From the Publisher
"In your very flattering article about books that might please fans of Downton Abbey, I was sorry that one title was missing: To Marry an English Lord. . . . It is a marvelous and entertaining study." ---Julian Fellowes, writer and creator of Downton Abbey
From the Publisher - AUDIO COMMENTARY
"In your very flattering article about books that might please fans of Downton Abbey, I was sorry that one title was missing: To Marry an English Lord. . . . It is a marvelous and entertaining study." —Julian Fellowes, writer and creator of Downton Abbey
Library Journal - Audio
11/01/2014
In the post-Civil War economic boom the social supremacy of New York's Knickerbockers, descendants of Dutch and English settlers, was challenged by new families with new fortunes made in transportation and manufacturing. The daughters of these multimillionaires were just what overextended English noble families needed—they were beautiful and they came with cash. From 1870 to 1910, more than 100 American heiresses wed British aristocrats. The women included Winston Churchill's mother, Jenny Jerome; Consuelo Vanderbilt, the Duchess of Marlborough; and Mary Leiter, whose husband, Lord Curzon, was Viceroy of India. MacColl and Wallace (All Dressed in White) explain the nuances of 19th-century American and English society. Kate Reading's narration deftly weaves the extensive information in the print book's many sidebars into the larger story without loss of clarity. VERDICT This is an excellent choice for public library collections and for any fan of the PBS drama Downton Abbey. Note: the book was originally published in 1989 and reissued in 2012. ["Not only fun, but a definitive roundup of the players. Recommended," read the review of the Workman hc, LJ 10/15/89.]—Nann Blaine Hilyard, formerly with Zion-Benton P.L., IL
JULY 2014 - AudioFile
Kate Reading has her work cut out for her, narrating a book that is heavily illustrated on the page, and she brings to it an admirable precision. Her diction is crisp, and her attention to detail serves the listener beautifully. The book was an acknowledged source for the insanely popular “Downton Abbey” TV series, and fans will relish the true-life details of the clothes, weddings, births, affairs, joys, and miseries of the American girls who married English (and occasionally Continental) nobility in the late Victorian era. This is rich social history, explaining the cultural differences in the highest society on both sides of the Pond, and while Reading’s French accent is a little overdone and she commits the very occasional mispronunciation, her performance thoroughly satisfies. B.G. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
