A Countess Below Stairs

This and two other books by Ibbotson are some of my all time favorites. They are my happy place books, because Ibbotson's settings and way with words are the most lovely I've encountered. Everything from beginning to end is vivid and absolutely delicious.

The Secret Countess is like Jane Eyre in its writing style--old fashioned, melodramatic, meandering, descriptive, and full of unusually high vocabulary, so much so, that every few pages I found myself tapping my Kindle for dictionary definitions. Sounds annoying, but like Jane Eyre I instead found it charming, intriguing, and oh-so-refreshing.I am usually not drawn to the supporting characters in movies or books, but the vast cast in The Secret Countess is anything but flat. They all have such unique personalities that I found them easy to keep track of in my mind, and I found that I loved them all, from the crazy, frustrated 90 year old who keeps her appendix in a jar by her bedside and frequently throws things out the window; to the tender-hearted, insecure cook; the scrawny-turned-brawny footman; the countess' mother who always has some daffy scheme to regain some of their fortune; the bespectacled crippled child bridesmaid with her infectious, innocent spirit... I could go on and on. Even the villains are fascinating in their own horrid and pitiful ways--the self-serving, borderline-maniacal "doctor" with his Hitler-like philosophies; the black sheep cousins trying to scam a buck; even the self-absorbed Nettleford sisters who are akin to the bumbling, fumbling stepsisters in Cinderella... I could clearly visualize this book, so much so that it played across my mind like an episode of something along the lines of Downton Abbey--quirky, heartwarming, and interesting because it is set in a time and place with ideas strange and foreign to modern society.As for the book's verbosity, I laughed out loud at some of the slyly humorous descriptions of the characters and their actions. I was even surprised that I preferred the author's lengthy descriptions and vignettes instead of something more straight-forward. For instance, instead of saying the countess was a sweet, tender sort of girl wanting to please everyone around her, the author writes a scene about Anna worrying so much about suitably impressing the butler who will hire her that she must, in order to calm herself down, recite to herself household tips from a thousand page self-help servant book that she studiously reads and is lugging about in her suitcase. As she walks along like Maria von Trapp with her heavy case and indomitable spirit, she recites her plan, "`I shall curtsey to the butler,' decided Anna, picking up an earthworm which had set off on a suicidal path across the dryness of the gravel..."How Disney princess-ish!--from saving that "suicidal earthworm" to winning over the master's snobbish dog to climbing out her attic window to cling to a stone gargoyle while she waxes hopeful about her future as a...wait for it...domestic house servant! But, by gum, she will be the BEST house servant EVER! (It doesn't matter if she was an indescribably rich countess in Russia who had never done a lick of work in her life--let alone the hard physical labor of a domestic--this girl is determined to get a job to help support her little brother and mother and relieve the financial burden of her beloved English governess who has taken them in.) I found myself nodding and cheering the countess on--of course she can do it! You go, girl! Spread your cheer and hope and love!Some things in The Secret Countess are obviously predictable, but instead of rolling your eyes at the foreshadowed outcome, you find yourself on the edge of your seat desiring, breathlessly awaiting the impending encounter or result, whether good or bad. And then there are a few surprises thrown in along the way--how will the earl get out of his engagement with honor? You know it will happen; you just can't figure out how. (I would never have guessed that humorous little outcome.)Yes, all in all, this book was a delight. Even though it touches on prejudice, lechery, deceit, death, loss, the occult, eugenics, handicaps, etc., the book was never heavy or gloomy. The Secret Countess is a nice change of pace from the dark pieces of literature that permeate the market, and frankly it was just what I needed today--a healthy dose of cheer.Parental Note: A lecherous uncle frequently gropes the servants and another character consults Ouija boards. The author doesn't necessarily endorse their behavior; however, she doesn't necessarily show the consequences of such either. There are no drawn out scenes or details. The author mostly portrays their actions neutrally, as fact--this is what these people do. There are also a handful of bad words--three or four if I remember correctly.

