Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey (Carnarvon) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
Few viewers know that Downton’s American chatelaine, Cora Crawley, was inspired by the real-life fifth Countess of Carnarvon, Almina Wombwell. In this history, the current Countess of Carnarvon portrays her ancestress-by-marriage as a rich and lovely arriviste who married the fifth Earl of Carnarvon in 1895. She presided over Highclere Castle (where today’s series is filmed), and the book includes lustrous photographs of Lady Almina that look like Gainsboroughs
Liesl Schillinger - New York Times


The more interesting and entertaining book is Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle. Written by the castle's current countess, Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the Eighth Countess of Carnarvon and great-granddaughter-in-law of Lady Almina, the book is a fascinating look at the woman of the house who turned her castle into a hospital for wounded British soldiers returning from World War I. (It corresponds perfectly with this season's war story line on Downton Abbey.)
USA Today


If you can’t wait for the new season of Downton Abbey ...this one’s for you....a revealing portrait of the changing times.”
New York Post
 

[A] fascinating insight into how the seriously rich once lived.
Newsweek Daily Beast
 

The present Lady Carnarvon, who tapped the family archives for her comprehensive research, dramatically captures the estate during the pre-war and war years, and paints a compelling...portrait of Lady Almina.
Newark Star-Ledger