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Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey
- Narrated by: Sandra Duncan, Jenny Ogilvie, Andrew Wincott
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey
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Summary
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 she 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.
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What listeners say about Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs B.
- 25-02-15
Excellent
I enjoyed it and just hope the Countess can find a new heroine for her next book . A very good listen
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Monica Rygh
- 01-05-18
Fantastic
What a fabulous story this is!
Interesting, Impressive and ver well written.
I really enjoyed this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-04-16
wow.
This book could so easily become a television series in its own right,certainly different enough from Downtown Abbey it is interesting and good history value.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Reginald pelle
- 29-11-23
Outstanding
Another outstanding book of British history.
Especially, a lot of unfolding events that determine the Second World War; long before Queen Elizabeth II was first coronated.
Worth a read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- grandma james
- 31-10-17
Excellent
Really good read it was very informative about the history of the house and family while weaving a interesting story could not put it down
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jacqueline
- 15-02-24
Life in another era
Loved the story….but it’s all facts which is always better than a story….this sounded like a wonderful plot for a film…it was a fascinating glimpse into a past world . Well read too. A real delight ..I feel like I know the people..in fact I rushed to google to see what they all looked like.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yvonne Delacy
- 01-06-23
Superb!
I have been glued to listening to this story as others have said before me. I got to love the people and their stories and cried towards the end. Tears for a time long passed now, and moved by the author’s fine descriptions. Towards the end I kept picturing those marvellous cedars of Lebanon and of the Countess, the author riding her horse towards the distant hill.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Fran
- 05-11-13
Informative and enjoyable
Where does Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
in top 10
Would you be willing to try another book from Countess Of Carnarvon? Why or why not?
Yes
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No
Any additional comments?
As a Downton fan it was interesting to get some of the history as well as enjoying a good narrative.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison Clark
- 18-05-22
Excellent listen
I love modern history and have visited Highclere on two occasions, due to my love of Downton! Although this would be next generation on from Downton, I found it really interesting
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-04-15
Too much general WWII history
Limited family history padded out by WWII history to take advantage of connection to Downton Abbey TV drama
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3 people found this helpful