A Countess Below Stairs Paperback – May 10, 2007

Eva Ibbotson was one of the reasons I started writing romance. Because she'd passed away, and it was hard to find the kind of books I loved best, I figured I might as well make up my own stories.Yes, it's a fairy tale. But it's wonderful. Ibbotson's beautiful writing, her spectacular attention to historical detail, especially the period surrounding World War II, and her rich characters make the book a joy to read. The heroine is brave and kind, and the hero is, too. Some of the scenes, like the one at the ball, are so good that you finish them and then go back and read them again to savor them. All her books are great, but this and The Morning Gift are probably my favorites.Also a fabulous book in audio--a go-to for a feel-good listen. Some people will call the books YA, but I wouldn't say so. A wonderful read at any age.

If you approach this like a fairytale it will be a lovely read for you. It reminds me of the old Shirley Temple movies, as well as Anne of Green Gables and Polyanna, with a little Cinderella thrown in. Impoverished girl ends up in a dour environment that she transforms through her bright spirit and is rewarded by being reunited with her wealthy parents or adopted by a wealthy couple or married to the handsome and, did I mention?, wealthy prince. Don't we love rewarded virtue? From a writing perspective it's a bit lacking. A myriad of characters are introduced via lengthy info dumps, some of whom are quite peripheral, so it's questionable whether we need to know that much about them. If so, revealing the information through action rather than exposition would've made it more palatable (show vs. tell). I eventually found myself skipping over vast swathes of uninteresting material. Lastly, the "handsome prince" himself grew less appealing to me as the novel went on. He tended to disappear when the going got rough and constantly found excuses not to take action to remedy difficult situations and not to reach out for what he really wanted. In fact he was rather a passive fellow who allowed himself to be swept along by circumstances.

I don't often read YA literature, but this novel was recommended by an author I admire, Ann Pratchett, and the book did not disappoint. Though good-natured and optimistic, this book does not ignore the darker urges and events that complicate life. The romance is neither sappy, nor predictable. A Russian countess seeks employment as a domestic in an English stately home following the Russian Revolution. The owner, an English earl, though committed by a sense of honor to an increasingly unhappy betrothal, finds himself thinking constantly about the remarkable Russian housemaid. The story ends with madcap adventures and misadventures and provides a satisfying read for both younger and older readers.

Set in the early 20th century, with the feel of a Victorian, this is the story of Anna, raised a young countess in St. Petersburg in an ice-blue palace overlooking the River Neva. When revolution tears Russia apart, her now-penniless family flees to England. Each is willing to work and, for that, one had to admire them.Anna, ever humble, finds an old book on housekeeping and sets off to become a proper housemaid. She finds work at the Earl of Westerholme's crumbling but magnificent mansion. Rupert, the youngest Westerholme, is a returning war hero, who suddenly finds he is now the earl. He plans to marry well so he can restore his family home. Of course, Anna falls in love with him.Both the new earl and his staff believe their new maid, who is clearly a lady, is a bit strange but her hard work and sweet attitude win them over.This is an engaging, often humorous, “G-rated” tale that kept me turning pages. Ibbotson is an Austrian-born British novelist, which may explain the words, references and phrasing I occasionally stumbled over. The story is certainly well written and drew me in. Originally published in 1981, it has been reissued under the title The Secret Countess in some editions. I recommend it.

I was introduced to Eva Ibbotson and her books through her children's books ( Which Witch?, The Secret of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts). She has a really zany sometimes irreverent voice in her writing that is a real pleasure to read. Yet, the topics she tackles in her books are often of a very serious nature: belonging, standing up for what's right, what is bravery, and that's just the beginning. So when I discovered her young adult books, I couldn't pass them up. In A Countess Below Stairs especially, I was not disappointed.Anna was born into privilege. Her younger brother, Petya, cut his teeth on the Crown of Kazan, after all! Most would think that she would become a brat for lack of a better word, but she is the opposite. Anna is a person who lights up a room just by walking into it, and she treats everyone like they're her best friends. But it's a rule that bad stuff happens to even the best people. When a bloody revolution breaks out all over Russia after her father's death, Anna with her family is forced to flee to England with little more than the clothes on their backs. Forced to seek employment, Anna, once with everything one could want, becomes a under-housemaid, and the manor she will work at will never be the same.The characters are quirky and often slightly crazy, and as a reader, one can't take any of them seriously even the villains, who are all appropriately callous. I love the subtleness of the romance between Anna and her intended Rupert, the earl who is also her boss. Though it is clear that they are meant for reach other right from the start, their romance is rarely center-stage. This book is mostly about how Anna's bright personality, hard work and kindness changes the lives of those around her for the better. Except our villains, of course. I also enjoyed the little side romance of Tom, the handsome noble, and Susie, the plain tradesman's daughter. It was sweet and natural, and it also seemed to enhance the other romance of our heroine and her hero.For more of my review, visit my blog at [...] and join in on the fun with other book recommendations and more! Happy Reading!

