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Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
- The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
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Publisher's summary
Audie Award Nominee, Biography and Memoir, 2013
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 series, 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. 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. 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.
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.
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Story
When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in 20th-century England, valued at more than three billion dollars in today's money - a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family's coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it?
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Could use a good editor...
- By Phyllis on 04-30-18
By: Catherine Bailey
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George and Marina
- Duke and Duchess of Kent
- By: Christopher Warwick
- Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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For eight brief years, before he was tragically killed in a mysterious air crash during the Second World War, Prince George, Duke of Kent, son of King George V and Queen Mary, and his beautiful wife, Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, were the British monarchy's - indeed, high society's - most glamorous royal couple; and as golden royal icons, they are still remembered.
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Engaging
- By Jean on 06-02-17
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Royal Sisters
- Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret
- By: Anne Edwards
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In Royal Sisters, Anne Edwards, author of the best-selling Vivien Leigh: A Biography and Matriarch: Queen Mary and the House of Windsor, has written the first dual biography of Elizabeth, the princess who was to become Queen, and her younger sister, Margaret, who was to be her subject. From birth to maturity, they were the stuff of which dreams are made.
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Where's The Rest?
- By Simone on 12-19-17
By: Anne Edwards
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The Glitter and the Gold
- The American Duchess - In Her Own Words
- By: Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Consuelo Vanderbilt was young, beautiful and the heir to a vast family fortune. She was also deeply in love with an American suitor when her mother chose instead for her to fulfill her social ambitions and marry an English Duke. Leaving her life in America, she came to England as the Duchess of Marlborough in 1895 and took up residence in her new home: Blenheim Palace. The ninth Duchess gives unique first-hand insight into life at the very pinnacle of English society in the Edwardian era.
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Facinating Story- Terrible reading
- By Ashley D on 03-27-14
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The Riviera Set
- Glitz, Glamour, and the Hidden World of High Society
- By: Mary S. Lovell
- Narrated by: Jill Rolls
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
The Riviera Set reveals the story of the group of people who lived, partied, bed-hopped, and politicked at the Château de l'Horizon near Cannes, over the course of 40 years from the time when Coco Chanel made southern French tans fashionable in the twenties to the death of the playboy Prince Aly Khan in 1960. At the heart of dynamic group was the amazing Maxine Elliott, the daughter of a fisherman from Connecticut, who built the beautiful art deco Château.
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Riviera Set
- By Lois Kelly on 05-04-18
By: Mary S. Lovell
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Gertrude Bell
- Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
- By: Georgina Howell
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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She has been called the female Lawrence of Arabia, which, while not inaccurate, fails to give Gertrude Bell her due. She was at one time the most powerful woman in the British Empire: a nation builder, the driving force behind the creation of modern-day Iraq. Born in 1868 into a world of privilege, Bell turned her back on Victorian society, choosing to read history at Oxford and going on to become an archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, and legendary mountaineer.
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Shattering The Glass Ceiling in Britain
- By Nostromo on 08-05-18
By: Georgina Howell
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The Romanov Sisters
- The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra
- By: Helen Rappaport
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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They were the Princess Dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses—Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography.
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Made you want to change the ending
- By MissSusie66 on 01-23-15
By: Helen Rappaport
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The Mistresses of Cliveden
- Three Centuries of Scandal, Power, and Intrigue in an English Stately Home
- By: Natalie Livingstone
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Overlooking the Thames, the Cliveden mansion is flanked by two wings and surrounded by lavish gardens. Throughout its storied history, Cliveden has been a setting for misbehavior, intrigue, and passion - from its salacious, deadly beginnings in the 17th century to the 1960s Profumo affair, the sex scandal that toppled the British government. Now, in this immersive chronicle, the manor's current mistress, Natalie Livingstone, opens the doors to this prominent house and lets the walls do the talking.
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disappointed
- By Galina M. on 11-14-16
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Wait for Me!
