hana83's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it! This is a charming young adult novel that transports the reader to St. Petersburg in 1917 and then to London in 1919. Yes, the story is predictable, yet there is something about the young protagonist and the way the story is written that warms the reader's heart. This story reminds me of the children's classics: A Little Princess and The Secret Garden. If you have enjoyed these stories, you will enjoy this one.
kindledspiritsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this book due to a combination of feely poorly and listening to Sentimental Garbage, a podcast that discusses various chick-lit classics. They were talking about The Secret Countess, a book which I had read years and years ago, and I enjoyed their conversation so much that I promptly picked it up for a sickbed re-read. The plot centres around Anna Grazinsky, a teenaged Russian countess whose family flees Russia following the Bolshevik revolution and winds up in London utterly penniless. Anna is determined to support her family and so takes a job as a maid in the home of the Earl of Westerholme. The newly minted Earl is about to bring his fiancée home to plan their wedding, but once the Earl and Anna meet things rapidly stop going to plan. Honestly this book is as close to perfect as it gets. It has the most enormous and absolutely ridiculous cast of characters, all of whom I love (or at least love to hate) and the humour moves rapidly between pantomime and Austen. It has everything; daschunds who’ve swallowed priceless jewels, literal Nazis, dramatic costume parties, curtsies being used as a weapon and elderly wet nurses who practice voodoo and wear mummified saint’s fingers around their necks. I’m generally pretty tolerant of differences of opinion when it comes to literature, but if you don’t love this book I pity you and we can’t be friends. I’m incapable of being rational about this.
alisonb's review against another edition
3.0
This book was recommended to me by a fellow book club member. I had never heard of this author, and was surprised to find that she rates in the realm of classic authors of romance novels.
This story reads strongly in the historical department. I found myself a bit lost at times. The heroine, Anna, reminisces about her time in Russia and we get glimpses into Russian life and history. It was interesting, but hard for me to capture and place into the orderly thoughts of my mind. It was more of a jumble of information.
There is an interesting ensemble cast of characters. A lot of them resemble caricatures rather than deep character studies. I am okay with that when there are so many people involved in a story. And, at times, caricatures are more predictable and my mind can vacillate on the stars of the story rather than the secondary characters.
I really enjoyed Anna and Rupert's romance. There was little in the way of building the romance, but like everyone who adored Anna (a perfect specimen of beauty and character), I found myself joining the crowd and wanting for Anna what she wanted for herself. I even found myself skimming so that I could get to the sweet and quiet moments between Rupert and Anna.
If you are someone who likes historical romance novels with an emphasis on the historical, I think that you would enjoy this story set just after the Russian Revolution in 1917.
This story reads strongly in the historical department. I found myself a bit lost at times. The heroine, Anna, reminisces about her time in Russia and we get glimpses into Russian life and history. It was interesting, but hard for me to capture and place into the orderly thoughts of my mind. It was more of a jumble of information.
There is an interesting ensemble cast of characters. A lot of them resemble caricatures rather than deep character studies. I am okay with that when there are so many people involved in a story. And, at times, caricatures are more predictable and my mind can vacillate on the stars of the story rather than the secondary characters.
I really enjoyed Anna and Rupert's romance. There was little in the way of building the romance, but like everyone who adored Anna (a perfect specimen of beauty and character), I found myself joining the crowd and wanting for Anna what she wanted for herself. I even found myself skimming so that I could get to the sweet and quiet moments between Rupert and Anna.
If you are someone who likes historical romance novels with an emphasis on the historical, I think that you would enjoy this story set just after the Russian Revolution in 1917.
marimenegati's review against another edition
5.0
Update literally a month later after finishing it for the first time: I bought the physical version of it and have now reread it. This book has now become my comfort read!
One of my new favorite books, I completely loved it!
The writing was SO beautiful, I felt a genuine love for life from it. Love of music, art, beautiful places, nature. It was just so amazing to read.
The other great thing was the characters. They were so refreshing to read about. Just because they were, most of them at least, good and nice people, who genuinely want to have a good impact in the world and are hard working, kind and just decent. Don't get me wrong, I love reading about morally grey or plain out evil characters, but nothing beats the feeling of falling in love with characters that are doing their best to be good.
Moreover, they weren't only good people, but more often than not, that goodness made them beautiful, regardless of how they physically looked. The main character, Anna, even though she wasn't ugly, she wasn't physically stunning either. But her goodness, her personality, *made* her beautiful, which I can't express how much I loved and wish to see more of.
I think it takes a person who's good at understanding humans to write passionately about life and other people. She knows what about a situation would stand out for a particular character, which made them feel real.
Something that reflects the author's good writing and characters was how she treated war. The book is set against the background of the russian revolution and world war one, however is not a depressing or violent story, it isn't ignorant of the sadness and horrors of war either. It recognizes the reality of it whilst also showcasing the good things that survived and that will happen.
The only thing that was a bit off were certain dynamics or terms that due to the book being written in 1981 (I think) are a bit outdated. Other than that I have no complaints.
I can't wait to read other books by Eva Ibbotson in the future!
One of my new favorite books, I completely loved it!
The writing was SO beautiful, I felt a genuine love for life from it. Love of music, art, beautiful places, nature. It was just so amazing to read.
The other great thing was the characters. They were so refreshing to read about. Just because they were, most of them at least, good and nice people, who genuinely want to have a good impact in the world and are hard working, kind and just decent. Don't get me wrong, I love reading about morally grey or plain out evil characters, but nothing beats the feeling of falling in love with characters that are doing their best to be good.
Moreover, they weren't only good people, but more often than not, that goodness made them beautiful, regardless of how they physically looked. The main character, Anna, even though she wasn't ugly, she wasn't physically stunning either. But her goodness, her personality, *made* her beautiful, which I can't express how much I loved and wish to see more of.
I think it takes a person who's good at understanding humans to write passionately about life and other people. She knows what about a situation would stand out for a particular character, which made them feel real.
Something that reflects the author's good writing and characters was how she treated war. The book is set against the background of the russian revolution and world war one, however is not a depressing or violent story, it isn't ignorant of the sadness and horrors of war either. It recognizes the reality of it whilst also showcasing the good things that survived and that will happen.
The only thing that was a bit off were certain dynamics or terms that due to the book being written in 1981 (I think) are a bit outdated. Other than that I have no complaints.
I can't wait to read other books by Eva Ibbotson in the future!
ama_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Anna Grazinsky – a Russian Countess – and her family fled to England after the loss of both her father and their fortune due to the combined tragedies of WWI and the Russian Revolution. Armed with an outdated guidebook, she is hired on as a temporary maid at the Earl of Westerholme’s grand estate. Rupert, who inherits the title and the estate, after the deaths of his father and older brother, is returning home after spending many months in the hospital, recovering from war injuries. Rupert brings home what seems to be a wonderful surprise…he is engaged to marry the rich heiress Muriel Hardwicke, whose money will save the estate from being sold, if she doesn’t tear the household apart first.
Davina Porter does an excellent job of reading this historical romance novel.
Not familiar with the whole upstairs/downstairs attitude and traditions? I suggest watching 1900s House (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/).
Davina Porter does an excellent job of reading this historical romance novel.
Not familiar with the whole upstairs/downstairs attitude and traditions? I suggest watching 1900s House (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/1900house/).
shweta84's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
13delathauwere's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
thebankofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shayanelacey's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This is my ultimate comfort read - I’ve read it more times than I can count. No one writes historical romance for me like Eva Ibbotson!
theblackviking's review against another edition
2.0
Was bored, then I liked it, then I found it 2D. Was a cute read overall.