Review – A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Speak
Release Date: May 10, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0142408650
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
“After the Russian Revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England. penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties–not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome Earl of Westerholme. to make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of Rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancee. . . .”
I have read a couple other Ibbotson books before this one. I really loved “A Company of Swans” but didn’t enjoy “The Morning Gift”. This was a quick historical fiction read that I enjoyed. There is quite a bit of romance in here but it felt a bit unfinished.
This is a feel good story that is set in Russia and Europe right after/during WWII. It was a well done story but the writing was a bit simplistic. The main heroine, Anna, is almost too good to be true. Her absolute goodness in the face of everything was inspiring but also unbelievable.
I enjoyed the historical setting but throught the story was a bit contrived. Additionally the ending was abrupt and felt unfinished.
Overall this was engaging and easy to read but not great. It was an overly sweet story that was so happy throughout it felt contrived. I liked it better than The Morning Gift but not as much as A Company of Swans. Would recommend to those who enjoy light historical romance reads.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