- Memoirs
- By: Deborah Mitford Duchess of Devonshire
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, is the youngest of the famously witty brood that includes the writers Jessica and Nancy, who wrote when Deborah was born, "How disgusting of the poor darling to go and be a girl." Deborah's effervescent memoir chronicles her remarkable life, from an eccentric but happy childhood in the Oxfordshire countryside, to tea with Adolf Hitler and her controversially political sister Unity in 1937, to her marriage to the second son of the Duke of Devonshire.
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The last of the Mitford Sisters
- By Irene on 01-11-11
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The Last Castle
- The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home
- By: Denise Kiernan
- Narrated by: Denise Kiernan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Story
Orphaned at a young age, Edith Stuyvesant Dresser claimed lineage from one of New York's best known families. She grew up in Newport and Paris, and her engagement and marriage to George Vanderbilt was one of the most watched events of Gilded Age society. But none of this prepared her to be mistress of Biltmore House. Before their marriage, the wealthy and bookish Vanderbilt had dedicated his life to creating a spectacular European-style estate on 125,000 acres of North Carolina wilderness.
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Very factual
- By Jennifer on 11-28-17
By: Denise Kiernan
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The Earl and the Pharaoh
- From the Real Downton Abbey to the Discovery of Tutankhamun
- By: The Countess of Carnarvon
- Narrated by: The Countess of Carnarvon
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Bestselling author the Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert—the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it—whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.
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Plodding Family History…Akin to Listening to Paint Dry
- By J. Willis-Opalenik on 10-31-23
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Queen Victoria's Mysterious Daughter
- A Biography of Princess Louise
- By: Lucinda Hawksley
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The secrets of Queen Victoria's sixth child, Princess Louise, may be destined to remain hidden forever. What was so dangerous about this artistic, tempestuous royal that her life has been documented more by rumor and gossip than hard facts? When Lucinda Hawksley started to investigate, often thwarted by inexplicable secrecy, she discovered a fascinating woman, modern before her time, whose story has been shielded for years from public view.
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Incredibly Frustrating
- By JayOne on 01-16-20
By: Lucinda Hawksley
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The Housekeeper's Tale
- The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House
- By: Tessa Boase
- Narrated by: Tessa Boase
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
The Housekeeper's Tale reveals the personal sacrifices, bitter disputes and driving ambition that shaped these women's careers. Using secret diaries, unpublished letters, and the neglected service archives of our stately homes, Tessa Boase tells the extraordinary stories of five working women who ran some of Britain's most prominent households.
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Utterly intriguing
- By Pamela Jane on 09-14-17
By: Tessa Boase
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Bestselling author the Countess of Carnarvon tells the thrilling behind-the-scenes story of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun on its centennial, and explores the unparalleled life of family ancestor George Herbert—the famed Egyptologist, world-traveler, and 5th Earl of Carnarvon behind it—whose country house, Highclere Castle, is the setting of the beloved series Downton Abbey.
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From the Gilded Age until 1914, more than 100 American heiresses invaded Britannia and swapped dollars for titles - just like Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham, the first of the Downton Abbey characters Julian Fellowes was inspired to create after reading To Marry An English Lord. Filled with vivid personalities, gossipy anecdotes, grand houses, and a wealth of period details-plus quotes and the finer points of Victorian and Edwardian etiquette - To Marry An English Lord is social history at its liveliest and most accessible.
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AWFUL!! I was very disappointed.
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Sourcebooks is bringing the internationally acclaimed New York Times bestseller back for a new generation of listeners. Jennie Churchill was not merely Winston’s mother. She was the most captivating and desired woman of her age. Originally from Brooklyn, Jennie became the reigning queen of British society. Beautiful and defiant, she lived with an honesty that made her the talk of two continents.
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When Queen Mary died in 1953, James Pope-Hennessy was commissioned to write an official biography of her - unusual for a queen consort. Queen Mary's life, contrary to popular belief, was essentially dramatic, and she played a far more important and influential role in the affairs of the British monarchy than her public image might have otherwise suggested. Using material from the Royal Archives, private papers, and Queen Mary's personal diaries and letters, Pope-Hennessy's biography was a remarkable portrait of a remarkable woman and received rave reviews across the press.
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Excellent! UPDATED review after 2nd listen.
