The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
is the first in an endearing series that the kids and I have come to adore. It is a modern story, set in New England, but I feel it could have taken place in the 1940's if it weren't for computers and cell phones. These books are all about normal children having good, old-fashioned fun in the outdoors, with their siblings, and involving the neighbors. After reading this book we were hooked.
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
continues the story of the Penderwick children with the adventures involved in helping their widowed father begin to date again. Once again the children and I were glued to the story (we've listened to all of these on audio tape).
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
is currently the last in the series and perhaps my favorite so far -- surely because it takes place on the coast of Maine in the summertime. There is plenty of adventure and even a mystery solved at the end. I can't wait until the author writes another book!
The World of Downton Abbey
by Jessica Fellowes is a gorgeous book with lots of photos from the Downton Abbey set and filming. If you want to read something, and not delve into the time period too deeply, this is a great book to choose.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
I have not yet read The Real Life Downton Abbey: How Life Was Really Lived in Stately Homes a Century Ago by Jacky Hyams, but the book purports to tell what life was really like for servants during the Edwardian period. It's on my hold list at the library and I can't wait to peruse it!
I just started Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey"
Julian Fellowes is the mastermind behind Downton Abbey. It was his brainchild and he has written the screen play as well as produced the series. I was introduced to Fellowes for the first time while watching the adorable Scottish series Monarch of the Glen: Complete Collection
. Fellowes plays the annoying, slightly daft, country gentleman who lives next door. It's been hard for me to trade that image of him in for the brilliant writer this man really is. I've gone on a Fellowes kick, reading and watching everything I can get my hands on. This man has a handle on the British aristocracy. He knows what he is writing about. I could not put down his book Snobs
. This was a modern day Downton Abbey, set in the 1990's in London and the countryside.
Now that I have finished Snobs, I have jumped right into Fellowes second novel, Past Imperfect: A Novel. It promises to be just as good, focusing this time on the debutantes during the 1960's. I hope Fellowes doesn't let me down!
Every few days I read a week in the life of Diary Of A Provincial Lady (Provincial Lady Series)by E. M. Delafield. It is a quaint, 1930's version of Pioneer Woman. It's a glimpse into the middle class of the era.
When I first voiced my interest in finding more books from this time period my friend suggested the bibliography in the back of The Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm
. This book tells the story of Britain in 1911, in all its glory and depravity. The bibliography is extensive and very helpful for finding more about this era. The book itself will give you an idea of the moral climate of the period.
Life Below Stairs by Alison Maloney gives another handling of the life of servants during this era. I am reading a book of the same title by Frank E. Huggett which covers Life Below Stairs during the Victorian times.
The American Heiress: A Novel by Daisy Goodwin is a novel telling the story of an American woman who travels to Britain and marries a titled man there. It's meant to tell the type of story that Lady Grantham had, which was not uncommon. I've really just started it and have no idea if I will end up reading all of it. We shall see how it goes.......
The Dressmaker: A Novel by Kate Alcott is historical fiction set on the Titanic. Downton Abbey opens with news of the sinking of the Titanic, so this epic event really begins the whole Downton Abbey story. I have not yet read this book but it comes with high praise from Tatiana de Rosnay who wrote the popular Sarah's Key.
I realized that one of my favorite authors was probably just beginning her career during the Downton Abbey era. Dorothy Emily Stevenson has written many books set in Britain during the 1930's - 1950's I would say. Her books are sweet little stories, what I would call "cup of tea reading". I have enjoyed every one that I have read. Her books are out of print but can still be found randomly online or in used bookstores. They are worth reading.
Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch is a modern book, about a modern Queen but it is not altogether removed from Downton Abbey. In fact, in the midst of this book, while reading about Lady Almina Carnarvon, I discovered that one of the Queen's most trusted horse trainers and friends happened to be the 6th (?) Early of Carnarvon and the Queen actually named one of her best horses "Highclere" after Highclere Castle where Downton was filmed. This book is lengthy, and follows the Queen blow by blow through her life and reign. I am enjoying it, and it is appropriate reading for the Queen's diamond jubilee.
by Ronald Pearsall is another book I have waiting on my shelf to give me another facet of what life was like 100 years ago.
by Christopher Sykes is filled with photo after photo of life during the Edwardian times at the great Country Houses. One's imagination fills in the blanks and story after story can be made up from the pictures and accompanying notes.
The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden is a beautiful reproduction of a year's diary collection of sayings, nature notes, and personal events.
To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl and Carol Wallace is, apparently, a book that heavily inspired Julian Fellowes in the writing of Downton Abbey.
The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook: From Lady Mary's Crab Canapes to Mrs. Patmore's Christmas Pudding - More Than 150 Recipes from Upstairs and Downstairs by Emily Baines is the first cookbook I have seen dedicated to the series. I was disappointed in the complete lack of photos or illustrations and did feel as if this was hastily put together to benefit from the hype of the series. However, it would give one a start on finding period recipes and inspiration if you were going to host a Downton Abbey themed dinner or tea.
by Jane Pettigrew gives one a good idea of life as the child of middle class to upper class parents. There is talk of nannies, daily routine, parents, school, diet, sickness, toys, and holidays.
is a moving story and one I read as a teenager. It may be time to read it again.
