Why did we read this book: We are ashamed to say that this is our very first Eva Ibbotson book! We have of course heard wonderful things about this author and her young adult work, but it took until our Young Adult Appreciation Month to finally pick up one of her novels β and we decided on the Cinderella retelling, A Countess Below Stairs. Summary: from amazon. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new dutiesβnot to mention her instant attraction to rupert, the handsome earl of westerholme.
As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. Thea: This was my introduction to Eva Ibbotson, and if the rest of her books are anywhere near as lovely as Countess , then I foresee a huge dent in my wallet in the near future. I think I fell in love with Ms. Needless to say, I dropped everything at once and started to read it.
And I loved it. If I had to use one word to describe this book I would go with: Delicious. Countess is an abso-freaking-lutely delicious book. From the fairytale-ish prologue right to the all-encompassing happy end, via absurdly hilarious situations and enough poignant moments to make one sigh with happiness, Countess is a gem of a novel.
Anna Grazinsky is a darling daughter, firstborn of two doting parents. And, she also happens to be an unspoiled child, who grows into a beautiful countess. When war and then revolution strikes her home in St. First, her father passes away on the frontlines of battle in the war; and then shortly after, her family is forced to flee Russia or face a terrible fate of imprisonment or death at the hands of the rising Bolsheviks. The Grazinskys leave their family fortune of jewels in the hands of a trusted servant, but are brutally betrayed when the housemaid seemingly disappears with the Grazinsky treasure in tow.
Pinny, and take refuge in her London home. Soon, however, Anna grows restless. And, as usual, Anna wins over all of those in her exuberant presence. And though the Earl, Rupert, is engaged to a beautiful heiress who nursed him to health after his crash, he cannot help but start to notice the differences between the calculating, cruel Muriel and the warm, vivacious Annaβ¦.
