Book: A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆ ☆
For: Book Club
From: the library
Short Synopsis: A young girl is displaced from her rich noble lifestyle in Russia during WWI. She ends up in England and has to work for a family as their maid. She joins the staff, makes friends, and generally enjoys her experience. It appears she is helping the family prepare for the big wedding of the new master, but in reality, something else entirely is happening!
My response: Fun fluffy book! Though, the writing style made this one quite a bit harder to follow and stick with than I expected. It took a bit of perseverance to get into it, but then the second half flew by. I enjoyed it!
Let’s talk about it: I find myself drawn to these sorts of books since the popularity of Downton Abbey. The whole complicated structure of the servants and their jobs mean so much more now! And the interaction between each other and between the people of the house is fascinating. All because of Downton. Are you a Downton Abbey fan? Have you found yourself drawn to certain books because of it? Which books have you loved that give you a good Downton Abbey feeling? If you were to be part of a big manor house, do you see yourself being part of the upstairs lifestyle, or the down? If you were down, what job would be to your liking? I think I'd be downstairs, working in the kitchen!
(P.S. As part of Bloggiesta I'm introducing this somewhat new format I'd like to try here on the blog for reviewing books. My idea is to make them even shorter.... give you just a glimpse of what the book is about, an idea of what I thought about it and then suggest a topic for discussion regarding the book... something that it made me think about. I would love some feedback! What do you think? Do you think it will generate more comments? Do you think it's asking too much of you the readers to think about the book with me? Do you think I've made the "review" part TOO short? Let me know your reaction!)
I love Downton! I don't think it has influenced my reading though. I've always loved British shows.
ReplyDeleteI think the new heart subway art is cool. Did you design that?
I like the new format!
Kami: You should read some fun British things then! And yes, I made my heart with Wordle.com. Very easy and fun!
DeleteThis one is really sweet, if a bit one-note. My favorite Ibbotsons remain A Company of Swans and A Song for Summer.
ReplyDeleteAngie: I will have to give those others a try. :)
DeleteI like your new format. I adopted a short format last year, but I might use yours--I like it a little bit better. I'm a huge Downton fan and have set a goal to read one "Downton type" book a month.
ReplyDeleteKelley: I thought mine were short already, but this one is... yeah.. VERY short! We'll see how it goes. Feel free to borrow the format. :)
DeleteI liked this one, but I do think that it shows it's age a little bit. It is interesting to me to see that these books have now been rereleased as YA fiction but back in the early 80s they were published as adult fiction.
ReplyDeleteMarg: Yes, it did show its age. I agree. And it's fun to see how YA has changed so much.
DeleteI like the new format! I'm not a Downton Abbey fan (gasp!), and I wasn't drawn in enough by this book's premise to read it. But I do like a good period piece now and again.
ReplyDeleteJessica: Gasp is right! But glad you like this format. It will be getting tweaked I'm sure.
DeleteI like the new format. It's fun, short, and sweet. I've thought about changing my format at bit too. To something like Jenny does.
ReplyDeleteI love Downton and I loved reading this after I became a fan since the first time I read it, I Downton didn't exist yet. It was fun to see the similarities and the differences. And, yes, I'm definitely drawn this era as well as other historical eras. I'd definitely want to be upstairs, but I don't know who I'd be like (e.g. Mary, Edith, or Sybil).
Jenni: I can't see myself in an upstairs role. I wonder why that is. Hmmm....
DeleteI'm not sure this short of a review would always work for me, but that said - it's definitely working for me here! I feel like you do a great job capturing the essence of the book. And I love your idea of including some discussion questions!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I haven't see Downton Abbey, this apparently works in reverse as well because reading books set in this time period is making me want to watch the show :)
Katie: I doubt they will always be this short. We'll see! Mostly I'm trying to get some discussion going, so that is the part I'll be concentrating on. And... you should TOTALLY watch the show! :)
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