Born into an aristocratic family in tsarist Russia, Anna Grazinsky was lavished with affection and material wealth. As her father freely admitted, he spoiled her--yet she remained unspoiled. Anna's life of privilege ended with the war and the Bolshevik Revolution that took her beloved father's life and forced Anna to flee with her mother and younger brother to the relative safety of England. Betrayed by the family nurse who absconded with the family jewels the Grazinskys were going to use to support themselves, they were forced instead to share the small living quarters of Anna's devoted English governess.Determined to do her bit to help with the family's expenses, Anna takes a temporary job as a maid at the country estate of the Earl of Westerholme. The senior staff at Mersham is reluctant to take on the obviously unsuitable foreigner, but they are desperate for the help. The war has left them short-staffed and the new earl himself is soon to return to take up residence after years at the front and a long hospital convalescence. With an overly large and ridiculously outdated housekeeping manual for her reference, Anna is fervent in her new duties, although she is nearly overcome by the sheer physical strain, lack of hygiene, and loneliness. But the tight-knit group quickly takes to the radiant Anna, and she to them.When the house is readied and the young earl himself arrives, he too is intrigued by the mysterious maid. His initial interest does not distract him from his immediate purpose, however. While he recovered from his war wounds, he was nursed back to health by an angel of mercy. The angel was not only exquisitely beautiful, she was also wealthy enough to save the Westerholme estates from the crippling death taxes that threatened them with financial ruin. The earl would marry his angel and fortunes would be restored.But all would not remain well for Rupert, the earl. Muriel, the angel, had a dark side. Unlike Anna who was spoiled yet remained unspoiled, Muriel was spoiled and turned rotten to the core--evil, ungrateful, manipulative behind a lovely façade. Gradually, her actions and beliefs alienated almost everyone around her even as her physical beauty continued to entrance them. Rupert's friends, family, and even servants began to despair for him, knowing that he was too much of a gentleman to back out an increasingly odious arrangement. And, to make matters worse, even as he stood at the edge of the abyss with Muriel, Rupert could only snatch glimpses of a forbidden heaven with Anna.This is a beautiful, magical book. Once I picked it up, I read it in one sitting. I loved the descriptions of postwar England--complete with the fascination with the occult, the rise in the "study" of eugenics, the ugliness of anti-Semitism, decline of the aristocracy, etc. I also enjoyed the look at life downstairs at large country house--how the servants reacted to Anna's mistake about the reference to the "tweeny," for instance--that was a subtlety that was beyond me before reading this book. I was also mesmerized by the beautiful, romantic love story between Rupert and Anna. By today's standards, of course, it was a very chaste love story, but it was so very sweet. And, I should actually say *stories* because the Tom/Susie courtship was a wonderful secondary storyline.Truly, tho, not to give short shrift to any of these things, or even the Honorable Olive, what I liked most were the brief descriptions of émigré life and how the Russian nobility coped with their new lifestyles. It brought back memories of watching Anastasia or Ninotchka/Silk Stockings. In reality, life probably wasn't a grand adventure, but you had to admire Anna, Sergei, Kira and the others for accepting their new lot and still embracing life for all it was worth.* * * * * *I think the difficulty that some readers might have with this book is that it is hard to categorize. What kind of book is it and who is the intended audience? Even after reading it, it still wasn't clear to me. At times it reminded me of a Nesbitt book, but it wasn't really a children's or YA book. On the other hand, there was a fantastical naivete that didn't quite place it in the adult realm. I think the reader just needs to suspend any preconceptions and enjoy the wonderful magic Ms. Ibbotson weaves.

This was the first book I read by Eva Ibbotson and I so enjoyed it I have since read two more. To say I loved her style of writing is an understatement. The book is charming without being sentimental. All I can say is that I am very glad to have found this author.

The parts that remind one of Nancy Mitford and Ivy Compton Burnett are bad enough; what worked once does not necessarily work here. The rest is worse.The story is probably best suited to those who are unquestioning in their enjoyment. The lovers of modern Jane Austen rip off novels for instance. Also maybe for younger, less discerning readers, due to a certain childishness to the writing.Still, one wouldn't encourage one's child to read this.

I was glad to finish this book. If you enjoy reading Mills and Boon this will suit you. Far too twee and ridiculously unbelievable. On the other hand my daughter thought it was wonderful, couldn't put it down.

Eva Ibbotson's historical romances follow a formula and this one is no different to the rest. But gosh do I like that formula. This book is the perfect fairytale for teens and adults alike, and is a great holiday read. The only thing about Ibbotson is that she uses a lot of very long sentences with a lot of adjectives, which can feel a bit pretentious at times. But the story is so nice that if you can look past that, you'll enjoy the book.

This was the first book I read by Eva Ibbotson, and I don't know if I'll read any more of her work. The Secret Countess follows Anna, a Russian Countess who loses everything and flees to England with her family, where she anonymously takes up the position of a maid.My main problem with this book is the main character, Anna. I find her extremely unrealistic and a bit of a bore. Though she is a countess, she is perfectly humble and finds the will to work hard with ease. I feel this diminished the potential the story had to be gripping. We all enjoy a good riches to rags story, where the heroine is put into an environment unfamiliar to her and is expected to work, which she would likely find difficult and off-putting, having everything handed to her on a plate before then. This leaves potential for important character development and adaption. However, this book does not take advantage of that element, and I feel Anna does not develop at all throughout the book. I also found that Anna was accomplished in many feats, e.g. ballet, foreign languages, music and even the housework skills she is expected to indulge in as a maid. She is pretty much perfect in every way, and has no obvious faults, which I find makes the story a bit boring. Anna is contrasted with the character of Muriel, who is explicitly evil. The author succeeds in making her easy to dislike. She is also the love rival, and being so explicitly evil, she makes Anna a very obvious choice for the love interest, which I feel makes the story even more boring. One part of the story which I found particularly disturbing was the character of Uncle Sebastien, an older man who is known in the house for inappropriately touching the young maids, though no one does anything about it except our antagonist, Muriel. There is about a page of the book devoted to his narrative of what comes off as a fetish for the young maids, which was rather disturbing. I only made it about three quarters of the way through the book, so I can't comment on the ending. I did find the story very descriptive and that the author was very good at setting a scene or an atmosphere. As far as plot goes, I felt this book did not really go anywhere, and therefore I did not really enjoy it. I think that is partly due to it not being what I expected from the blurb, which builds a lot of tension around the revealing of her secret. I ended up finding this part of the book disappointing. If you prefer a mostly lighthearted and descriptive story, then I don't doubt you could enjoy this book.