Book Review #22 - The House at Tyneford

I have been on a chick-lit reading extravaganza!  This was a wander-through-and-pick-up-at-the-library choice made solely on the aesthetics of the cover and the words, "Fans of Downton Abbey will absolutely adore The House at Tyneford!"  Sold!

Although there is the expected romance and descriptions of how the wealthy live, this is a much grittier novel than I expected.  It is mostly set in pre-war Europe during Hitler's rise to power, when Jews were losing more and more of their rights and the question of their safety was becoming a major concern.  Jews who could afford the exit taxes got visas to leave their homes and countries and some sent their  daughters to work in various jobs in a friendlier England.  In this novel by Natasha Solomons, Elise Landau, an 18 year-old girl born to a famous opera singer and a successful author, who grew up attending fancy parties and servants of her own, leaves her comfortable life to work as a house maid at a large English estate.  Not only does she lack the skills and experience to do well at her new job, but the pride in serving a noble family, not to mention the required humility, are absent too.

I think had this really been about the transition between her two very different lifestyles, I would have enjoyed it more.  Instead, in the name of romance, the author focused on her relationship with the rich heir to Tyneford, Kit. The relationship is not completely out of the question as she once was a part of the circle she now serves, but I did not believe it.  She is a jew.  She barely speaks English.  She describes herself as pudgy and plain (don't they all in these books?  And yet, men are always falling in love with them?  I think the rich and noble tend to get the thin and rich, don't you?) The author attempts to paint Elise as rebellious and headstrong and I suppose that could be part of her allure, but because so much of the story depends upon the authenticity of the relationship between her and Kit, the story starts to collapse from the added weight of the war.

Still, it is a book I think fans of Downton Abbey will enjoy.  I am a fan of the show and I liked it.  I could imagine very well the small attic room where she slept and the fussy butler not to mention all the rules about serving on the left while simultaneously appearing invisible.  I enjoyed the bit when Elise complains about the rule of never being seen cleaning.  She wonders if the masters of the house are supposed to imagine magic elves doing the work.

No ringing endorsements as its neither very fun, very romantic or very important, but it is an interesting look at a time of great change in all the classes of Europe.