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Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage
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The Titanic has often been called "An exquisite microcosm of the Edwardian era", but until now, her story has not been presented as such. In Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage, historian Hugh Brewster seamlessly interweaves personal narratives of the lost liner's most fascinating people with a haunting account of the fateful maiden crossing. Employing scrupulous research, he accurately depicts the ship's brief life and tragic denouement and presents compelling, memorable portraits of her most notable passengers.
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The Beginnig of My Interest on the Royal Family
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Serving Victoria
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During her 63-year reign, Queen Victoria gathered around herself a household dedicated to her service. For some, royal employment was the defining experience of their lives; for others it came as an unwelcome duty or as a prelude to greater things. Serving Victoria follows the lives of six members of her household, from the governess to the royal children, from her maid of honor to her chaplain and her personal physician.
By: Kate Hubbard
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Cornelius Vanderbilt parlayed a $100.00 investment into the largest private transportation company in the world while creating an American Dynasty in New York, Newport, Vermont, and Asheville, North Carolina. This history of his family and their lush, opulent lifestyle is filled with juicy stories and fun tidbits about their lives in the Gilded Era.
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The first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) was a soldier of such genius that a lavish palace, Blenheim, was built to honor his triumphs. Succeeding generations of Churchills sometimes achieved distinction but also included profligates and womanizers, and were saddled with the ruinous upkeep of Blenheim. The Churchills were an extraordinary family: ambitious, impecunious, impulsive, brave, and arrogant. Winston - recently voted "The Greatest Briton" - dominates them all. His failures and triumphs are revealed in the context of a poignant and sometimes tragic private life.
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Grand! In it's own wonderful way.
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Wait for Me!
- Memoirs
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Deborah Mitford, Duchess of Devonshire, is the youngest of the famously witty brood that includes the writers Jessica and Nancy, who wrote when Deborah was born, "How disgusting of the poor darling to go and be a girl." Deborah's effervescent memoir chronicles her remarkable life, from an eccentric but happy childhood in the Oxfordshire countryside, to tea with Adolf Hitler and her controversially political sister Unity in 1937, to her marriage to the second son of the Duke of Devonshire.
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The last of the Mitford Sisters
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The Glitter and the Gold
- The American Duchess - In Her Own Words
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Consuelo Vanderbilt was young, beautiful and the heir to a vast family fortune. She was also deeply in love with an American suitor when her mother chose instead for her to fulfill her social ambitions and marry an English Duke. Leaving her life in America, she came to England as the Duchess of Marlborough in 1895 and took up residence in her new home: Blenheim Palace. The ninth Duchess gives unique first-hand insight into life at the very pinnacle of English society in the Edwardian era.
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Facinating Story- Terrible reading
- By Ashley D on 03-27-14
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The Secrets of the Notebook
- A Woman's Quest to Uncover Her Royal Family Secret
- By: Eve Haas
- Narrated by: Jane Carr
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Eve Haas is the daughter of a German Jewish family that took refuge in London after Hitler came to power. Following a terrifying air raid in the blitz, her father revealed the family secret - that her great-great grandmother Emilie was married to a Prussian prince. He then showed her the treasured leather-bound notebook inscribed to Emilie by the prince.
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Completely uneventful
- By Natalie on 01-03-17
By: Eve Haas
What listeners say about Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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- D. Meyers
- 07-05-16
Interesting and surprisingly moving biography
This isn't heavy duty historical narrative by any means, but I was pleasantly surprised by the detail and depth of the writing in this biography of Lady Almina. The story, especially the years covering the Great War, consistently engaged my interest. I like historical biography and learned things in this account that were new and valuable in understanding British social change in the twentieth century, as well as the almost inconceivable degree of suffering for those caught up in armed conflict. The Countess of Carnarvon has an obvious personal interest in the subject matter and has done admirable work with her well documented source material. And as always, Wanda McCaddon (aka Nadia May) provides impeccable narration. She is, in my opinion, simply the best narrator in the English speaking world. This woman could read the phone book and I would rush to sign up for a chance to listen.
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- Atay
- 07-09-12
It was ok
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
It was just ok. I learned a few facts that I had not known before.
