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The Countess of Carnarvon
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Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle Paperback – December 27, 2011

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,577 ratings
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The real-life inspiration and setting for the Emmy Award-winning Downton Abbey, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th 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.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    310 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Crown
  4. Publication date
    December 27, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.14 x 0.93 x 7.97 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0770435629
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0770435622
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Almina was a woman of great charm and courage.”
—New York Times Book Review

“The more interesting and entertaining book is Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. Written by the castle's current countess, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Eighth Countess of Carnarvon and great-granddaughter-in-law of Lady Almina, the book is a fascinating look at the woman of the house who turned her castle into a hospital for wounded British soldiers returning from World War I. (It corresponds perfectly with this season's war story line on Downton Abbey.)”
—USA Today

“Gives the juicy backstory behind last year's Emmy-winning 'Masterpiece Theater' drama.”
—New York Times

“If you can’t wait for the new season of ‘Downton Abbey’...this one’s for you....a revealing portrait of the changing times.”
—New York Post
 
“[A] fascinating insight into how the seriously rich once lived.”
—Newsweek Daily Beast
 
“The present Lady Carnarvon, who tapped the family archives for her comprehensive research, dramatically captures the estate during the pre-war and war years, and paints a compelling...portrait of Lady Almina.”
—Newark Star-Ledger

About the Author

FIONA, New York Times bestselling author and the 8th Countness of CARNARVON, married Geordie, the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, in 1999, and aceded to Highclere ten years ago upon the death of Geordie's father. Highclere has become one of the most famous houses in England as the location for the PBS series Downton Abbey. She is also the author of the companion piece, Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown; 1st ptg. edition (December 27, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0770435629
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0770435622
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.14 x 0.93 x 7.97 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,577 ratings

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The Countess of Carnarvon

The Countess of Carnarvon

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Lady Carnarvon is an award winning author, having written numerous New York Times Bestsellers including Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, Christmas at Highclere, and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey. Lady Carnarvon is the wife of the 8th Earl of Carnarvon, with whom she lives at his family home of Highclere Castle, which has become world famous as the home of Lord Grantham in the television drama Downton Abbey.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,577 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Victoria
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2024
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Respectfully told and enjoyable biography of Almira and the family. I enjoyed learning about the house and people who lived and worked there and their times. Included is a detailed account of The Great War and Almira turning the house into a hospital; the new tax laws that changed the way of life of the great country houses; and the Egyptian expeditions that included the finding of King Tut's tomb. This is a fascinating biography of an interesting woman, her family and times, and is a real page-turner.
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S. Goldberg
4.0 out of 5 stars Wealth, glamour, and tragedy - a great biography
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2012
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I picked up this book because I'm a fan of Downton Abbey, although I knew before I bought the book that it had little to do with the fictional world of those characters. If you are looking for information on the Downton Abbey television show, there is a marvelous book by Jessica Fellowes which will probably better suit your needs. This is the story of Lady Almina Carnarvon who lived at Highclere Castle which is the real world setting for the fictional television program. If you want to know more about the lives of the real people who inhabited that world during that same era, keep reading.

Any biography is a story being told, and each story has a unique voice. In this case, the voice is a member of the Carnarvon family. She seems to draw from source documents such as journals, letters, and other historical references to create a picture of Almina Wombwell who became the wife of the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon. (Yes, this was the same Lord Carnarvon who worked with Howard Carter and discovered King Tut's tomb in Egypt.) This book is told primarily as Lady Almina's story after her marriage, although it can't help but touch on the story lines of many of the other principle players.

While the book is historical in nature, that doesn't make it dry reading. There is scandal (Almina was most likely the illegitimate daughter of the wealthy Alfred de Rothschild), wildly fabulous wealth (Almina lived a lavish and luxurious lifestyle prior to WWI), Egyptian adventures, and ultimately heartbreak as WWI touched almost every family in Britain. There is also the inspiring story of how Lady Almina used her connections and wealth during the war to create a hospital first at her home and then in London to help wounded British soldiers receive much needed treatment if they were lucky enough to make it back to England.

The book also does one more thing which I appreciate as a US reader of this period of history. This book helps set many of the individual events which are taking place into their larger historical context. I think that's important for reading this particular narrative While it is very much the story of one woman, it also a description of a lifestyle which has slipped into the pages of history in less than a hundred years.

Since the book is written by a member of the Carnarvon family, I had expected that the portrait which the book painted to be flattering to the family. I felt that the author did a good job of balancing the good and the bad. The book depicts the wealth, privilege and connections of the family, but it also describes many of their individual faults. It's not the ultimate resource to that time period, but I don't feel that it's intended to teach that kind of history. It's one woman's powerful story in an era when women held little power. Fans of Downton Abbey will come away with a new respect for the real life inspirations of the characters and the period which the program depicts.
350 people found this helpful
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Lora S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2021
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Lady Almina and the Real Downtown Abbey is a very interesting book. It is easy to read, and the pages fly by like nothing.

