Easy to read historical/social/cultural look at the early 1920's. I admit, I love it when history is served up with fluff, fiction mixed with non-fiction. The book takes each character from Series 3 of Downton Abbey and explores what their real-life role would have been, including occupation, clothing, family background, living conditions, and reaction to the changing world after the war. Sumptuous photographs. ( )

The Chronicles of Downton Abbey provides a full color portrait of each of the main characters residing in and around Downton Abbey. Each section includes the creator's take on the character, detailing the inspiration behind the character, few quotes from the actor portraying the role and some psychoanalysis of the character's behavior.

Section by section, the quality of the "new insights" into the characters varied. For instance, in the chapter discussing Thomas, one of the footman, the author discusses why he is so jaded and often seeks to stir up trouble, offering a new perspective not immediately evident when watching the show. However, in the section dedicated to Crawley heir, Matthew, very little new information is presented. He's a fairly straight forward character, but I would have liked to have seen the creator delve a bit more deeply into the WWI-fighting-in-the-trenches psyche of Matthew as he is one of the main characters. However, every chapter, photograph, and insight is relevant and supported by my readings of the scripts and details presented there.

My only wish was that there was more and I’m so glad there are three other companion texts available for me to ravage. The time period fascinates me - I love the 1910s and '20s, the costumes alone are enough to make a girl swoon! The watching of this program is one of the main reasons I've taken it upon myself to learn more about the First World War, particularly as a comparison of technological changes and advancements throughout the 20th century. ( )

Nice job of tying in real historical facts in with the popular TV show. I also enjoyed hearing details about the costumes! ( )

This is a great book for diehard fans of Downton Abbey with lots of pictures and history of the characters. Unfortunately the book was written at the beginning of season 3 so there is a great deal that has happened since its publication but it was nice to revisit previous storylines. Along with the fictitious characters there is a great deal of information about England and the aristocracy during the same time period of the 1920's. The actors add their impressions of the person they are portraying and I found it interesting to read their input. The photos are lovely and there are quite a few pages of objects, magazines, and fashion from the era ( )

Again, great reading for Downton Abbey fans, of whom there are legions. This will help bridge the gap between seasons. ( )