http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/business/media/mad-for-downton-publishers-have-a-reading-list.html?_r=1&hp This is all great news for me and for other writers who set their novels in that milieu and that period. My heroine, Lady Georgiana, is related to the royal family, 34th in line to the throne and through the course of my stories she hangs out with royal kin at Buckingham Palace She sees her cousin, the Prince of Wales, become hopelessly enamored of a dubious American woman called Mrs. Simpson. And because her mother was of lowly birth, she is also a keen observer of the gulf between the haves and have nots.
I suppose I can understand this current fascination with upper class Britain and the time between the wars--in many ways our current situation mirrors it. We have a clear gulf between rich and poor, we have a deep recession with many people losing their homes and a general feeing of uncertainty.. And the life of British aristocrats is so deliciously decadent and so far removed from most of us that we love to take a peek at it.
I have to say that I love to write about it. During my life I've had a chance to take my own peek into that lifestyle. My husband's family used to own stately homes (Sutton Place included, but that was before my time) but I have met older relatives who talk fondly about pranks they played on the butler and dinner parties for a hundred guests. And I have met people who firmly believe that that era has not passed and still think of the world as "them and us"--with other classes only being created by God for their use to the aristocracy.
So it's all great fun and of course my books have the added attraction of a murder or two thrown into the mix. If you haven't read them yet, do give them a try. The latest is Naughty in Nice in which Georgie tangles with a murderer, a jewel thief and Coco Chanel on the Riviera!
I love Downton just for the fact that it is escapeism tv for me. I grew up during the Dallas and Dynasty era grwoing up poor and watching the rich on tv was just entertaining to me who knows why. Then of course I am one of those who also grew up during the Diana era and then my love for Royalty History was also founded. This is part of the reason I love your books as well. When my life is getting crazy between the kids and the house work and the husband I just want to kick back and escape Downton and Georgie Provides that for me.
ReplyDeleteLove your series, Rhys, and will look for your latest. I also had the opportunity to view the aristocracy in a way that most North Americans aren't able to. My late cousin Tony was Viscount Clegg-Hill of Shropshire and Shrewsbury. They lost the estate to taxes well before my time, but the eccentric stories live on :)
ReplyDeleteI especially like the Molly series. Can't get enough of it. And I can't get enough of Downton Abbey, although, frankly, I wouldn't want to be one of the upstairs family. I think most of those aristocrats had rather dreary lives. Maggie Smith sort of captures that.
ReplyDeleteI thought I'd watch an episode of Downton on Netflix, just to see what all the fuss was about. Seven hours later, I finished up the first Series. I'm hooked, well and truly.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Their lives were extremely boring most of the time--trying to fill the hours between meals. Occasional hunting, shooting and fishing, balls and dinners.
ReplyDeleteI am such a fan of this time period, I wonder why I don't write about it. Probably because I like and enjoy it so much, I just want to sit back and enjoy TV and books about it.
ReplyDeleteThe entailments really make my blood boil.
Patg
Richard and I are both fascinated by every episode and would watch them again! Yet I find your books a great deal more fun, which is refreshing.
ReplyDeleteRhys, you may want to check out Merry Farmer's blog. She recently posted about Downtown Abbey. This is my first visit to your site, but I'll be back, and I see much in common with Merry.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I love Downton Abbey, Rhys, I think books set in that period, especially Georgie's!, bring it much more to life for me. I just always seem to get more from books.
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