A Review By Keith Smith

Lady Fiona Carnarvon became the chatelaine of Highclere Castle – the setting of the hit series Downton Abbey – eight years ago. In that time she’s become fascinated by the rich history of Highclere, and by the extraordinary people who lived there over the centuries. One person particularly captured Fiona’s imagination – Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon.
Fiona’s book revolves around the lives of Almina and her immediate family, and we learn about her life and her management of the enormous house and staff, all threaded through with the major events of the day. Whether it’s loss of lives in the Great War, magnificent house parties for 500, her husband’s discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, her founding of various hospitals, there’s enough in here to keep us absolutely fascinated and wanting to know more. And of course it is all so much more immediate, more interesting, subtler, than anything Downton can throw at us. But that’s the way….real life is so much more exciting than a wooden soap opera….