Thursday, April 23, 2026

Books from the Backlog - Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey


Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!


Goodreads:  Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by The Countess Carnarvon

Blurb:  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.

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf:  It's been on my TBR for years and I had kind of forgotten about it but I find it no less fascinating now than I did when I first came across it.

No comments:

Post a Comment