Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Mairi

When the Russian Revolution forces her out of her native land, Anna Grazinsky flees to England with a family friend, Miss Pinfold. They live in London, but jobs are hard to come by in the city, and Anna decides to leave (against the wishes of Miss Pinfold). She has found work in a house called Mersham and, though Miss Pinfold assures her that a lady such as herself could never be happy below stairs, she goes- and she is happy.

More than one person has pointed out that Eva Ibbotson's characters are not very believable. They have a point, as Anna, like all of Ibbotson's other heroines, is a wholesome girl with no real faults, but I love her anyway. She reflects the spirit of the book, being earnest, hardworking, and always joyful.

A Countess Below Stairs is a comfort read, I won't deny it, but unlike others of its type it never assumes that the reader is stupid.