Book Review: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

Two birds, one stone: necessary audio book, and current fascination with Downton Abbey. I couldn't go wrong. Well, actually, I could. Not every Countess is skilled enough to pull off historical storytelling. The eighth Countess of Carnarvon did so splendidly! This book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, reads like an engaging novel rather than a stilted history book.

Highclere is the real-life inspiration and setting for the PBS blockbuster series Downton Abbey. The current Countess of Carnarvon used the castle archives (diaries, letters, and photographs) to paint her literary portrait of this famous predecessor. When Lady Almina (daughter of the wealthy Alfred de Rothschild) married the fifth Earl of Carnarvon, her dowry helped secure Highclere Castle. Almina's love of nursing, and access to necessary funding, led her to transform Highclere Castle into a war hospital during the First World War. They hosted royalty, just as the Downton Abbey movie portrays.

If you love Downton Abbey, you'll love reading about the castle where it was filmed and where many aspects of its story originated. Of course, the lives of the real occupants held little scandal. Still, it is a fascinating story, full of challenges, struggles, and relationships. The Earl of Carnarvon was most renown for his archeological explorations in Egypt. Before his death, he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, but didn't live long enough to enjoy the thrill of discovery. Still, the Countess has also written another historical book about that, Carnarvon & Carter: The Story of the Two Englishmen Who Discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun. She also continues the Highclere story with Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey.