Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by the Countess of Carnarvon, (2011 Nonfiction):

With viewers on both sides of the pond agog over the PBS series "Downton Abbey," the wait for the next series to begin may seem long, but a pleasurable way to pass the time is with a good book. This is such a book. Written by the present Countess of Carnarvon, the wife of Lady Almina's great-grandson, his work provides an inside look at Highclere Castle, the setting for the TV episodes.

It's a fascinating story with interesting parallels between the actual history of Highclere and the story line of "Downton Abbey." The castle actually was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during WWI; the changes that followed in the early to mid 20th century did cause upheaval within the household, upstairs as well as downstairs. (Almina's husband, the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, and Howard Carter discovered and opened King Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt. This bit of actual history hasn't made its way into the TV story, however.) Available at the Castro Valley Library in both book and e-book formats.

Reviewed by Carol Lyke