Carol’s Comments by Carol Rusinek
July 2012
Hello,
Everyone, Welcome to another issue of Carol’s Comments. I am a volunteer
at the River Park Branch. Like over 5 million other PBS viewers, I absolutely
adore Downton Abbey. In fact, I’m quite obsessed with the show. I
have both seasons on DVD which I watch regularly and own the soundtrack album.
I’m also really looking forward to the third season which will take place in
the 1920’s, my all-time favorite decade. To ease my withdrawal from the
program, I read three books that dealt with different aspects related to the
series.
The
first book I selected was Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by
the Countess of Carnarvon. In this well researched quasi-biography, Lady Fiona
Carnarvon not only chronicles Lady Almina’s life as the 5th Countess
of Carnarvon but also describes how modern technology and World War I
dramatically transformed the lives of all the residents of Highclere Castle,
the real-life setting of Downton Abbey. For instance, the
book’s very readable narrative discusses how Lady Almina used her fortune
inherited from her father, Alfred de Rothschild to convert Highclere Castle
into a hospital for wounded officers during the First World War.
Interestingly,
the book also extensively describes her husband George Herbert, the 5th
Earl of Carnarvon’s discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb with his friend,
archaeologist Howard Carter in November 1922. Unfortunately, he never got to
see the sarcophagus itself because he tragically died of blood poisoning from
an infected mosquito bite in April 1923.
Ultimately,
this fascinating and comprehensive biography vividly gives the reader a
compelling glimpse of how Edwardian society was irrevocably changed forever by
the Great War.
Next
I wanted to find some fiction that explored the same themes depicted in Downton
Abbey. After skimming through The New York Times Hardcover and
Trade Paperback Bestseller Lists, I found The American Heiress by Daisy
Goodwin.
Set in the early
1890’s, Goodwin’s debut novel centers on Cora Cash, a vivacious and spoiled
nouveau riche heiress from Newport, Rhode Island. When she marries the Duke of
Wareham and becomes the mistress of Lulworth, her husband’s ancestral estate, she
quickly learns about the idiosyncrasies and pretentiousness of the British aristocracy
during the Edwardian era. This romantic and very enjoyable book is an extremely
satisfying summer guilty pleasure. It reminded me a lot of Edith Wharton's The
Buccaneers.
Incidentally, in 1995,
BBC Television produced a marvelous screen adaptation of The Buccaneers which
originally aired on Masterpiece Theatre. If you don’t have time to read Wharton’s
original novel, I highly recommend viewing this captivating five part
miniseries on DVD.
Finally, the third book
I chose was The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes (series creator
Julian Fellowes niece). This definitive guide to the series includes complete
cast and character lists, a timeline, gorgeous color footage from the show
along with extensive archival photographs from the early 20th
century. Each chapter features such
topics as family life, society, life in service, house and estate, romance and
war.
Interestingly, the
author cleverly interweaves the personal impressions of each character in the
miniseries into every chapter’s subject description. This scrumptious treat is
the essential companion for either the casual or the most ardent Downton
Abbey fan.
These books and both
miniseries can be found at all SJCPL locations. For more information, visit the
library’s web site at www.libraryforlife.org
. Thanks for reading! See you next time.
Previously posted at the SJCPL blog
Previously posted at the SJCPL blog
