Lady Fiona Carnarvon se convirtió en señora de Highclere Castle –escenario de la exitosa serie Downton Abbey– hace ocho años. En este periodo ha llegado a sentir fascinación por la interesante historia de Highclere y por las extraordinarias personas que han residido allí a lo largo de los siglos.
Pero una persona en particular captó el interés de Fiona: lady Almina, la quinta condesa de Carnarvon.
Almina fue la hija ilegítima del magnate de la banca Alfred de Rothschild. Fue su única hija y objeto de devoción por su parte. A los diecinueve años, con una inmensa dote, se casó con el quinto conde de Carnarvon.
Al principio, la vida en Highclere transcurrió en una vertiginosa sucesión de suntuosos banquetes para quinientas personas e incluso algún que otro invitado real.
Almina supervisó a ochenta empleados, muchos de los cuales procedían de familias que llevaban generaciones trabajando en Highclere.
Pero el estallido de la Primera Guerra Mundial cambió para siempre la vida en Highclere, tanto arriba como abajo.

So many people have found the Downton Abbey drama on PBS a fascinating series and I am one of them. Along with the interesting characters, the castle itself is almost a character. Built on a massive scale, Highclere Castle is a masterpiece of elegance. Its hundreds of windows and tall corner turrets scream an overwhelming message of power. So, it was with great joy that I jumped into this volume with eagerness to find out about the backstory and history of this amazing castle.

I was not disappointed. My first surprise was that Almina, who was soon to become Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, was only 19 years old when she married. As in the Downton Abbey story, the major reason for this marriage was the wealth that Almina could bring to the castle. (Lady Cora Crowley is an American who brings a large dowry to her marriage on the television show.) The fact that Almina was the illegitimate daughter of an extremely wealthy man didn’t seem to faze the aristocracy of the era. I found the details of how she took over the running of the household, even accomplishing a complete redecoration for the purpose of entertaining the Prince of Wales within a few months of her marriage, to be mind boggling.

The story of how she turned the castle into a hospital during World War I was riveting. The care that was taken of these damaged young men, even so far as to hire pretty nurses and outfit them in smart-looking uniforms so that the men could be surrounded by beautiful sights, was a story I had never heard before.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in English history, strong women, and the life of glamorous society at the turn of the century.

I received this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
( )

Fascinating, though you must have seen the film or the TV series first. Lady Fiona Carnavaron makes an enthusiastic and true description of the life and people at Highclere castle.
Almina was an extraordinary, very reach and talented person and put herself at work on behalf of the first war world soldiers, making truly the difference, although thanks to the Rothschild's money.
One can recognize the different characters inspired by her, such as Rose, the young lady who ends up marrying a Jewish banker; lady Sybill beautiful young woman caring for political women rights and hospital service, lady Cora, always taking care of her husband and relatives, lady Isabel Crawly which is part Almina and part Elisabeth, widow of the fourth Count and last not list lady Violet Crawley, who lived very long counseling her son. I might not have guessed all the true characters but I really enjoyed the book, ( )

This astounding account of Lady Almina and Highclere Castle is rich in atmosphere and dense with details. Meticulously researched, we learn about the life of Lady Almina from the time of her marriage to the Earl of Carnarvon, on through The Great War, to the discovery of King Tut’s tomb by the Earl, and then his untimely death, at which time she must relinquish her control of the castle. There are a lot of details about many of the people who were friends of the Lady Almina and her husband, and about various events. But much of the book centers around the Great War and the charitable efforts of Lady Almina. She turned the castle into a hospital for wounded soldiers and funded much of this cost herself, as well as devoting herself to nursing the sick and wounded. Also explored in detail is the search by her husband for an intact Egyptian tomb, which was finally successful with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. According to this book, Almina was certainly a force to be reckoned with, and kind and gracious as well as giving when dealing with the needs of others. This well written book is quite captivating, much like the Lady herself. ( )

I enjoy these great house histories. Even though I discovered afterwards that the book was somewhat controversial for the rosy picture painted of Almina, I think it was a well told story with a kind point of view, and I appreciate that.

I was mildly disappointed that some of the historical photographs she describes are not included in the book, but on the whole, just a really enjoyable read. ( )