Eva Ibbotson's historical romances follow a formula and this one is no different to the rest. But gosh do I like that formula. This book is the perfect fairytale for teens and adults alike, and is a great holiday read. The only thing about Ibbotson is that she uses a lot of very long sentences with a lot of adjectives, which can feel a bit pretentious at times. But the story is so nice that if you can look past that, you'll enjoy the book.

This was the first book I read by Eva Ibbotson, and I don't know if I'll read any more of her work. The Secret Countess follows Anna, a Russian Countess who loses everything and flees to England with her family, where she anonymously takes up the position of a maid.My main problem with this book is the main character, Anna. I find her extremely unrealistic and a bit of a bore. Though she is a countess, she is perfectly humble and finds the will to work hard with ease. I feel this diminished the potential the story had to be gripping. We all enjoy a good riches to rags story, where the heroine is put into an environment unfamiliar to her and is expected to work, which she would likely find difficult and off-putting, having everything handed to her on a plate before then. This leaves potential for important character development and adaption. However, this book does not take advantage of that element, and I feel Anna does not develop at all throughout the book. I also found that Anna was accomplished in many feats, e.g. ballet, foreign languages, music and even the housework skills she is expected to indulge in as a maid. She is pretty much perfect in every way, and has no obvious faults, which I find makes the story a bit boring. Anna is contrasted with the character of Muriel, who is explicitly evil. The author succeeds in making her easy to dislike. She is also the love rival, and being so explicitly evil, she makes Anna a very obvious choice for the love interest, which I feel makes the story even more boring. One part of the story which I found particularly disturbing was the character of Uncle Sebastien, an older man who is known in the house for inappropriately touching the young maids, though no one does anything about it except our antagonist, Muriel. There is about a page of the book devoted to his narrative of what comes off as a fetish for the young maids, which was rather disturbing. I only made it about three quarters of the way through the book, so I can't comment on the ending. I did find the story very descriptive and that the author was very good at setting a scene or an atmosphere. As far as plot goes, I felt this book did not really go anywhere, and therefore I did not really enjoy it. I think that is partly due to it not being what I expected from the blurb, which builds a lot of tension around the revealing of her secret. I ended up finding this part of the book disappointing. If you prefer a mostly lighthearted and descriptive story, then I don't doubt you could enjoy this book.

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Really wonderful reading, Eva Ibbotson will always be one of my favourite authors. Great for young people and adults.

This book is wonderful because it is written in the style of the time and the characters are each unique down to the crotchety, old gardener. The love story is well placed and the historical details told in Anna practical style hiding the hidden trauma behind the Bolshevik revolution and even the secondary romance is given room to breathe and feels real.This is now one of my 'rereads'. I love it so much I never get bored of it and always return to it if I need a quirky but satisfying romance. Could not recommend it more.

A romance yes, but literate without being precious and a delight with well rounded characters, original plotlines and in these coronavirus times, uplifting.

This is the most amazing book. I am a fan of Eva In Boston and have read many of her previous books. However this book is by far the best. It is emotional making you laugh, cry and feel an overwhelming sense of joy. Since purchasing this book I have read it a total of 3 time and I plan to read it again. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone.Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Blurb sounds like a cheesy romance novel but this is so much more. Young adult and adult fiction. Brilliant story-line, charming, funny characters, laugh out loud moments. I come back to this book whenever I want cheering up. It's so well-written, and pacy and definitely worth a read or three.

Exciting and gripping read

I would recommend this book to anyone. It was truly delightful and a balm for the soul. Heartwarming and perfect.

So that's two nights sleep delayed because of this book. I knew if I sat down to read this during the day nothing else would get done. Just sit back and enjoy it.

The story is told with warmth and wit, the writing is impeccable and the author has a magic touch with characterisation and description.

Good reading

Loved this book - really nice story evoking the opulence of pre-war Russia. Great heroine in the story although towards the end the story gets a bit formulaic and you can sort of gurss what is going to happen :)

Mrs Ibbotson understands the possibilities and fascination of concocting a fascinating story in perfect English.Her stories go with pace without vulgarity or repetition.

This book was amazing!!!It is the best book EVER I have read read the book seven times now. Secret countess is brilliant:)