A Visit to Downton Abbey

E-Mail This Link

Enter recipient's e-mail:

Close

Email

Print |

Reprint/License |

Subscription |

RSS |

Share

Joy Fleishhacker February 15, 2012

Created and written by Academy Award-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), this British TV drama series has wowed American audiences and garnered a following among teens. Produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece, Downton Abbey has earned six Emmy Awards as well as other accolades, and is currently airing a second season on PBS. Set in Great Britain at a fictional country estate, the story centers around the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, beginning in 1912 with the news of the sinking of the Titanic and spanning the years through World War I. The large ensemble cast includes Hugh Bonneville as the compassionate and noble head of household, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham; Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, his American heiress wife; Maggie Smith as his mother Violet, an opinionated and intractable dowager countess; Michelle Dockery as Mary, the eldest of the three Crawley daughters; and Dan Stevens as distant-relative Matthew Crawley, the family's reluctant heir apparent. Their extensive staff of servants is headed up by Brendan Coyle, who plays Lord Grantham's ever loyal valet, John Bates, and Siobhan Finneran as Sarah O'Brien, Lady Grantham's maliciously meddling maid. Part well-researched period piece and part steamy soap opera, the series allows for plenty of juicy secrets to unfold, both above stairs and below, as the story follows the loves and losses, schemes and scandals, aspirations and devastations of both the Crawleys and their employees, all set against a backdrop of world-changing historical events. Season three has already been confirmed with Shirley MacLaine taking on the role of Martha Levinson, Cora's mother.

Teens can visit the official website for an array of videos, photos, and features. Viewers can delve into the highpoints of both seasons through episode-by-episode recaps and detailed synopses. A character guide (accessed by helpful photos) provides more information about socialites and servants alike as well as the actors who portray them. Q & As with the major players, video interviews with cast members, insider chats, and production photos provide plenty of behind-the-scenes tidbits. In addition, Julian Fellowes shares his inspirations for the show (including bits of his own family history) and his insights about the characters, plot elements, and locations in a series of video clips. Fans can also browse the "Downton Abbey News" section to redirect to a variety of related articles about the latest happenings, actors, fashions, and more.

Book Tie-ins

Jessica Fellowes's handsomely illustrated companion volume provides an intriguing look at The World of Downton Abbey (St. Martin's Press, 2011; Gr 8 Up). The well-written text introduces the show's characters and plot particulars, while also painting a broader picture of the events and social changes that provide the historical backdrop for the storylines. Profusely illustrated with film stills and behind-the-scenes photos, the chapters delve into various topics: "Family Life" presents the relationships, hierarchies, and roles played by both Crawleys and household staff; "Society" provides the skinny on matters of etiquette, questions of family succession, the status of American heiresses, husband hunting, and more; and "Change" details the technological innovations (telephones, cars, etc.), social developments (rise of Socialism, suffragette movement), and wartime issues that defined England at the turn of the 20th century and greatly affected the characters. Other sections examine "Life in Service," contemporary fashions (right down to the corset), the complex workings of a country estate and its environs, "Romance" ("marital machinations" among the Crawleys as well as love affairs percolating in the kitchen), and the advent of and changes brought by war (the dominating storyline for season two). Quotes from real-life individuals (ranging from Gordon Grimmett, second footman at the Astor's country home, to American-born Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough) and historical reproductions and photos are interspersed throughout the volume, adding a sense of eyewitness authenticity. A final chapter provides a look at the show's production, locations, sets, costumes, and more. Commentary from the cast and creative staff appears throughout, providing insights about the characters as well as the day-to-day work of an actor. Filled with lush photos, interesting facts, and insider perspectives, this volume will captivate YAs who long to linger in the stately halls of Downton Abbey.

Teens who would like to try out the view from Below Stairs (St. Martin's Press, 2012; Gr 10 Up) will enjoy Margaret Powell's readable memoire, originally published in 1968, and cited as inspiration for both Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey (a quote from Julian Fellowes graces the back cover). Born in 1907, Powell was 15 when she entered service as a kitchen maid-the absolute bottom rung of the domestic ladder-and quickly learned that her dawn-to-after-dusk duties involved endless backbreaking toil and little appreciation. She describes her years in service (she would go on to become a cook and work in a variety of households) with no-nonsense honesty, witty humor, and the perspectives of an intelligent young woman who never stopped fighting against the conceptions and constraints that "'Them' upstairs"—and society as a whole—had imposed upon her. Entertaining and poignant anecdotes (an employer with a fetish for viewing house staff in their curlers or the sad fate of a pregnant under-parlor maid fired for being seduced by her mistress's nephew) and vividly drawn characters are woven into a narrative that skillfully re-creates a moment in time.

Related Reads

Set in the same timeframe and encompassing similar themes, these captivating YA titles will placate viewers who are breathlessly awaiting the premiere of season three.

