Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey Free

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Goodreads helps Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Highclere Castle has a new resident, the daughter-in-law of Lady Almina, an American beauty from New York and a descendant of famous American families. At just 19 and utterly entrancing, she had already received many proposals of marriage Highclere Castle has a new resident, the daughter-in-law of Lady Almina, an American beauty from New York and a descendant of famous American families. At just 19 and utterly entrancing, she had already received many proposals of marriage and immediately caught year-old Porchey's discerning eye. They married inand after the unexpected death of Almina's husband, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, they moved into Highclere Castle. Beset by death duties and money problems, the Earl and Countess were unsure they could keep Highclere. Thanks to the sale of the decade at Christies Auction House, hundreds of cherished paintings Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey under the hammer, from a Leonardo da Vinci to works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Romney. Porchey even sold the famous family pearls. By Catherine and Porchey knew they could stay. Over the next few years, the young couple entertained at Highclere, sharing it with other royalty and friends from London society. Catherine was much loved by the staff and adored by her husband and two young children. Although Almina still occasionally came to stay, Catherine's own American mother, Mrs. Jacob Wendell, was the most regular visitor. ByCatherine and Porchey's marriage had become increasingly troubled. Devastated, Catherine bravely unraveled her marriage. Porchey hastily traveled to New York to marry his new lover, who, however, ran off the night before the wedding with a Hollywood mogul. Now in London with her children, Catherine fell in love with a handsome and charming man, whom she married in Porchey continued at Highclere, having to find new staff the old staff accompanied Catherine to London and marrying the famous Austrian actress Tilly Losch on the day war broke out in Catherine's husband joined the navy while Porchey's new wife quickly left for America. Highclere Castle was turned into a home for evacuee children as well as lodging for soldiers. Porchey joined the war effort as an army adjutant later a liaison officer and was commended by the Americans stationed near Highclere. Catherine and Porchey's son Henry also joined the war in Like other wives and mothers, Catherine endured the unbearable stress of waiting for news of two beloved people in her life. Using copious materials - including diaries and scrapbooks - from the castle's archive, the Countess of Carnarvon brings alive a very modern story in a beautiful and famous setting, paying particular attention not just to the goings on upstairs, but also to the butler footmen and other staff whose lives downstairs kept the Castle moving forward into the twentieth century. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published October 29th by Broadway Books first published January 1st More Details The Women of the Real Downton Abbey 2. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. May 28, Julie Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey rated it really liked it Shelves: non- fictionengland-uk. Lady Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey writes extremely well of Highclere and the family history. I found quite a few similarities in their history and some of Downton's plot lines. Mar 18, Gina rated it it was amazing Shelves: culture-and- traditionsenglandnonfictionroyaltyhistoryfavorites. For anyone who loved the series Downton Abbey as much as I did, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey book is a must read. This books tells the real story of Highclere Castle, upon which the fictional Downton Abbey is based. Her husband would become known as the 6th Earl of Carnarvon. The author of this amazing book, the current Countess of Carnarvon, delved into many historical documents, scrapbooks, and diaries at Highclere to For anyone who loved the series Downton Abbey as much as I did, this book is a must read. The author of this amazing book, the current Countess of Carnarvon, delved into many historical documents, scrapbooks, and diaries at Highclere to bring us this story of a beautiful American woman Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey would play an integral part in the survival of Highclere post WWI, when many of the other grand houses did not. This book is not only a must read for Downton Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey fans, but is of great interest to anyone interested in the history of the British aristocrats and the homes they reside in, along with the traditions, sacrifices, rules, and expectations they live with day to day. View 1 comment. Dec 15, Sara rated it liked it Shelves: kindle-purchase. Quite interesting, especially in the light of having just read The Visitors and spent a little time with the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, father of this one. Another contributing factor in my enjoyment was my passion for Downton Abbey. I was fascinated by how many of the plot twists in Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey story were ripped right from the true experiences of these people and their magnificent estate. The book is historically accurate in every detail that I could personally verify. Lady Carnarvon had access to all the Quite interesting, especially in the light of having just read The Visitors and spent a little time with the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, father of this one. Lady Carnarvon had access to all the historical records and artifacts of the home and that must have helped tremendously in fleshing Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey these people and detailing life at Highclere. There are all the usual spottings of the rich and famous, coming and going at Highclere, particularly during World War II, but there is also enough beneath the surface revelation on Lady Catherine and the Earl to make them seem individual and not stereotypes. View 2 comments. As amazing as the history of Highclere is, Countess Carnarvon can't write. Such a shame. Oct 26, Will Cross rated it did not like it. Both women married Porchey- the Sixth