Upstairs, Downstairs and all Around the Mansion

Yes, I know that the Super Bowl is on television right now.  I know that football fans wait for this all year and that the rest of us watch for the ads.  But tonight, the only television that I am interested in is Downton Abbey, the wonderful Julian Fellowes series on PBS.  When it comes down to a choice of watching large men pound each other (even if they are New Yorkers) and entering into the lives of the British aristocracy and their servants during World War I, I will choose Maggie Smith as the sharp-tongued matriarch every time.

The popularity of this series has revived an interest in the world that Upstairs/Downstairs revealed to us way back in the 1970s.  Apparently the people who watch this type of show tend to be big readers, so the desire for books on this subject is growing quickly.  Today's  New York Times Book Review featured several nonfiction books for fans of this show, so I thought I would add to the list with some of my favorite fiction choices:

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.  This is the first in a wonderful series of mysteries.  Maisie is a housemaid in a great manor house who is found reading books in the library by her mistress, Lady Compton, who sees potential in Maisie.  After being given an Oxford education, Maisie goes to France to act as a nurse during World War I.  After the war she becomes a detective under the tutelage of Maurice Blanche.  This book deftly describes the place of Maisie as a young woman who is not quite "Upstairs", but is no longer "Downstairs".  This is a series worth investigating.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro takes place immediately before and during World War II.  This subtle and wrenching novel tells of a butler, Stevens, who has served his employer for 30 years.  Proper behavior, standards and responsibility are the focus of his life, leaving no room for human emotions.  As Stevens looks back on his career and his icily proper relationship with the housekeeper, Miss Kenton, he comes to some bitter realizations about his life.

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. This novel tells the story of the extremely wealthy Cora Cash who, at the turn of the century,  travels with her mother to Europe in search of a titled husband.  When she finds one and becomes the Duchess of Wareham, her troubles begin.  She doesn't understand the rules of English society and finds herself mocked and embroiled in scandals and deceit.  This story would make the perfect plot for Downton Abbey; you will not be able to put it down.

OK, OK.....just for you Giants fans.  Take a look at a little book called, 100 Things Giants Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die by Dave Buscema.  Have I read it?  Um, no....but give me a little credit for trying here.

Whether you are reading about English aristocrats or enormous football players, keep those pages turning.....