Would you be willing to try another book from The Countess of Carnarvon? Why or why not?
No...rather dry
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Yes
Did Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey inspire you to do anything?
No
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- Heidi O.
- 03-15-20
an educational companion to Downton Abbey
it's an educational companion in Downton Abbey. about one of the mistrises who ran it during world war 1. will give you an insight to the time period.
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- M
- 08-25-22
The best book I ever read
The real Stuart aka the Butler is the the inspiration for my favorite downton abbey Butler mr Carson and the history of the family best recommended read for any Downton Abbey fan
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-25-24
history of the castle
all the people mentioned were hard to keep track of and a little boring. Mostly just enjoyed the history
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- Virginia Johnson
- 05-02-12
Truth is More Exciting than the Fictional Drama
If you could sum up Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey in three words, what would they be?
Energetic, Opulent .Fairytale
What other book might you compare Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey to and why?
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson I loved this book when I first read it in 2005, because it involved an historical event - the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1892 and 1893 - and was based on the inspiration of real people who planned and executed the Fair that many felt was not possible. I kept having to remind myself that there weren't cell phones, fax machines, air travel, and mass communication. The task was enormous and the task was completed. In the background there was a psychotic killer who was systematically killing innocents, unnoticed by the general public. It held my interest throughout the book as did "Lady Almina".
Have you listened to any of Wanda McCaddon’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have heard her before (though I can't recall which book it was), but felt that this was very well done. It had to be read by someone with an impeccable British accent.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Three moments: 1) the death of Almina's father, Alfred 2) The death of Almina's husband and 3) the discovery of King Tut's tomb and all that resulted from that event.
Any additional comments?
The book surpassed my expectations and I'll recommend it to many who ask if I've read a good book recently.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Janet H. Maddox
- 01-15-13
the real story is as interesting as Downton
The story of the real Lord and Lady of the manor is as fascinating as the fictional Downton - and I am a Downton fan. I had no idea the real occupants of Highclere Castle were so fascinating. For anyone with a sincere interest in the period, this is a must.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 07-28-13
Good Companion Piece to Downton Abbey
If you could sum up Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey in three words, what would they be?
Interesting aristocratic history
What other book might you compare Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey to and why?
I would compare it to the Anne Perry Victorian mysteries in have very distinct characters and settings. I enjoyed the Englishness of the books.
Which character – as performed by Wanda McCaddon – was your favorite?
Since the book is about Lady Almina, she was my favorite . However, all the characters, even the minor ones were well written and interesting.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I listened to it while walking and while eating dinner. I finished the nook in three days.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommended if you like Downton Abbey. There is more insight into the upstairs/downstairs aspect of the story. Lady Almina was a fascinating woman and her life had lots of interesting episodes. One of the most enjoyable personal histories that I have listened to.
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- Jennifer Dickinson
- 01-09-14
Thoroughly Absorbing
If you could sum up Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey in three words, what would they be?
history family service
What was one of the most memorable moments of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey?
There are many, but one that struck me was how generous Lady Almina was to her secretary when she married, setting them up in a house, and lending them the Lake House at Highclere for their honeymoon.
Which character – as performed by Wanda McCaddon – was your favorite?
Again -- they were all so perfectly portrayed, but one of my favorites was Aubrey, the Earl's younger brother.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
The sweep of history through the lens of one of Britain's great families. Or something like that. :)
Any additional comments?
I absolutely loved this book and wanted to listen in one sitting! Obviously, the war years are just shatteringly sad, but Lady Almina and her family's, friends' and colleagues' sacrifices are ultimately so hopeful. I also loved Wanda McCaddon's narration and have already added two more of hers to my library, one of which was written by the Countess of Carnarvon.
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- H. D.
- 08-06-18
It was real life!
I had no idea prior to this book, that Downton Abbey was based upon real life. There were very specific instances in the book that were tied into the TV series. The exact details may have varied, but the situations were close enough that I recognized them even a few years after watching the series (car wreck, turning the mansion into a hospital). Visualizing the actresses as I listened to the story made it even more interesting--and it was nice to know that the real family had an altruistic side.
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