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The Women of the Real Downton Abbey #2
Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey
Sometimes the facts are even more extraordinary than the fiction...
This book tells the story of Lady Catherine, a beautiful American girl who became the chatelaine of Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes' award-winning drama Downton Abbey.
Charming and charismatic, Catherine caught the eye of Lord Porchester (or 'Porchey', as he was known) when she was just 20 years old, and wearing a pale yellow dress at a ball. She had already turned down 14 proposals before she eventually married Porchey in 1922. But less than a year later Porchey’s father died suddenly, and he became the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, inheriting a title and a Castle that changed both their lives forever.
Catherine found herself suddenly in charge of a small army of household staff, and hosting lavish banquets and weekend house parties. Although the couple were very much in love, considerable challenges lay ahead for Catherine. They were immediately faced with the task of saving Highclere when debts threatened to destroy the estate. As the 1920s moved to a close, Catherine’s adored brother died and Catherine began to lose her husband to the distractions London had to offer. When the Second World War broke out, life at the Castle would never be the same again.
Drawing on rich material from the private archives at Highclere, including beautiful period photographs, the current Countess of Carnarvon transports us back to the thrilling and alluring world of the ‘real Downton Abbey’ and its inhabitants.
This book tells the story of Lady Catherine, a beautiful American girl who became the chatelaine of Highclere Castle, the setting for Julian Fellowes' award-winning drama Downton Abbey.
Charming and charismatic, Catherine caught the eye of Lord Porchester (or 'Porchey', as he was known) when she was just 20 years old, and wearing a pale yellow dress at a ball. She had already turned down 14 proposals before she eventually married Porchey in 1922. But less than a year later Porchey’s father died suddenly, and he became the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, inheriting a title and a Castle that changed both their lives forever.
Catherine found herself suddenly in charge of a small army of household staff, and hosting lavish banquets and weekend house parties. Although the couple were very much in love, considerable challenges lay ahead for Catherine. They were immediately faced with the task of saving Highclere when debts threatened to destroy the estate. As the 1920s moved to a close, Catherine’s adored brother died and Catherine began to lose her husband to the distractions London had to offer. When the Second World War broke out, life at the Castle would never be the same again.
Drawing on rich material from the private archives at Highclere, including beautiful period photographs, the current Countess of Carnarvon transports us back to the thrilling and alluring world of the ‘real Downton Abbey’ and its inhabitants.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
514 people are currently reading
5425 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Carnarvon
14 books240 followersNote: This is the Goodreads listing for the 8th Countess of Carnarvon.
A former auditor for Coopers & Lybrand, Lady Carnarvon is the wife of George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Today, she manages affairs at Highclere Castle, home of the worldwide television drama Downton Abbey, including overseeing its grounds and gardens and many special events such as the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the Castle.
Fascinated by Highclere’s history, Lady Carnarvon has written four books. The first two are about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb with Howard Carter in 1922. Her latest are New York Times Bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere, and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey.
A former auditor for Coopers & Lybrand, Lady Carnarvon is the wife of George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. Today, she manages affairs at Highclere Castle, home of the worldwide television drama Downton Abbey, including overseeing its grounds and gardens and many special events such as the Egyptian Exhibition in the cellars of the Castle.
Fascinated by Highclere’s history, Lady Carnarvon has written four books. The first two are about the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb with Howard Carter in 1922. Her latest are New York Times Bestseller Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere, and Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 490 reviews
May 28, 2019
Lady Carnarvon writes extremely well of Highclere and the family history. I found quite a few similarities in their history and some of Downton's plot lines.
March 19, 2020
For anyone who loved the series Downton Abbey as much as I did, this book is a must read.
This books tells the real story of Highclere Castle, upon which the fictional Downton Abbey is based.
Catherine Wendell was an American who married into the Almina family (she married Lady Almina's son). Her husband would become known as the 6th Earl of Carnarvon.
The author of this amazing book, the current Countess of Carnarvon, delved into many historical documents, scrapbooks, and diaries at Highclere to bring us this story of a beautiful American woman who would play an integral part in the survival of Highclere post WWI, when many of the other grand houses did not.
This book is not only a must read for Downton Abbey fans, but is of great interest to anyone interested in the history of the British aristocrats and the homes they reside in, along with the traditions, sacrifices, rules, and expectations they live with day to day.
This books tells the real story of Highclere Castle, upon which the fictional Downton Abbey is based.
Catherine Wendell was an American who married into the Almina family (she married Lady Almina's son). Her husband would become known as the 6th Earl of Carnarvon.
The author of this amazing book, the current Countess of Carnarvon, delved into many historical documents, scrapbooks, and diaries at Highclere to bring us this story of a beautiful American woman who would play an integral part in the survival of Highclere post WWI, when many of the other grand houses did not.
This book is not only a must read for Downton Abbey fans, but is of great interest to anyone interested in the history of the British aristocrats and the homes they reside in, along with the traditions, sacrifices, rules, and expectations they live with day to day.
December 15, 2016
Quite interesting, especially in the light of having just read The Visitors and spent a little time with the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, father of this one. Another contributing factor in my enjoyment was my passion for Downton Abbey. I was fascinated by how many of the plot twists in that story were ripped right from the true experiences of these people and their magnificent estate.
The book is historically accurate in every detail that I could personally verify. Lady Carnarvon had access to all the historical records and artifacts of the home and that must have helped tremendously in fleshing out these people and detailing life at Highclere. There are all the usual spottings of the rich and famous, coming and going at Highclere, particularly during World War II, but there is also enough beneath the surface revelation on Lady Catherine and the Earl to make them seem individual and not stereotypes.
The book is historically accurate in every detail that I could personally verify. Lady Carnarvon had access to all the historical records and artifacts of the home and that must have helped tremendously in fleshing out these people and detailing life at Highclere. There are all the usual spottings of the rich and famous, coming and going at Highclere, particularly during World War II, but there is also enough beneath the surface revelation on Lady Catherine and the Earl to make them seem individual and not stereotypes.
October 26, 2013
Misdemeanours and Sloppy Errors
The basis of this elegantly written sketch on the life and times of Catherine Wendell, the Sixth Countess of Carnarvon - with a fleeting glance to Tilly Losch, the other Sixth Countess- is that it’s another Highclere spin off to cash-in on its television fame. Both women married Porchey- the Sixth Earl, who spent his life hunting, shooting and flirting.
The Earl was a rascal who rode race horses and was an over active sex pest to womankind. The Carnarvons display courage in declaring the American born Lady Catherine had a drink problem with bouts of depression and despair.
Having made a close study of Catherine’s life ( and spoken with people who knew her) I conclude that it is not as simple as that. The reasons for Catherine almost never being sober are complicated and alas not well enough explained here.
The ghost writer could have improved the reader’s understanding of Porchey living with Catherine’s drink problem by veering away from the copious and meaningless references to the Duff Coopers in the book ( since neither Diana nor Duff make any worthwhile reference to Highclere in their letters/ memoirs/ diaries ) and instead draw ideas from Debo Devonshire’s worthy and compelling account of her husband, Andrew Cavendish’s darker moments of being heavilly drink infused in the excellent book, Wait For Me!
I know precisely what Catherine confided to Almina ( the Fifth Countess, Porchey’s mother ). From that account there are stark differences ( not tackled here ), Catherine carried burdens including the horrors of a shattered childhood after her father died suddenly when she was aged eleven.
From Almina viewing the attractive, referential, refugee, Catherine, first as a gold digger ( which she certainly was, she was skint before marriage to Porchey ) the two women found an enmity, against the same foe, Porchey, they became life long friends and allies and shared secrets and lies.
Married off to the Carnarvon heir, in 1922, Porchey’s serial infidelities gave further just cause for Catherine’s fall into inebriation, inflamed by his abuses too ( he repeatedly nagged and slagged her off), that detail is missing from the narrative, although the inferences of bullying are there.
Catherine’s own dreadful health issues are sidelined. There is a reference in the book to the glorious years of 1926 and 1927 asserted as the marriage’s happiest period but in fact this was when Catherine suffered a complete nervous breakdown and was treated for serious gynaecological problems by the famous Leeds surgeon Sir Berkeley Moynihan, requiring months in a Switzerland sanatorium to recuperate.
The Carnarvons are entitled to say that another reason for Catherine’s depression was the sudden loss of the 28year-old Reggie Wendell, her jobless brother ( a betting chum of Porchey’s); that grief inevitably hit her ( and others ) very hard. But the actual event of Reggie’s pitiful death scene at Highclere Castle is not accurately recorded in the book and the people involved and chronology has been altered or those who compiled this were not aware ( which is even more damning on the research process as a whole) of the very full and frank account from Mary Van der Woude (a Wendell cousin who was actually present when Reggie slipped into oblivion )). Mary’s letters to her mother are held by the Portsmouth Athenaeum in the State of Maine -USA - where many of the Wendell family papers can be found, ( as well as at Harvard University).
Sadly ( despite the combined resources of the Highclere Archives, an international publisher, a ghost writer, archivists and researchers many of the other central particulars linking the story together are unsound, even some shocking errors including a rewrite of history which claims that Lord Kitchener died at the Battle of Jutland but which was over before the ship HMS Hampshire he was travelling on, hit a mine and sunk !
A similar sloppy error can be found in a reference to the reception after Catherine married a second time in 1938. One of the hosts, Percy Griffiths, is mentioned as taking part in fact fell off a horse and died the previous year!
Good prose masks many howlers as does a Readers Digest version of some 20th century history frolics with an irksome tendency to sweep too many irrelevant people and places with an unnecessary timeline of the non- players in the dull tales of Prime Ministers, and seedy diplomats downwards including a appalling chunk of inflated history on the Abdication crisis ( where Porchey claims fame in his wildly inaccurate memoirs which are repeated, but is just as inaccurate as they was when he regaled them to his ghost writer, Barry Wynne. in 1976 and on the Michael Parkinson Show).
This extra data pads out the book but it will not appeal to the common herd ( as Almina, the Fifth Countess dubbed those beneath her ) : those who follow Downton Abbey, who either lust or are shocked over rape and drugs and parlour games in and out of jazz clubs in coat tails or corsetry ) and it all spoils the plot, for Catherine’s story is worth telling, but she was ( like Almina ) no angel, another flaw in the book, since her infidelities ( that were a clamour for genuine love ) or her irresponsible gambling excesses ( much to Porchey’s horror and reprimands, and he bet foolishly too ), or Catherine spiting him by bedding several famous historical figures, of course that gets left unmentioned de facto but can be inferred from the dramatis persona, if the reader is smart enough to pass through the veneer. Against the odds too Catherine made a passable Highclere chatelaine, she had good taste and style in fashion trends and make up innovations of the age. She was a good looking woman her whole life, despite the knocks and the fact that she felt despised and humiliated by Porchey and was crippled emotionally by a perceived embarrassment possessed by her own son. Catherine was left out in the cold especially when the young Lord Porchester ( later the Seventh Earl ) walked high with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. The bankrupt granny, Almina, was also snubbed by the House of Windsor. Almina snubbed back!
Some parts of the book are adequate and praiseworthy. Catherine’s loss of her second husband Geoffrey Grenfell is moving and well captured. The interesting testimony of servants and their fate in war time and peace is fascinating and a redeeming feature of the book is there are some wonderful photographs.
Lady Almina gets heroic coverage- but it’s not always accurate. By the way, she was NOT an American, she was born in London, in Bayswater! Nor did she take two days to reach Egypt in 1923, when Lord Carnarvon lay poleaxed, awaiting death. Nor did she travel all the way out there in a by-plane ! The plane came down in France and Almina ( after she took ill) had to continue by rail, ship and rail again before reaching the Continetal Hotel, Cairo. This pilgrimage was not an expression of love ( Almina was always afraid of Carnarvon, she never loved him) it was the action of a nurse, who had saved lives of men in the Great War in her nursing homes, she knew she could end Lordy’s suffering and did just that.
The lethal details of the decades of vileness between Almina and Porchey is not surprisingly massaged out of the book.
Incidentally, Almina’s second husband, Colonel Dennistoun did not break his hip nor was he in a wheel chair at least until the mid 1930s when Almina bought him a motorised chair to sail his miniature boats at Hove and Brighton and on the Solent.
Almina’s collection of photographs of the Colonel show him walking unaided to and from their homes at Temple Dinsley and Eastmore, Isle of Wight until 1935-6. She married him because he was useful to her purpose of money laundering the hundreds of thousands of pounds left to her by her guardian, Alfred de Rothschild in assets at his town house at 1, Seamore Place, which Almina used as her main home ( not Highclere ), from 1919 . Moreover ( as can be gleaned from the Court evidence in Denniston v Dennistoun in 1925 ) Almina first met the Colonel in 1922, when the Fifth Earl was still very much alive.
The primary source of the present narrative appears to be the Visitor’s Book at Highclere Castle ( and a sprinkling of family letters ) and this limits it’s scope; as a result it’s heavy with dullness and streams of dull house party guests, horse racing and shooting chums of Porchey. The ubiquitous mention of Prince George ( PG) ( later Duke of Kent who was killed in 1942) is curious and needs more conclusion. PG was as frequent a presence at Highclere Castle as Prince Victor Duleep Singh was at the time of the Fifth Earl, the generation before. The reasons are not properly identified for its possibly similar an astounding likeness to Duleep’s purpose of saving the Carnarvon blood line. The Sixth Earl’s successful career as a jockey and horse breeder would have been good to see breached , as well as more on his war time exchanges with his son Porchester in the very interesting and entertaining Carnarvon Letters, published in 1992.
Catherine’s pedigree ( which is triumphantly matched to American history and well known figures at that, with a family tree to show them off, well, that’s fine ) but her childhood ( with her siblings and Wendell grandmother) in New York and in Kitterey, near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA gets only a few lines as does her important developmental years at the home of the Griffiths family ( who were well to do cousins of Catherine’s mother, Marian ) at Sandridgebury, Sandridge, St Albans, Hertfordshire where her mother ( a remarkable marriage fixer to equal Dolly Levi ) was given a roof over her head in 1911 after sensibly fleeing with her four children far away from her late husband’s creditors. The part the Griffiths’ played in Catherine’s life is insufficiently chartered.
We are also left knowing very little ( or anything that is reliable ) about Catherine’s dad, Jacob Wendell Jnr, ( a businessman turned actor in New York), his rogue gene pool, his influences upon her, or follow up of his other daughter, Philippa, Catherine’s younger sister who went on to be the 12th Countess of Galloway. The book is quite wrong in recording Randolph Stewart ( Philippa’s only son, the present 13th Earl of Galloway ) as being an epileptic. They can’t bring themselves to say ‘ schizophrenic’ but is a more accurate term. I’ve talked to friends of Randolph. Moreover, his whole life ( in the book : An Unlikely Countess Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway:) was ruined after his parents forced him to be lobotomized. Catherine was his godmother, she could not do anything to stop the butchery that still haunts this poor wretch daily.
The Highclere book ends suddenly in 1945 before so much else befalls the main characters. Is Catherine ( saved it seemed by a conversion from alcoholism to Roman Catholicism) destined to spend her Christmases at retreats as plain ‘Mary Herbert’ among the Bethany nuns? Does she live happy ever after, or not? After the Tanis Guinness affair ( a girl whom Porchey attempted to marry ( even before divorced from Catherine : a story well told in the book ) who else does Porchey try to line up as his next duped Countess? How were Porchey and Catherine’s last days spent, in more than just one sentence, please!!! And what of dear old Tilly Losch, the dancer who married Porchey ( for hard cash and a wobbly coronet ) in 1939, what became of the dancing Countess of Carnarvon? What a gal! You will have to look elsewhere for the answers!
Does this current book leave one’s appetite whetting for more? The answer, probably is yes and no. Yes, if it’s more accurately drawn ( which would mean Olympic somersaults in parts in this and in the earlier book on Lady Almina ); but no, if it is all another contrived piece of too much hokum history with real ( or more like sugary ) pieces thrown into a sponge cake like glace cherries. There are not always happy endings, Downton shows us this bitter truth well. Whilst this text is as craftily worked as a Downton Abbey script the real truth ( they keep telling us it is here but isn’t, not in total ). That disturbing, hidden truth is even more astonishing. There the courage shown initially in revealing Catherine’s drink problem ends!
Overall, I found the book readable but as difficult as a gobstopper to swallow whole. The poor research is bad show given the extent of the resources available to the army of backroom workers. The book is no more than a quick fix on Catherine’s life. As with its earlier title on Almina, another Carnarvon Countess there are misdemeanours in the story telling and they know it! The sloppiness goes all the way to the end with Catherine’s age at death being given as 79 (in fact she was 76). I would have been more than happy to co-operate to ensure that all the errors were expunged and I am still available to ensure any future titles are spot on or before any reprint.
The basis of this elegantly written sketch on the life and times of Catherine Wendell, the Sixth Countess of Carnarvon - with a fleeting glance to Tilly Losch, the other Sixth Countess- is that it’s another Highclere spin off to cash-in on its television fame. Both women married Porchey- the Sixth Earl, who spent his life hunting, shooting and flirting.
The Earl was a rascal who rode race horses and was an over active sex pest to womankind. The Carnarvons display courage in declaring the American born Lady Catherine had a drink problem with bouts of depression and despair.
Having made a close study of Catherine’s life ( and spoken with people who knew her) I conclude that it is not as simple as that. The reasons for Catherine almost never being sober are complicated and alas not well enough explained here.
The ghost writer could have improved the reader’s understanding of Porchey living with Catherine’s drink problem by veering away from the copious and meaningless references to the Duff Coopers in the book ( since neither Diana nor Duff make any worthwhile reference to Highclere in their letters/ memoirs/ diaries ) and instead draw ideas from Debo Devonshire’s worthy and compelling account of her husband, Andrew Cavendish’s darker moments of being heavilly drink infused in the excellent book, Wait For Me!
I know precisely what Catherine confided to Almina ( the Fifth Countess, Porchey’s mother ). From that account there are stark differences ( not tackled here ), Catherine carried burdens including the horrors of a shattered childhood after her father died suddenly when she was aged eleven.
From Almina viewing the attractive, referential, refugee, Catherine, first as a gold digger ( which she certainly was, she was skint before marriage to Porchey ) the two women found an enmity, against the same foe, Porchey, they became life long friends and allies and shared secrets and lies.
Married off to the Carnarvon heir, in 1922, Porchey’s serial infidelities gave further just cause for Catherine’s fall into inebriation, inflamed by his abuses too ( he repeatedly nagged and slagged her off), that detail is missing from the narrative, although the inferences of bullying are there.
Catherine’s own dreadful health issues are sidelined. There is a reference in the book to the glorious years of 1926 and 1927 asserted as the marriage’s happiest period but in fact this was when Catherine suffered a complete nervous breakdown and was treated for serious gynaecological problems by the famous Leeds surgeon Sir Berkeley Moynihan, requiring months in a Switzerland sanatorium to recuperate.
The Carnarvons are entitled to say that another reason for Catherine’s depression was the sudden loss of the 28year-old Reggie Wendell, her jobless brother ( a betting chum of Porchey’s); that grief inevitably hit her ( and others ) very hard. But the actual event of Reggie’s pitiful death scene at Highclere Castle is not accurately recorded in the book and the people involved and chronology has been altered or those who compiled this were not aware ( which is even more damning on the research process as a whole) of the very full and frank account from Mary Van der Woude (a Wendell cousin who was actually present when Reggie slipped into oblivion )). Mary’s letters to her mother are held by the Portsmouth Athenaeum in the State of Maine -USA - where many of the Wendell family papers can be found, ( as well as at Harvard University).
Sadly ( despite the combined resources of the Highclere Archives, an international publisher, a ghost writer, archivists and researchers many of the other central particulars linking the story together are unsound, even some shocking errors including a rewrite of history which claims that Lord Kitchener died at the Battle of Jutland but which was over before the ship HMS Hampshire he was travelling on, hit a mine and sunk !
A similar sloppy error can be found in a reference to the reception after Catherine married a second time in 1938. One of the hosts, Percy Griffiths, is mentioned as taking part in fact fell off a horse and died the previous year!
Good prose masks many howlers as does a Readers Digest version of some 20th century history frolics with an irksome tendency to sweep too many irrelevant people and places with an unnecessary timeline of the non- players in the dull tales of Prime Ministers, and seedy diplomats downwards including a appalling chunk of inflated history on the Abdication crisis ( where Porchey claims fame in his wildly inaccurate memoirs which are repeated, but is just as inaccurate as they was when he regaled them to his ghost writer, Barry Wynne. in 1976 and on the Michael Parkinson Show).
This extra data pads out the book but it will not appeal to the common herd ( as Almina, the Fifth Countess dubbed those beneath her ) : those who follow Downton Abbey, who either lust or are shocked over rape and drugs and parlour games in and out of jazz clubs in coat tails or corsetry ) and it all spoils the plot, for Catherine’s story is worth telling, but she was ( like Almina ) no angel, another flaw in the book, since her infidelities ( that were a clamour for genuine love ) or her irresponsible gambling excesses ( much to Porchey’s horror and reprimands, and he bet foolishly too ), or Catherine spiting him by bedding several famous historical figures, of course that gets left unmentioned de facto but can be inferred from the dramatis persona, if the reader is smart enough to pass through the veneer. Against the odds too Catherine made a passable Highclere chatelaine, she had good taste and style in fashion trends and make up innovations of the age. She was a good looking woman her whole life, despite the knocks and the fact that she felt despised and humiliated by Porchey and was crippled emotionally by a perceived embarrassment possessed by her own son. Catherine was left out in the cold especially when the young Lord Porchester ( later the Seventh Earl ) walked high with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. The bankrupt granny, Almina, was also snubbed by the House of Windsor. Almina snubbed back!
Some parts of the book are adequate and praiseworthy. Catherine’s loss of her second husband Geoffrey Grenfell is moving and well captured. The interesting testimony of servants and their fate in war time and peace is fascinating and a redeeming feature of the book is there are some wonderful photographs.
Lady Almina gets heroic coverage- but it’s not always accurate. By the way, she was NOT an American, she was born in London, in Bayswater! Nor did she take two days to reach Egypt in 1923, when Lord Carnarvon lay poleaxed, awaiting death. Nor did she travel all the way out there in a by-plane ! The plane came down in France and Almina ( after she took ill) had to continue by rail, ship and rail again before reaching the Continetal Hotel, Cairo. This pilgrimage was not an expression of love ( Almina was always afraid of Carnarvon, she never loved him) it was the action of a nurse, who had saved lives of men in the Great War in her nursing homes, she knew she could end Lordy’s suffering and did just that.
The lethal details of the decades of vileness between Almina and Porchey is not surprisingly massaged out of the book.
Incidentally, Almina’s second husband, Colonel Dennistoun did not break his hip nor was he in a wheel chair at least until the mid 1930s when Almina bought him a motorised chair to sail his miniature boats at Hove and Brighton and on the Solent.
Almina’s collection of photographs of the Colonel show him walking unaided to and from their homes at Temple Dinsley and Eastmore, Isle of Wight until 1935-6. She married him because he was useful to her purpose of money laundering the hundreds of thousands of pounds left to her by her guardian, Alfred de Rothschild in assets at his town house at 1, Seamore Place, which Almina used as her main home ( not Highclere ), from 1919 . Moreover ( as can be gleaned from the Court evidence in Denniston v Dennistoun in 1925 ) Almina first met the Colonel in 1922, when the Fifth Earl was still very much alive.
The primary source of the present narrative appears to be the Visitor’s Book at Highclere Castle ( and a sprinkling of family letters ) and this limits it’s scope; as a result it’s heavy with dullness and streams of dull house party guests, horse racing and shooting chums of Porchey. The ubiquitous mention of Prince George ( PG) ( later Duke of Kent who was killed in 1942) is curious and needs more conclusion. PG was as frequent a presence at Highclere Castle as Prince Victor Duleep Singh was at the time of the Fifth Earl, the generation before. The reasons are not properly identified for its possibly similar an astounding likeness to Duleep’s purpose of saving the Carnarvon blood line. The Sixth Earl’s successful career as a jockey and horse breeder would have been good to see breached , as well as more on his war time exchanges with his son Porchester in the very interesting and entertaining Carnarvon Letters, published in 1992.
Catherine’s pedigree ( which is triumphantly matched to American history and well known figures at that, with a family tree to show them off, well, that’s fine ) but her childhood ( with her siblings and Wendell grandmother) in New York and in Kitterey, near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA gets only a few lines as does her important developmental years at the home of the Griffiths family ( who were well to do cousins of Catherine’s mother, Marian ) at Sandridgebury, Sandridge, St Albans, Hertfordshire where her mother ( a remarkable marriage fixer to equal Dolly Levi ) was given a roof over her head in 1911 after sensibly fleeing with her four children far away from her late husband’s creditors. The part the Griffiths’ played in Catherine’s life is insufficiently chartered.
We are also left knowing very little ( or anything that is reliable ) about Catherine’s dad, Jacob Wendell Jnr, ( a businessman turned actor in New York), his rogue gene pool, his influences upon her, or follow up of his other daughter, Philippa, Catherine’s younger sister who went on to be the 12th Countess of Galloway. The book is quite wrong in recording Randolph Stewart ( Philippa’s only son, the present 13th Earl of Galloway ) as being an epileptic. They can’t bring themselves to say ‘ schizophrenic’ but is a more accurate term. I’ve talked to friends of Randolph. Moreover, his whole life ( in the book : An Unlikely Countess Lily Budge and the 13th Earl of Galloway:) was ruined after his parents forced him to be lobotomized. Catherine was his godmother, she could not do anything to stop the butchery that still haunts this poor wretch daily.
The Highclere book ends suddenly in 1945 before so much else befalls the main characters. Is Catherine ( saved it seemed by a conversion from alcoholism to Roman Catholicism) destined to spend her Christmases at retreats as plain ‘Mary Herbert’ among the Bethany nuns? Does she live happy ever after, or not? After the Tanis Guinness affair ( a girl whom Porchey attempted to marry ( even before divorced from Catherine : a story well told in the book ) who else does Porchey try to line up as his next duped Countess? How were Porchey and Catherine’s last days spent, in more than just one sentence, please!!! And what of dear old Tilly Losch, the dancer who married Porchey ( for hard cash and a wobbly coronet ) in 1939, what became of the dancing Countess of Carnarvon? What a gal! You will have to look elsewhere for the answers!
Does this current book leave one’s appetite whetting for more? The answer, probably is yes and no. Yes, if it’s more accurately drawn ( which would mean Olympic somersaults in parts in this and in the earlier book on Lady Almina ); but no, if it is all another contrived piece of too much hokum history with real ( or more like sugary ) pieces thrown into a sponge cake like glace cherries. There are not always happy endings, Downton shows us this bitter truth well. Whilst this text is as craftily worked as a Downton Abbey script the real truth ( they keep telling us it is here but isn’t, not in total ). That disturbing, hidden truth is even more astonishing. There the courage shown initially in revealing Catherine’s drink problem ends!
Overall, I found the book readable but as difficult as a gobstopper to swallow whole. The poor research is bad show given the extent of the resources available to the army of backroom workers. The book is no more than a quick fix on Catherine’s life. As with its earlier title on Almina, another Carnarvon Countess there are misdemeanours in the story telling and they know it! The sloppiness goes all the way to the end with Catherine’s age at death being given as 79 (in fact she was 76). I would have been more than happy to co-operate to ensure that all the errors were expunged and I am still available to ensure any future titles are spot on or before any reprint.
November 22, 2014
As amazing as the history of Highclere is, Countess Carnarvon can't write. Such a shame.
December 13, 2014
Following the first book, Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, I was looking forward to the next book, which covered the next generation of the Carnarvon family. While I did like the stories of Porchey and Catherine, most of the book was just a scandal sheet. Items of interest -- Porchey's involvement with the Royal family, especially in the Edward VIII/Wallis Simpson scandal, divorce among the aristocracy, and two inserts of black and white photos, a map of the Highclere estate, and a genealogical chart showing Catherine's family and connections with the Carnarvons. All in all, about three and a half stars, rounded up to four. Somewhat recommended, but only if you are really interested in the history of the time.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/9677094-...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://www.bubblews.com/news/9677094-...
July 31, 2018
I enjoyed Downton Abbey, so this audiobook caught my eye and it was a fun listen. It’s kind of fluffy—lots of society stuff and scandal, but also a look at life in Britain from WWI through WWII. The narrator was really good. I was actually surprised at how much the fictional TV show had echoes of real history.
July 24, 2020
In 1922, Catherine married Lord Porchester, and eventually became the Countess of Carnarvon, and Highclere Castle was her home. This book follows the family living at Highclere, and their neighbors and staff, through the roaring 1920's and the devastation of WWII. During this time, Highclere Castle was used as a children's nursery school for children fleeing the bombs in London.
I loved the mixture of history and personal anecdotes in this book. The book is completely non-fiction, but the writing feels like fiction because it pulls you into the story.
I was expecting to skim through most of this, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it extremely interesting and readable. I didn't skim any of it, and I truly felt connected to the beautiful history and the Carnarvon family.
Lady Catherine goes through such heart-ache, and there are so many changes at Highclere through the years, but she remains courageous through it all. I loved learning about her family, her children, and her beautiful legacy.
I loved the mixture of history and personal anecdotes in this book. The book is completely non-fiction, but the writing feels like fiction because it pulls you into the story.
I was expecting to skim through most of this, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it extremely interesting and readable. I didn't skim any of it, and I truly felt connected to the beautiful history and the Carnarvon family.
Lady Catherine goes through such heart-ache, and there are so many changes at Highclere through the years, but she remains courageous through it all. I loved learning about her family, her children, and her beautiful legacy.
December 18, 2013
I gave this book 2 stars because I just couldn't force myself to finish it. Reading the dictionary would have been more interesting. Facts. Facts. Facts. I found it very hard to get 'connected' with any of the wealthy people who lived at Highclere during this time period. Perhaps the author could have thrown in more human interest stories.
June 22, 2018
This books gives excellent and crucial info on this time period, home and ancestors alive at this time. It's just extremely dry and not enough on what I was intetested in and too much focus on name dropping.
December 28, 2013
This one wasn't nearly as entertaining as the other of the pair about Highclere, the real Downton Abbey, because this generation of English aristocracy isn't as fascinating. This earl comes across as a philandering, egotistical stinker, and his lady Catherine as one of his victims just isn't strong enough to carry the entire book.
November 19, 2013
Lady Catherine, The Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, by the current Countess Carnarvon, Fiona, is a must for any Anglophile. Particularly, those who are addicted to Downton Abbey. This is the second book by Countess Carnarvon. The first was 2011's Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey : The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle.
Both books center around the Countess of the title. Lady Almina was the chatelaine during the first World War, and was the mother of the titular Earl of the second book. She was the natural daughter of Alfred de Rothschild and brought an influx of wealth and glamour to life at Highclere Castle. Her husband was the Egyptologist Earl of Carnarvon, who along with Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. Her daughter-in-law Catherine, is the focus of the second book, set during the 1920's and through World War II. Catherine and her husband "Porchey" are the grandparents of the current Earl of Carnarvon, (whose wife Fiona is the author of the series).
The real centerpiece of the books of course, is the fabulous Highclere Castle, much like the fictional Downton Abbey is that of the PBS series. The family sees itself as the stewards of an estate that has offered jobs, focus, and history for the surrounding countryside and England itself. When so many of the great houses have been lost, especially during the time frame of the two books, one has to admire the persistence and downright cleverness employed by the family in order to maintain and retain the magnificent estate.
But the lifestyle is the most intriguing facet of the story. Catherine Wendell was the daughter of an upper class American family living in reduced circumstances in London after World War I. Popular and pretty, she met and married Lord Porchester ("Porchey" to family and friends) and started her married life as the bride of an army officer stationed in India. Her father-in-law, the famous Lord Carnarvon (of the "curse of Tut" fame) died soon after, and the young couple took up residence at Highclere Castle, the seat of the Earls since 1679. They soon establish themselves as a part of the elegantly aristocratic set that included royalty, politicians, gadabouts and the fabulously rich. Racing, shooting weekends, and house parties are described in great detail, and vividly come to life.
One strength of the book is that the lives of the staff are also examined in great detail. In an age when all of the footman are called "Charles" despite their real names, it is a little touching (and hopeful0 to see how interwoven the lives and fortunes of the family and staff are. When Highclere Castle's existence is threatened due to the reckless spending of forefathers, and new taxes, the lifestyle and livelihood of the whole county are affected. The estate is saved, thanks to an influx of money by Almina, the sale of a number of art works, and the advancement of the racing stud by Porchey.
Of course, being down-on your-luck Highclere style is still pretty darn fabulous. This is not a story of scrimping and saving. Life at Highclere seems to be full of hunting, parties and trips abroad. Ultimately, wealth, birth and privilege do not completely protect one from sadness and loss. Having established himself as a bon vivant, Porchey also established himself as a womanizer, and the marriage with Catherine ended in 1936. She was devastated, turned to drink for solace, and remained fragile for some years, until a happier (albeit brief) marriage to Geoffrey Grenfell restored her self-esteem. She married Don Momand ten years after Geoffreys death, again happily. Porchey remarried Tilly Losch, the dancer, actor and choreographer , but not happily, and remained single thereafter, although not without companions.
Most interesting to me were the famous figures that flitted through the Carnarvon's life at Highclere. Prince George, the Duke of Kent was one of Porchey's best friends, as was the Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill-Spencer. Randolph Churchill (the son of Winston Churchill) was an intimate, and the young King Edward VII was part of their set before abdicating to marry Wallace Simpson. Evelyn Waugh and the Duff Cooper's were also visitors to the grand house. Porchey's second wife was Tilley Losch, an actress who brought a touch of Hollywood to Highclere, as did Catherine's mother who was close friends with Adele Astaire (now Lady Cavendish). Political figures, royalty, aristocrats and the wealthy are all a part of life at Highclere Castle.
Also interesting were the World War II stories. The years leading up to the war, the Blitz, and the first years of the War are brought vividly to life by the author. The effects of the war on Highclere are dramatic...it becomes a sanctuary for children from London who are escaping the bombs of London, a training facility, and farmed as a source of produce for the countryside. And the family and staff stepped right up to the challenges and sacrifices war demands. One staff member, the valet-turned-butler Robert Taylor, was a war hero whose romance and war exploits are recorded in detail.
The elements that make the TV Show Downton Abbey so fascinating are the same things that capture us in real life: the magnificent beauty of the home itself; the privileged lifestyle; the famous (and infamous) characters; the nostalgia for a time that is gone' and the just plain glamour of it all make this a most compelling read.
Paperback, 368 pages
Published October 29th 2013 by Broadway Books
Both books center around the Countess of the title. Lady Almina was the chatelaine during the first World War, and was the mother of the titular Earl of the second book. She was the natural daughter of Alfred de Rothschild and brought an influx of wealth and glamour to life at Highclere Castle. Her husband was the Egyptologist Earl of Carnarvon, who along with Howard Carter, discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. Her daughter-in-law Catherine, is the focus of the second book, set during the 1920's and through World War II. Catherine and her husband "Porchey" are the grandparents of the current Earl of Carnarvon, (whose wife Fiona is the author of the series).
The real centerpiece of the books of course, is the fabulous Highclere Castle, much like the fictional Downton Abbey is that of the PBS series. The family sees itself as the stewards of an estate that has offered jobs, focus, and history for the surrounding countryside and England itself. When so many of the great houses have been lost, especially during the time frame of the two books, one has to admire the persistence and downright cleverness employed by the family in order to maintain and retain the magnificent estate.
