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The Secret Countess

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The Secret Countess

By: Eva Ibbotson
Narrated by: Davina Porter
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About this listen

 Anna, a young countess, has lived in the glittering city of St Petersburg all her life. But when revolution tears Russia apart, her family is forced to flee to England.

Armed with an out-of-date book on housekeeping, Anna determines to become a housemaid, and she finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion. The staff and the family are sure there is something not quite right about their new maid - but she soon wins them over with her warmth and dedication.

Then the young Earl returns home from the war - and Anna falls hopelessly in love. But they can never be together - Rupert is engaged to the snobbish and awful Muriel. And anyway, Anna is only a servant. Or so everybody thinks.

Click here to see all the titles in our Whole Story Audio Books collection.©2007 Eva Ibbotson (P)2007 W F Howes Growing Up & Facts of Life Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction

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Critic reviews

"An uplifting tale of romance - and Sian Thomas¿s Russian accent is irresistible."( The Observer)
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This is a light hearted tale, easy to listen to, pick up and put down, enjoyable romance.

Easy Listen

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this has to be one of my favourite "Evas" - you obviously have to suspend belief when you dip into one of these stories but as a "time-out" from day to day stresses they cant be beaten. just a good old romantic fairy tale!

another warm bubble bath!

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This was one of the best books I have read (or listened too) since Harry Potter. It was the ending of the story that I loved most, it was just ingenious. The one thing that could have been better was the love story, it was a bit flat for my taste. Then again, I am used to Mills and Boon romances so...

OMG!!!

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Delightful romance set just post World War I when an impoverished Russian aristocrat takes a job as a maid in an English stately home. The romance is fairly predictable but the sometimes saccharine aspects are offset by the sheer nastiness of the villainess and her extremely disturbing interest in eugenics. The subsidiary characters are very well done and the narrator does a good job with the quite large cast and differing accents. A very charming listen.

Georgette Heyer meets Downton Abbey

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Would you listen to The Secret Countess again? Why?

Oh definitely. This is perfect cheering up material.
The romance, with all the supporting characters, is adorable, and I love Anna and Rupert. They're intelligent, educated and just so kind. It's such a relief to read a book about genuinely likeable characters.

What other book might you compare The Secret Countess to, and why?

I suppose I might compare the book to a Georgette Heyer. The romance is similar, I suppose, with the supporting characters and the slow movement. However, the setting here is just after the First World War and the Russian Revolution.

Have you listened to any of Davina Porter’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is a first. She's a very good narrator, does the voices perfectly and draws you into the story. I've certainly searched her category to see if there's anything I want to listen to.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I have no idea.

Very Charming

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The story is a tad predictable, but fun and entertaining, the only reason I picked it though was because of the narrator, she's excellent!

Davina Porter brings it to life

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I love Downton Abbey and thought this book, being set along those lines, would be something I could enjoy. It wasn't awful, and I got a few laughs, but the characters were caricatures, either odious or saintly, the plot was predictable and overly ridiculous. I generally like books that don't take themselves seriously (my favourite authors include Sue Townsend and Graeme Simsion), but this one didn't quite strike the balance for me.

I also thought there was some discrepancy between the morals behind the story ie. that:
1.We shouldn't discriminate against the disabled or disadvantages (I agree completely) but that
2. Individuals born to higher status are immediately recognisable as being superior and can't or shouldn't work as if they were otherwise.

Maybe I am being harsh, it wasn't boring, but I would rather have listened to something with just a bit more substance.

Twee and predictable

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