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Kaethe

Kaethe

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Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England - Catherine Bailey

Black Diamonds: The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England - Catherine Bailey

A fascinating book for fans of Downton Abbey, it's also a mystery: how can one of the wealthiest families in the UK die out over the course of 50 years? It is a social history of the time, as well as a history of a place, and the specific characters who inhabit it, While not evenly divided between storylines focusing on the Dukes and the locals, it does have the fresh voices of former employees adding color to the narrative. And it is an engrossing story.

 

The staggeringly rich are different from you and me: they are just as prone to making egregious errors in every aspect of their lives, but they are rather more protected from the consequences. So good I had requested Baily's other book, The Secret Rooms: A True Gothic Mystery, before I ever finished this one.

 

Library copy