Earl, who spent his life hunting, shooting and flirting. The Earl was a rascal who rode race horses and was an over active sex pest to womankind. The Carnarvons display courage in declaring the American born Lady Catherine had a drink problem with bouts of depression and despair. The reasons for Catherine almost never being sober Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey complicated and alas not well enough explained here. From that account there are stark differences not tackled hereCatherine carried burdens including the horrors of a shattered childhood after her father died suddenly when she was aged eleven. From Almina viewing the attractive, referential, refugee, Catherine, first as a gold digger which she certainly was, she was skint before marriage to Porchey the two women found an enmity, against the same foe, Porchey, they became life long friends and allies and shared secrets and lies. Sadly despite the combined resources of the Highclere Archives, an international publisher, a ghost writer, archivists and researchers many of the other central particulars linking the story together are unsound, even some shocking errors including a rewrite of history which claims that Lord Kitchener died at the Battle of Jutland but which was over before the ship HMS Hampshire he was travelling on, hit a mine and sunk! A similar sloppy error can be found in a reference to the reception after Catherine married a second time in One of the hosts, Percy Griffiths, is mentioned as taking part in fact fell off a horse and died the previous year! Good prose masks many howlers as does a Readers Digest version of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey 20th century history frolics with an irksome tendency to sweep too many irrelevant people and places with an unnecessary timeline of the non- players in the dull tales of Prime Ministers, and seedy diplomats downwards including a appalling chunk of inflated history on the Abdication crisis where Porchey claims fame in his wildly inaccurate memoirs which are repeated, but is just as inaccurate as they was when he regaled them to his ghost writer, Barry Wynne. Against the odds too Catherine made a passable Highclere chatelaine, she had good taste and style in fashion trends and make up innovations of the age. She was a good looking woman her Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey life, despite the knocks and the fact that she felt despised and humiliated by Porchey and was crippled emotionally by a perceived embarrassment possessed by her own son. Catherine was left out in the cold especially when the young Lord Porchester later the Seventh Earl walked high with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. The bankrupt granny, Almina, was also snubbed by the House of Windsor. Almina snubbed back! Some parts of the book are adequate and praiseworthy. The interesting testimony of servants and their fate in war time and peace is fascinating and a redeeming feature of the book is there are some wonderful photographs. Nor did she take two days to reach Egypt inwhen Lord Carnarvon lay poleaxed, awaiting death. Nor did she travel all the way out there in a by- plane! The plane came down in France and Almina after she took ill had to continue by rail, ship and rail again before reaching the Continetal Hotel, Cairo. The lethal details of the decades of vileness between Almina and Porchey is not surprisingly massaged out of the book. She married him because he was useful to her purpose of money laundering the hundreds of thousands of pounds left to her by her guardian, Alfred de Rothschild in assets at his town house at 1, Seamore Place, which Almina used as her main home not Highclerefrom Moreover as can be gleaned from the Court evidence in Denniston v Dennistoun in Almina first met the Colonel inwhen the Fifth Earl was still very much alive. The ubiquitous mention of Prince George PG later Duke of Kent who was killed in is curious and needs more conclusion. Moreover, his whole life in the book : An Unlikely Countess Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway: was ruined after his parents forced him to be lobotomized. Catherine was his godmother, she could not do anything to stop the butchery that still haunts this poor wretch daily. The Highclere book ends suddenly in before so much else befalls the main characters. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona Carnarvon – review | Books | The Guardian

Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. NOOK Book. 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. Read an Excerpt Prologue This is a book Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey an extraordinary woman called Almina Carnarvon, the family into which she married, the Castle that became her home, the people who worked there, and the transformation of the Castle when it became a hospital for wounded soldiers during the First World War. It is not a history, although it is set against the exuberance of the Edwardian period, the sombre gravity of the Great War and the early years of recovery after the conflict. It is neither a biography nor a work of fi ction, but places characters in historical settings, as identifi ed from letters, diaries, visitor books and household accounts written at the time. Almina Carnarvon was an enormously wealthy heiress, the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey was contracted in marriage to the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a key player in Edwardian society in Britain. His interests were many and eclectic. He loved books and travel and pursued every opportunity to explore the technologies that were transforming his age. Most famously he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter. Almina was an unbelievably generous woman in spirit and with her money. Highclere Castle is still home to the Earls of Carnarvon. Via its television alter ego, Downton Abbey, it is known to millions of people as the setting for Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey drama Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey has thrilled viewers in more than a hundred countries around the world. Living here for the past twelve years, I have come to know the bones and stones of the Castle. My research has revealed some of the stories of the fascinating people who lived here, but there is so much more. My journey has just started. The Countess of Carnarvon. Later transformed into a stately Georgian