But the lifestyle is the most intriguing facet of the story. Catherine Wendell was the daughter of an upper class American family living in reduced circumstances in London after World War I. Popular and pretty, she met and married Lord Porchester ("Porchey" to family and friends) and started her married life as the bride of an army officer stationed in India. Her father-in-law, the famous Lord Carnarvon (of the "curse of Tut" fame) died soon after, and the young couple took up residence at Highclere Castle, the seat of the Earls since 1679. They soon establish themselves as a part of the elegantly aristocratic set that included royalty, politicians, gadabouts and the fabulously rich. Racing, shooting weekends, and house parties are described in great detail, and vividly come to life.
One strength of the book is that the lives of the staff are also examined in great detail. In an age when all of the footman are called "Charles" despite their real names, it is a little touching (and hopeful0 to see how interwoven the lives and fortunes of the family and staff are. When Highclere Castle's existence is threatened due to the reckless spending of forefathers, and new taxes, the lifestyle and livelihood of the whole county are affected. The estate is saved, thanks to an influx of money by Almina, the sale of a number of art works, and the advancement of the racing stud by Porchey.
Of course, being down-on your-luck Highclere style is still pretty darn fabulous. This is not a story of scrimping and saving. Life at Highclere seems to be full of hunting, parties and trips abroad. Ultimately, wealth, birth and privilege do not completely protect one from sadness and loss. Having established himself as a bon vivant, Porchey also established himself as a womanizer, and the marriage with Catherine ended in 1936. She was devastated, turned to drink for solace, and remained fragile for some years, until a happier (albeit brief) marriage to Geoffrey Grenfell restored her self-esteem. She married Don Momand ten years after Geoffreys death, again happily. Porchey remarried Tilly Losch, the dancer, actor and choreographer , but not happily, and remained single thereafter, although not without companions.
Most interesting to me were the famous figures that flitted through the Carnarvon's life at Highclere. Prince George, the Duke of Kent was one of Porchey's best friends, as was the Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill-Spencer. Randolph Churchill (the son of Winston Churchill) was an intimate, and the young King Edward VII was part of their set before abdicating to marry Wallace Simpson. Evelyn Waugh and the Duff Cooper's were also visitors to the grand house. Porchey's second wife was Tilley Losch, an actress who brought a touch of Hollywood to Highclere, as did Catherine's mother who was close friends with Adele Astaire (now Lady Cavendish). Political figures, royalty, aristocrats and the wealthy are all a part of life at Highclere Castle.
Also interesting were the World War II stories. The years leading up to the war, the Blitz, and the first years of the War are brought vividly to life by the author. The effects of the war on Highclere are dramatic...it becomes a sanctuary for children from London who are escaping the bombs of London, a training facility, and farmed as a source of produce for the countryside. And the family and staff stepped right up to the challenges and sacrifices war demands. One staff member, the valet-turned-butler Robert Taylor, was a war hero whose romance and war exploits are recorded in detail.
The elements that make the TV Show Downton Abbey so fascinating are the same things that capture us in real life: the magnificent beauty of the home itself; the privileged lifestyle; the famous (and infamous) characters; the nostalgia for a time that is gone' and the just plain glamour of it all make this a most compelling read.
Paperback, 368 pages
Published October 29th 2013 by Broadway Books
August 6, 2017
This well researched book reveals an interesting glimpse into the inhabitants of Highclere Castle, the site of Julian Fellowes' Downton Abbey that aired on PBS.
As revealed in the TV series, the book portrays the life of the privileged, wealthy class and the staff. The book does include numerous photographs that I found fascinating.
Now I must add a 'real' trip to Highclere Castle.
( KUYH's Travel challenge for August....England)
As revealed in the TV series, the book portrays the life of the privileged, wealthy class and the staff. The book does include numerous photographs that I found fascinating.
Now I must add a 'real' trip to Highclere Castle.
( KUYH's Travel challenge for August....England)
March 4, 2022
The current Lady of Carnarvon is a talented writer and passionate historian for the legacy of Highclere Castle and its occupants and history. These books (1&2) were filled with interesting details, stories of the lives of the wealthy owners and their families. Many of them really tried to be good citizens and helpful to their local town and country. The Carnarvon’s served in two world wars.
This book is mostly about Lady Catherine & Porchey and their children. It includes a large section to WW2 that directly affected their lives.
This book is mostly about Lady Catherine & Porchey and their children. It includes a large section to WW2 that directly affected their lives.
March 6, 2016
Catherine Wendell grew up in America, but after a family tragedy, her mother uprooted the whole family to England. While on vacation, she meets Porchey or Lord Porhester, the man who is eventually going to become the 6th Earl of Carnarvon. Porchey's father, the famous Lord Carnarvon who discovered King Tut's tomb along with Howard Carter, died suddenly making Porchey the next Earl rather quickly. Although he should find a rich American bride to help maintain and pay for Highclere Castle, his ancestral home, he can't deny that he is in love with Catherine, a charismatic and beautiful young woman, but not independently wealthy. The couple marries and fortunately they find a way to keep Highclare Castle and survive life after WWI, thanks to some help from his mother Lady Almina. However, WWII is coming and along with England's precarious position, Porchey and Catherine are having problems as well. Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon is a fascinating glimpse into what life was like for the residents of Highclare Castle in the tumultuous time of the 1920-1930s.
Catherine is someone that I was immediately captivated by. The events of her childhood along with her climb to become Lady Carnarvon was very interesting. I find the time period of the Roaring Twenties as well as 1930 to be equally fascinating, so I completely devoured Lady Catherine, the Earl and the Real Downton Abbey. On the other hand, Porchey is an insufferable womanizer that I didn't care for. Their relationship disintegrates, thanks to his philandering, and of course as the years go by, he struggled to find someone to replace Catherine whereas she was able to move on, but not without dealing with some of her own demons first.
The author, Countess of Carnarvon, includes a lot of historical details, but not so many that it becomes tedious. She did a great job helping readers to understand what was going on in the world at the time and how it impacted Highclare Castle. I also like how she included tidbits about the servants as well as the "upstairs" residents of Highclare. There are also photographs included in Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, which I thought was a nice touch and added to the authenticity. Although this book is considered non-fiction, it never was bogged down like a history book, but instead was entertaining, gossipy, and downright fun, especially if you are a fan of Downton Abbey.
There's something comforting about reading memoirs or biographies. It's nice to know that people throughout the ages have dealt with both the good, the bad and the ugly in their lives and have lived to tell the tale. I love reading about the ups and downs of a person's life, how they coped, and how they eventually overcame obstacles. Even though Lady Catherine spent most of her life in the lap of luxury, I liked that she dealt with trials and tribulations, just like a normal person.
It comes as no surprise that I am obsessed with Downton Abbey, so I really enjoyed Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey. I can't wait to check out Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, which is all about Porchey's mother. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you must check out these books. They would be the perfect holiday gift for the Downton fan in your life.
