Monday, February 6, 2012

The Best of Times

"Downton Abbey" fever is spreading! With recent reports that Shirley MacLaine has signed on for season three and Twitter exploding with every episode, this show is still gaining momentum. I have to be honest that several people recommended this show right when it began but I never added it to the line-up. I will catch up at some point by watching the DVDs, but in the meantime, the Times did a great job of finding three books that feature this exclusive world.  One is a direct counterpart to the show while the other two are being re-released; one covers the upstairs world, and one the downstairs. Top of my list is Margaret Powell's Below Stairs which was the inspiration  for "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey." Originally written in 1968, it is still considered one of the best perspectives of the class relationships found in manors. Adding a little non-fiction to the dramatic mix on "Downton Abbey" is sure to make this world all the more intriguing.



Also from the review:
The World of Downton Abbey by Jessica Fellowes
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon

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