Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey Reviewed by Paige Espinosa

     Lady Almina was a remarkable woman as showcased in this book, written by the current Lady Carnarvon. Transforming from a young woman with a questionable father-daughter relationship to a Countess of Carnarvon, both wealthy and philanthropic. Almina's marriage is at first merely a business arrangement; the Earl of Carnarvon needs money which Almina can provide and she needs a higher social standing which the Earl can give her. Eventually this union appears happy and both individuals seem to like each other. However, during changing times and life-altering events, like World War I, the family of Highclere Castle changes quite a bit from throwing elaborate balls and redecorating for one guest's visit to healing injured soldiers and aiding in the war effort.

     I gave this book three out of five stars because, although the subject was interesting, the actual writing could be extremely dull at times, describing in detail clothes, fabrics, rooms, meals, and social engagements. It also only showed the positive side of this family- which was to be expected as it was written by a current family member. Precious litte was told about the servants and their lives and the skeletons of Highclere's closets didn't even see a glimmer of light. As the reader, I was left at the end with more questions, craving the juicy gossip experienced from the show, Downton Abbey. Well, maybe I wasn't expecting that much drama but I still would have enjoyed maybe an anecdote about an affair or a baby born out of wedlock or even a family myth about a long-dead ancestor's ghost! Overall, the word choice was merely okay, certain words were used a little too much (like describing Almina as "patently" doing something multiple times in one chapter!) and the writing style was very simple, like reading out of an 8th grade textbook. Lady Fiona Carnarvon didn't have much of a voice in her writing except for a few parts where her admiration for the late Carnarvon family members took on a tone of adoration, worship, or even obsession. I wouldn't recommend this book to just anyone but I think fans of Downton Abbey might find it informative and maybe even a bit surprising when character names appear as real people.