According to the author, the current Countess of Carnarvon (at least, when the book was written), the book is not properly either history or biography, but the story of Highclere Castle during the period when Lady Almina, wife of the fifth Earl of Carnarvon was in charge. It includes the story of the house, the story of Lady Almina, her husband’s story, and bits of the stories of some of the more notable servants at Highclere Castle during this time.

The woman known as Almina Carnarvon was the illegitimate daughter of Alfred de Rothschild, an immensely wealthy banker. We meet her at the point of her wedding to the fifth Earl of Carnarvon. We see Almina giving parties at Highclere Castle during her younger days. Together with the Earl, we explore travel by motorcar during an era when roads fit to drive on barely existed, and the concept of Rules of the Road had yet to be invented.

Of course, the Earl eventually got into trouble, being severely injured in an automobile crash. He was fortunate, however, in that Almina took the time and trouble to nurse him back to health, and so discovered she had a talent for nursing.

When World War I came along, a need for hospitals for the war wounded became evident. Almina rose to the challenge and turned Highclere Castle into a hospital. She worked tirelessly nursing soldiers back to health and supervising the staff of the hospital. Later on, she bought another house in town and set up a hospital there as well, allowing Highclere Castle to return to something like its original role as a country house.

We also share another of the Earl’s passions – one for Egyptian Archaeology. He provided much of the financing for Howard Carter’s successful search for the tomb of Tutankhamun. When the tomb was finally opened, Lord Carnarvon and his daughter Evelyn were there with Carter.

The stresses of the war and the last days of the archaeological dig were too much for the Earl. Lady Almina, who had herself been too ill to accompany him on his final trip to Egypt, as well as his son and several other relatives, traveled to Egypt to be with him, but it was too late to save him.

The Carnarvons had other adventures during their relatively long lives and left Highclere Castle to their son, with whom it was to undergo more adventures. In more modern times, Highclere Castle has become the model for the television show Downtown Abbey.
6 people found this helpful
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B Tatum
5.0 out of 5 stars As a Downton Abbey lover this true story of Lady Almina is fascinating
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Being hooked on Downton Abbey and still watching it over and over on Prime Video, I found several stories written by the current Countess, Lady Carnarvon, and read it in one sitting. Finally, I am onto the second book, Marrying an English Lord, entertaining and what it was like for an American heiress to integrate into British high society. Bot great reads, and I have the 3rd book she wrote waiting to be read. If you want to keep learning more about the true life of Highclere Castle, you can join the weekly explorations of the grounds, the viewing special rooms in the Castle, and even converse with Lady Carnarvon. Friends of Highclere
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lina Gabriela Santos
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
Reviewed in Mexico on January 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
Excellent story well told. Nicely written, easy to understand.
I really recommend it.
I enjoyed it a lot. Great book.
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Bibi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in France on January 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
Hyper fan de la série, je me suis plongée dedans avec délectation. Très souvent je me suis retrouvée à Downton en lisant ce livre et je n'ai pas été déçue. Bien écrit, simple mais avec une multitude de détails passionnants où des vies réelles ont été déployées en parallèle de grands événements historiques. Se lit aisément. J'aurais juste aimé en savoir un peu plus sur la vie des employés, comme avec Downton...
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Geoff Charnley
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2022
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Provides an early history of Highclere . Gives some insight of social life before detailing the marriage of Lord Carnarvon to a Rothchild banking heiress Almina, at the height of aristocracy power and social influence, resulting in what must have been the nearest thing to utopia ever.
Details Lord Carnarvons passion for Egyptology and the social gatherings held at the time.
Takes you through the great war. Introduces you to people and how the war affected them . Gives you a greater insight than a film clip.
I wondered how this lifestyle was going to survive. Amazingly the wealth and energies of the Carnarvon ladies were channelled into providing hospitality facilities for the war. Who knows destiny may have brought this combination together for such a time.
(Like many people I don't have high expectations from people born in privilege as their position is based on what others have achieved not themselves. It may challenge your stereotypes. )
Post war returns to all the social balls and gatherings.
They lived life to the full. If you are going to have this type of wealth this is the way to do it, not like some recluse billionaire.
People who were given God's ten talents and don't disappoint in the end.
( Read the book in two halves due to Covid so may not have given sufficient credit to the early history).
Looking forward to the next one in the series.
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Mimi
5.0 out of 5 stars For Downton Fans.
Reviewed in Germany on June 26, 2020
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A must read for Downton Abbey fans with a wealth of interesting information. Her second book: Lady Catherine and the real Downton Abbey is a great read too.
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SERENA P.
5.0 out of 5 stars molto soddisfatta
Reviewed in Italy on May 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
ottimo libro, per gli appassionati di Downton Abbey ma non solo. Molto ricco di dettagli storici e vicende famigliari, intrighi nobiliari, etc. Consiglio vivamente, molto accurato.
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