When an 18-year-old British maid traveling aboard the Titanic falls in love with a gentleman who happens to be a werewolf (and a hottie), the results can be no less than Fateful (HarperTeen, 2011; Gr 8 Up). Claudia Gray's sweeping paranormal romance stars Tess, a spirited young woman who is journeying to America with the family that she has served since age 14. Headed up by the barb-tongued and cruel-hearted Lady Regina, the aristocratic Lisles have fallen on hard times financially and harbor many scandalous secrets. No matter, Tess has surreptitiously sewn her life savings into her dress and plans to make a fresh start once she reaches New York. However, she soon finds herself crossing paths with Alec, the handsome and compassionate heir to an American fortune who has a secret of his own: transformed unwillingly into a werewolf, he poses a threat to those around him at each full moon and is being stalked by an evil brotherhood of lycanthrope elite who are determined to have him under their control. Despite their class differences and the ever-increasing danger, Tess and Alec can't deny their attraction to one another, and a steamy romance blossoms as the ship moves toward its unalterable destiny. Filled with opulent historical details and deftly conveying the complexities of contemporary social hierarchies, the first-person narration sails full steam ahead to tell a tantalizing tale of suspenseful supernatural adventure and against-all-odds true love.

Two time-travel fantasies also combine alluring romance with early 21st-century sensibilities. Set in England in 1913, Emily Whitman's Wildwing (Greenwillow, 2010; Gr 7-10) features a 15-year-old protagonist who feels trapped by her circumstances and dreams about living a different life. After yet another scuffle with classmates who taunt her about her poverty and questionable parentage, Addy is removed from school by her mother, who decides that it's time for the girl to learn her place and finds her a position as a daytime maid. Working in the home of the kind yet eccentric Mr. Greenwood, Addy stumbles upon a time machine that offers her a way to escape the drudgery of domestic servitude. Transported back to medieval England, she's mistaken for Lady Matilda, the gentlewoman who is betrothed to the lord of the local castle. If she can just play her part right, she will be destined for a life of luxury and privilege. However, she doesn't bargain on meeting young Will, the falconer's boy with golden hair and irresistible eyes, and she finds herself falling head over heels. As events unfold, Addy learns about the responsibilities that come part and parcel with her new social position and must make difficult choices between duty and her heart's true desire. Imaginative plot twists, well-drawn characters, and vivid details of both time periods make this a satisfying blend of romance, fantasy, and historical fiction.

Alexandra Monir's atmospheric Timeless (Delacorte, 2011, Gr 7 Up) begins in the modern day. When her mother is tragically killed in a car accident, high schooler Michele Windsor is forced to move to New York City and live with the wealthy, high-society grandparents whom she has never met. In her room in the family's historic Fifth Avenue mansion, she comes across a mysterious diary that transports her back in time to 1910 and into the company of her troubled ancestor, Clara. Here, she also meets Philip, the man with the dazzling deep blue eyes whom she's been dreaming of her entire life. The two fall in love, and Michele's feelings for Philip grow ever deeper as she travels back and forth between these two worlds. Building a relationship while pushing the limitations of physics is challenging enough; however, things become even more harrowing when Michele discovers that she must make a difficult sacrifice in order to ensure Philip's future happiness. The differences between the two time periods-in historical veneer, boy-girl morays, social structures, and the impact of family expectations-are well integrated into a plot that's powered by mesmerizingly romantic trysts, heartfelt emotions, and the timeless—and time-conquering—appeal of true love.

Beginning in London in 1913, Julie Hearn's novel is set against a backdrop of significant social change and introduces a compelling protagonist who makes a journey from sheltered innocence to a greater awareness of herself and her world. Thirteen-year-old Hazel (Atheneum, 2009; Gr 7-10) attends the Kensington School for the Daughters of Gentlemen and leads a secure though ho-hum life as the apple of her doting father's eye. Everything changes when her father has a nervous breakdown (resulting from financial pressures and involving a thinly veiled suicide attempt) and is sent to a rest home to recover. Reeling from shock, Hazel seeks solace and attention from her classmates, including a forward-thinking American friend who pressures her into pulling off an "action" at a public place in support of the suffragette cause. Apprehended by the police and socially disgraced, she's sent to her grandparents' Caribbean plantation, where she soon learns that her family has long kept many deeply hidden and startling secrets. From the opening scene at a racetrack, when Hazel and her father witness a suffragette stepping in front of the king's horse to bring attention to her cause (she dies days later), to Hazel's horrified sighting of a whip hanging on the wall of the plantation's curing house (a relic of what her tutor calls "the good old days"), the book is filled with effective and unforgettable images. The author gamely incorporates an array of important turn-of-the-20th-century issues-women's rights, the limitations imposed the society, class structure and social injustice, racial prejudice, the long-lasting effects of slavery, and more—and an assortment of eye-brow-raising family scandals into a riveting story starring a likable heroine who learns compassion as well as how to think for herself.

Publication Information

FELLOWES, Jessica. The World of Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Pr. 2011. Tr $29.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00634-9.

POWELL, Margaret. Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoire That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Pr. 2012. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00544-1.

GRAY, Claudia. Fateful. HarperTeen. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200620-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204922-3.

WHITMAN, Emily. Wildwing. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-172452-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201189-3.

MONIR, Alexandra. Timeless. Delacorte/Random. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73838-5; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90726-2; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89410-7.

HEARN, Julie. Hazel. Atheneum/S & S. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-2504-0; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-2505-7; ebook $8.99. ISBN 9781439160442.

Check out RA Crossroads: What To Watch (and Read) After Downton Abbey from Library Journal for more great read and watch-alikes!

This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.

E-Mail This Link

Enter recipient's e-mail:

Close

Email

Print |

Reprint/License |

Subscription |

RSS |

Share