mansion with intricate Gothic turrets, the castle was a center of political life during the reign of Queen Victoria. Transporting readers to a vanished time and place, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story of a spirited young woman who captured the hearts of English society despite her dubious status as the illegitimate daughter of phenomenally wealthy industrialist Alfred de Rothschild. By turns a mesmerizing biography and a unique portrait of history, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey will captivate your reading group. What special traits and wisdom did Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey possess? Is Cora at a disadvantage because she is American, or did outsiders perhaps have the upper hand in Edwardian England? When Lady Almina opened Highclere Castle to wounded military officers, she wanted to deliver more than first-rate medical treatment; she understood that a beautiful environment would enhance the healing process as well. What can twenty-first-century medicine learn from her? The author describes heated Edwardian debates over taxing the wealthy, reforms to the House of Lords, immigration, and the National Insurance Bill —issues that remain controversial today. Lady Almina was a vocal conservative. If you had been a member of the landed gentry, would you have sided with the Liberals or the Tories? How did Aubrey balance his election as a conservative with his liberal beliefs? What inspired Lord Carnarvon and Aubrey to immerse themselves in worlds far removed from the English countryside? What surprising details did the book provide about foreign affairs in the early twentieth century? How did they gain power? How was their power limited by their husbands and by social custom? If you were the widow Almina, would you have remarried as she did? As the author provided vivid descriptions of the wardrobes, interior decorations, and feasts that marked Highclere Castle, which aspects captured your imagination the most? How did you react to the parenting protocols of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras? Was it reasonable for children of the aristocracy, whose lives were woven with royalty, to be held to a higher standard of behavior? How were the expectations for raising Porchy different from those for raising Eve? Discuss the solid marriage that Almina and Lord Carnarvon enjoyed. How were they able to make a good match despite the strict courtship methods they had to follow? What accounts for Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey way they balanced freedom and mutual support throughout their marriage? Is nobility a burden or a blessing? How would you have fared at Highclere as a servant, or as an administrative aide such as Mary Weekes? How does the history of Highclere enhance your appreciation for the show? The author notes that it was the economic fallout of the Second World War, combined with new tax structures, that made it impossible to maintain the opulence of previous generations at Highclere Castle. Why is it important to preserve the building and its history, if not the lifestyle, in contemporary times? Discuss your own family legacies that are tied to this time period. How did status and class affect your ancestors? Did any of them serve in the Great War? Which of your family legacies—financial or otherwise—were formed a century ago? Guide written by Amy Clements. Home 1 Books 2. Read an excerpt of this book! Add to Wishlist. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Members Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey with free shipping everyday! See details. Show More. Related Searches. View Product. Bilderbuch der Schlosser und Palaste: German Translation of. The book contains pictures that were taken in Germany from to and are mostly of Schloss Neuschwanstein. Other pictures Castle in the Sky Picture Book. Enjoy the films of Studio Ghibli with scene-by-scene illustrations and character dialogue. Studio Ghibli picture books Castle of Wizardry Book 4 of The Belgariad. Now that Belgarath, Polgara, Garion and their companions have destroyed Rak Cthol and Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey with the Orb, they must flee the enraged army of Murgos, who seek to reclaim the Orb. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey learns more about his strange powers and discovers A must have guide for anyone who spends time at the lake with children. This should be the first book you read any and every child arriving at your boat, lake property, campsite, dock, fishing trip, summer lake vacation, or Many companies saw this as an opportunity for a Do you want a way to boost your concentration and creativity while also relaxing? 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Look Inside Reading Guide. Reading Guide. 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. Throwing open the Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey 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. When you buy a book, we donate a book. Sign in. Halloween Books for Kids. Read An Excerpt. Dec 27, ISBN Add to Cart. Also available from:. Available from:. Paperback —. Also by The Countess of Carnarvon. See all books by The Countess of Carnarvon. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey Details. Inspired by Your Browsing History. The Life of Elizabeth I. Becoming Queen Victoria. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey Williams. The Countess of Carnarvon. Edward Rutherfurd. Jennifer Chiaverini. Nicholas and Alexandra. Robert K. New York: The Novel. The Tudors. Elizabeth the Queen. Sally Bedell Smith. James A. The Wars of the Roses. Queen Isabella. The Winter Palace. Eva Stachniak. The Source. After Long Silence. Helen Fremont. Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. Ernest J. Allison Pataki. Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen. Michelle Moran. Year of Wonders. Geraldine Brooks. Madame Tussaud. Flight of the Sparrow. Amy Belding Brown. The Heir Apparent. Enchantress of Numbers. Alice I Have Been. Melanie Benjamin. The Last Boleyn. Karen Harper. Related Articles. Looking for More Great Reads? Download Hi Res. Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey. LitFlash The eBooks you want at the lowest prices. Read it Forward Read it first. Pass it on! Stay in Touch Sign up. We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later. Become a Member Start earning points for buying books!