Lady Catherine, The Earl, And The Real Downton Abbey (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This book started pretty slow. I even contemplated not finishing it, but I'm glad I did. This tells the story behind Downton Abbey. It's based on the real-life events of the 6th Earl of Carnarvon and his first wife, Catherine. When World War II came into the picture, I found it was difficult to put the book down. Overall, a great read. It was tough at times because there were so many different people, but it was fairly simple. This one just wasn't for me. If you have a bare knowledge of the historical period, it might be entertaining enough. But I have enough background to not be able to get over the number of misconceptions and downright offensive inaccuracies included here (as a New Zealander, I find the claim that Britain fought WWII alone following the fall of France until Russia and the USA joined them particularly problematic). I was hoping for a well-researched look at a particular generation of the Carnarvon family and their history at Highclere. Instead, I got a shabbily put together and misleading overview of the first half of the 20th century, in which more time was spent on other members of English high society than the Carnarvon's themselves (the Duff Coopers, Evelyn Waugh etc.) and the more 'distateful' aspects of the family's history, such as Catherine's well documented mental health problems, are hastily glossed over. The writing, while readable enough, is not masterful in any sense of the word and in some places barely manages to hold together coherantly. Overall, there are far better books out there about the period, and although I haven't looked into it, I suspect far better books about Highclere and the Carnarvons as well.
What do You think about Lady Catherine, The Earl, And The Real Downton Abbey (2013)?
The real family's story would make just as interesting tv series or movie as the made up family!
—katie
3.5 stars. I love learning the history that surrounds this amazing house.
—Aish
This is a well written book that gets a bit dull.
—sexywabbit
