
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey
The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
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Narrated by:
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Wanda McCaddon
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.
©2011 Countess of Carnarvon (P)2012 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
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Interesting and surprisingly moving biography
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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 dryDid the narration match the pace of the story?
YesDid Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey inspire you to do anything?
NoIt was ok
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an educational companion to Downton Abbey
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The best book I ever read
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history of the castle
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Also, the narrator talks too quickly.
Interesting and quick
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While I have read many books based around WWII events, this is the first that covered WWI and, I must say, it was surprising to me that I had not looked at this era in more depth - but now I intend to. Lady Almina was a remarkable woman, as were most of her "supporting characters", in particular her longsuffering husband, George, Earl of Carnarvon. The people in this era were so much more accomplished and diligent, to say nothing of educated, than we are today. It puts me to shame, but also encourages me to learn and do more.
Wanda McCaddon is my favorite narrator of books in need of a British accent, and she was superb in the "Real Downton Abbey". I could hardly quit listening and was sorry when it ended.
I bet it's better than the TV show
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It's Downton Abbey unvarnished along with a dollop of the documentary High Clere Castle( on Amazon instant video) to make a very satisfying read
Terrific Read
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A charming and informative insight into the era
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I am a great "Downton Abbey" fan, and I learned how much that 'fictional' program is inspired by real stories of real people.
The narrator is excellent, and although this isn't fiction, it reads like a novel. I didn't want it to end, but it's all good.
Absolutely Delightful!
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