Catherine is someone that I was immediately captivated by. The events of her childhood along with her climb to become Lady Carnarvon was very interesting. I find the time period of the Roaring Twenties as well as 1930 to be equally fascinating, so I completely devoured Lady Catherine, the Earl and the Real Downton Abbey. On the other hand, Porchey is an insufferable womanizer that I didn't care for. Their relationship disintegrates, thanks to his philandering, and of course as the years go by, he struggled to find someone to replace Catherine whereas she was able to move on, but not without dealing with some of her own demons first.
The author, Countess of Carnarvon, includes a lot of historical details, but not so many that it becomes tedious. She did a great job helping readers to understand what was going on in the world at the time and how it impacted Highclare Castle. I also like how she included tidbits about the servants as well as the "upstairs" residents of Highclare. There are also photographs included in Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, which I thought was a nice touch and added to the authenticity. Although this book is considered non-fiction, it never was bogged down like a history book, but instead was entertaining, gossipy, and downright fun, especially if you are a fan of Downton Abbey.
There's something comforting about reading memoirs or biographies. It's nice to know that people throughout the ages have dealt with both the good, the bad and the ugly in their lives and have lived to tell the tale. I love reading about the ups and downs of a person's life, how they coped, and how they eventually overcame obstacles. Even though Lady Catherine spent most of her life in the lap of luxury, I liked that she dealt with trials and tribulations, just like a normal person.
It comes as no surprise that I am obsessed with Downton Abbey, so I really enjoyed Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey. I can't wait to check out Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, which is all about Porchey's mother. If you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you must check out these books. They would be the perfect holiday gift for the Downton fan in your life.
January 20, 2020
This was an autobiography of the Carnarvon family from Pre-WWI to post WWII. High society and scandal are throughout their lives. The narrator did a fine job with storytelling.
November 17, 2013
If You Love Downton Abbey, You’ll Adore “Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey”
If you, like me, watch enthralled as each new episode of “Downton Abbey” arrives, you’ll love this book written by the current Countess of Carnarvon. This is one of those wonderful books where the facts are almost better than the fiction. Exceptionally well-written and entertaining, “Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey” picks up the story of the Earls of Carnarvon in the early 1920’s and follows the family and the house’s fortunes through the Second World War. Catherine Wendell, an American, met Lord Porchester (later the sixth Earl of Carnarvon) when she was just 19. Not long after their marriage in 1922, Lord Porchester’s father died and they assumed the running of the family home, Highclere (familiar to television fans as the fictional Downton Abbey.) Beset by financial problems, the future of the house was precarious.
“Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey” reads like a wonderful piece of historical fiction, with the added bonus of it being fact. You’ll find yourself enthralled with the intimate details of the efforts of this young couple to save the family home as well as the numerous and charming details of life both above and below stairs at Highclere. Even if you’re not a fan of “Downton Abbey”, this is great piece of history, an intimate account of one family’s experience set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing time.
This book was provided to me by the publisher for this review. The opinions, however, are entirely my own!
If you, like me, watch enthralled as each new episode of “Downton Abbey” arrives, you’ll love this book written by the current Countess of Carnarvon. This is one of those wonderful books where the facts are almost better than the fiction. Exceptionally well-written and entertaining, “Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey” picks up the story of the Earls of Carnarvon in the early 1920’s and follows the family and the house’s fortunes through the Second World War. Catherine Wendell, an American, met Lord Porchester (later the sixth Earl of Carnarvon) when she was just 19. Not long after their marriage in 1922, Lord Porchester’s father died and they assumed the running of the family home, Highclere (familiar to television fans as the fictional Downton Abbey.) Beset by financial problems, the future of the house was precarious.
“Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey” reads like a wonderful piece of historical fiction, with the added bonus of it being fact. You’ll find yourself enthralled with the intimate details of the efforts of this young couple to save the family home as well as the numerous and charming details of life both above and below stairs at Highclere. Even if you’re not a fan of “Downton Abbey”, this is great piece of history, an intimate account of one family’s experience set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing time.
This book was provided to me by the publisher for this review. The opinions, however, are entirely my own!
October 13, 2014
Imagine you are at a dinner party. You are sat by a rather nice lady with some aristocratic history. She starts telling you all about her family. At first it's really interesting and you are just fascinated, but by the time the main dish is served, she's gone through the important stuff, and now she's telling you about people you don't know and trying to white wash obvious scandals. You find yourself chanting "I don't care. I don't care. I DON'T CARE" in your brain while nodding.
This is the book version of that conversation.
At first, it's really interesting. Then by the end, you're just wanting it to desperately end. Because it's dreary and boring.
And then I started to recognize some flaws that have always bugged me in biographical books. If you weren't there for conversations, please don't make the conversations up. Just don't.
I honestly think this book shouldn't be written. Lady Almina, the subject of the last book, was actually interesting. Lady Catherine is kinda meh to say the least. Porchy (her husband) is a jerk. It all just drones on and on and on. And on.
And on.
I'm all for making money off the Downton Abbey thing, especially when you have Highclerc castle to maintain. I really can't blame Fiona Carnarvon for writing a book in haste to capitalize on the craze before we all move on.
It's just not that fun to read.
This is the book version of that conversation.
At first, it's really interesting. Then by the end, you're just wanting it to desperately end. Because it's dreary and boring.
And then I started to recognize some flaws that have always bugged me in biographical books. If you weren't there for conversations, please don't make the conversations up. Just don't.
I honestly think this book shouldn't be written. Lady Almina, the subject of the last book, was actually interesting. Lady Catherine is kinda meh to say the least. Porchy (her husband) is a jerk. It all just drones on and on and on. And on.
And on.
I'm all for making money off the Downton Abbey thing, especially when you have Highclerc castle to maintain. I really can't blame Fiona Carnarvon for writing a book in haste to capitalize on the craze before we all move on.
It's just not that fun to read.
Read
October 4, 2013I received this book courtesy of the publisher for reviewing purposes.
Though certainly fascinating and well-researched, I wasn't able to connect with this book. I likely would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous installment before starting this one. I may purchase the book and try again once I have done so.
Though certainly fascinating and well-researched, I wasn't able to connect with this book. I likely would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous installment before starting this one. I may purchase the book and try again once I have done so.
March 30, 2015
I loved it
I am reading the books in the wrong order as I have started the one about Lady Almina now. This is the generation BEFORE Lady Catherine
I am reading the books in the wrong order as I have started the one about Lady Almina now. This is the generation BEFORE Lady Catherine
December 17, 2019
This book was written by the current Countess of Carnarvon, who is the wife of a descendant of the mismatched titular pair of this book's title, and as a result this particular soap operatic tale of broken marriages and divided families is the airing of dirty laundry and the attempt to grab some popularity in doing so through the appeal of the television show Downton Abbey. And while I'm not sure that I would agree with the author's decision to write about her in-laws in such a fashion, it is obvious that she does not mind the family's heritage. Indeed, the family tree that precedes the book focuses more on Lady Catherine's ancestry, which includes a maternal connection to the famous Lees and Taylors of Virginia than it does on the noble line of the 6th Earl of Carnarvon, which may be explained by the fact that this book appeals to be aimed at an American audience that would most appreciate hearing about those who are descended from American lines rather than British nobles or even the Rothschilds, from which the Earl also descends through his mother's line.
