I was looking forward to the next book, which covered the next generation of the Carnarvon family. While I did like the stories of Porchey and Catherine, most of the book was just a scandal sheet.......more

Goodreads review by A.L. on July 31, 2018

I enjoyed Downton Abbey, so this audiobook caught my eye and it was a fun listen. It’s kind of fluffy—lots of society stuff and scandal, but also a look at life in Britain from WWI through WWII. The narrator was really good. I was actually surprised at how much the fictional TV show had echoes of re......more

Goodreads review by Kailey (Luminous Libro) on July 24, 2020

In 1922, Catherine married Lord Porchester, and eventually became the Countess of Carnarvon, and Highclere Castle was her home. This book follows the family living at Highclere, and their neighbors and staff, through the roaring 1920's and the devastation of WWII. During this time, Highclere Castle......more

Goodreads review by Judy on December 18, 2013

I gave this book 2 stars because I just couldn't force myself to finish it. Reading the dictionary would have been more interesting. Facts. Facts. Facts. I found it very hard to get 'connected' with any of the wealthy people who lived at Highclere during this time period. Perhaps the author could ha......more

Goodreads review by Lois on June 22, 2018

This books gives excellent and crucial info on this time period, home and ancestors alive at this time. It's just extremely dry and not enough on what I was intetested in and too much focus on name dropping.......more

Quotes

“Downton Abbey diehards busy speculating about what the future might hold for Lady Mary Crawley and the rest of the Grantham fam­ily might want to sate their obses­sion with this well-timed history of the castle’s real inhabitants from 1923 to 1945.”— BUST

"The lives of the actual people who experienced love, heartache and service at Highclere Castle, the real name of the majestic building showcased on Downton Abbey, are told in this riveting book. Although technically a historical biography, the Countess of Carnarvon has written a book that reads more like an exceptional novel."— Deseret News

"Lady Carnarvon's narrative is a vivid time-stamp of a tempestuous period in history, aptly incorporating its political situation and social structure, to satisfy history buffs and Anglophiles."— Publishers Weekly

“Gossipy and fun, with a good history lesson—sure to delight Downton Abbey fans.” — Kirkus Reviews

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