This particular book is about 300 pages long and is divided into twenty chapters. The book begins with a prologue that introduces the subjects of interest and then a look at the young Earl as an imperial officer in India (1) and his very English American bride whose father suffered financial reverses before an early death (2). The book then discusses their courtship (3) and early marriage (4) as well as the birth of an heir to the house (5). The author then praises the efforts of Catherine and the Earl to save Highclere (6) and how they spent their time in the roaring twenties (7) in the glorious time of parties that marked the time (8). The author hints at trouble (9) and comments on the bittersweet nature of the later part of the marriage between Catherine and the Earl (10) before looking at two divorces and the marriage of Edward VIII to Wallis (11). After that there is a discussion of a time of recovery (12) as well as the coming disaster of World War II (13) and the experience of the estate and its owners at war (14). Churchill's experience comes in for discussion (15) and then the author discusses how people came through darkness (16) and stood shoulder to shoulder (17) playing their own part in the dramas of the time (18) before discussing the end of the lives of both of the personages (19) and various celebrations of marriages and births (20) and then an epilogue.
It is hard to say that this book entirely succeeds. The author appears to want to focus on too many things at the same time in order to make this book a fully coherent one. Once the earl and lady divorced, their lives pursued generally separate lines and there were multiple estrangements within the family, including the the Earl's mother's remarriage to a soundrel, the Earl's own unsuccessful amours including a broken marriage where a part-Jewish dancer fled to the United States because she was afraid that Hitler would win, and Catherine's own two marriages, one of them leaving her a widow when her second husband died in World War II. Besides the colorful but frequently independent people the author tries to focus on, the estate itself also serves as an interesting character with various colorful servants and the high praise the estate received from Evelyn Waugh (who was apparently a relative of the Earl's family) as well as other members of the aristocratic set who tended to marry among themselves and party at each other's estates. It is certainly by no means a bad thing that the author views Highclere Castle as the model for Downton Abbey, certainly not for the money that the current Earl and his lady seek to gain from tourism and book sales, I imagine.
This particular book is about 300 pages long and is divided into twenty chapters. The book begins with a prologue that introduces the subjects of interest and then a look at the young Earl as an imperial officer in India (1) and his very English American bride whose father suffered financial reverses before an early death (2). The book then discusses their courtship (3) and early marriage (4) as well as the birth of an heir to the house (5). The author then praises the efforts of Catherine and the Earl to save Highclere (6) and how they spent their time in the roaring twenties (7) in the glorious time of parties that marked the time (8). The author hints at trouble (9) and comments on the bittersweet nature of the later part of the marriage between Catherine and the Earl (10) before looking at two divorces and the marriage of Edward VIII to Wallis (11). After that there is a discussion of a time of recovery (12) as well as the coming disaster of World War II (13) and the experience of the estate and its owners at war (14). Churchill's experience comes in for discussion (15) and then the author discusses how people came through darkness (16) and stood shoulder to shoulder (17) playing their own part in the dramas of the time (18) before discussing the end of the lives of both of the personages (19) and various celebrations of marriages and births (20) and then an epilogue.
It is hard to say that this book entirely succeeds. The author appears to want to focus on too many things at the same time in order to make this book a fully coherent one. Once the earl and lady divorced, their lives pursued generally separate lines and there were multiple estrangements within the family, including the the Earl's mother's remarriage to a soundrel, the Earl's own unsuccessful amours including a broken marriage where a part-Jewish dancer fled to the United States because she was afraid that Hitler would win, and Catherine's own two marriages, one of them leaving her a widow when her second husband died in World War II. Besides the colorful but frequently independent people the author tries to focus on, the estate itself also serves as an interesting character with various colorful servants and the high praise the estate received from Evelyn Waugh (who was apparently a relative of the Earl's family) as well as other members of the aristocratic set who tended to marry among themselves and party at each other's estates. It is certainly by no means a bad thing that the author views Highclere Castle as the model for Downton Abbey, certainly not for the money that the current Earl and his lady seek to gain from tourism and book sales, I imagine.
July 26, 2024
A straightforward history of the residents of Highclere and the corresponding national and world events that affected them. Non-Britons may struggle with the titles that include Earl, Lord and Lady and so on, but no matter, as the author, the current Countess, has a clear and charming style. She nevertheless pulls no punches when she describes folks that aren’t necessarily living up to standards, giving us some very interesting characters in the process. I enjoyed attempting to match real persons with the fictional ones that populated Downton Abbey, not having much success but it helped the story move along.
Read
August 29, 2019I am at least 15% through and this is putting me to sleep. There's a lot of information in this book that you learned in Lady Almina's.
Lady Catherine and Lord Porchester just don't seem to have much in common or even really seem to like each other at times. Even though it stated in his father's will to not sell the artwork, they had to in order to save Highclere Castle from being sold due to their alarming debt thanks to Lady Almina's overspending.
Maybe at some other time I'll give this a try, but for now, it's just not my cup of tea.
Lady Catherine and Lord Porchester just don't seem to have much in common or even really seem to like each other at times. Even though it stated in his father's will to not sell the artwork, they had to in order to save Highclere Castle from being sold due to their alarming debt thanks to Lady Almina's overspending.
Maybe at some other time I'll give this a try, but for now, it's just not my cup of tea.
June 6, 2022
Another lovely addition to the real history of Highclere Castle, the well-known filming location for Downton Abbey. If the first book covering Lady Almina's era at Highclere is the rose-tinted daydream of Edwardian life, this book is the stark contrast of harsh reality. While the context of this book is heavier than the first (which is to be expected when it's addressing the era of WWII), it is still well researched and does a great job of capturing your interest to find out what happens next. Definitely a great read for Downton Abbey fans, British history lovers, and those interested in reading about WWII.
February 4, 2021
I like the British. I have a lot of animosity towards their country, especially given the atrocities they committed against my people (give back the Kohinoor, Elizabeth!), but I’m always keen to learn more about their twisted history. This book, though not excellently written, really did give insight into how messed up the upper class in England truly were. The show Downton Abbey (which is based on Catherine and the real Highclere Castle) touches on some of it, but their real lives were some much more soapy and intriguing (one of the throwaway lines in the book mentions a cross-dressing socialite with a heroin addiction). The book could definitely have used better pacing as the end was just a couple hastily written pages about the deaths of Catherine and Porchey but all in all, a must read for those that love British history.
September 10, 2021
This book is just as much about World War II as it is about the American woman who married the 6th Earl of Carnarvon and spent 12 years at Highclere Castle. While the information about WWII provides context, I felt like the author -- the current Countess of Carnarvon -- leaned too heavily on the events of the war itself at times. It didn't quite hold my attention the way that Lady Almina's story did.
July 19, 2023
I actually said I finished this but I didn’t make it all the way through. It was just too boring. I love history but history coming from their unique perspectives wasn’t very interesting for me. I rarely don’t finish books but there are too many in the world to waste my time on ones I can’t get into.
March 21, 2018
I really enjoyed the first half(-ish) and got bogged down in the second with WWII, but that's just my personal preference. We got a lot more of Catherine's life than we did of Almina's in her book, just because of how long each of their husbands lived. There's a lot of Almina in this one too, though, so it's a good follow-up.
September 23, 2018
After reading 10% of the book I peeked ahead to see if the writing style would change or if the story might become more interesting later on in the book. It appeared not to so I decided to move on to something else. Life's too short to read books that are boring you to death.
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