From the book's back cover:
After the Russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian Countess, has no choice but to flee ...
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Dec 20, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Anna Grazinsky is a member of the Russian aristocracy, or White Russians, during the Russian Revolution. Her family is forced to flee from their comfortable life in Russia to England, where they are safe from the revolutionaries. But in England, the Grazinskys are left with nothing. Anna has a very resilient spirit, and instead of moping around and wishing for her old life, she is grateful for the safety of her family and secretly takes a More...
Anna Grazinsky is a member of the Russian aristocracy, or White Russians, during the Russian Revolution. Her family is forced to flee from their comfortable life in Russia to England, where they are safe from the revolutionaries. But in England, the Grazinskys are left with nothing. Anna has a very resilient spirit, and instead of moping around and wishing for her old life, she is grateful for the safety of her family and secretly takes a More...
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Nov 02, 2008
Claire
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I love Eva Ibbotson, and I nearly always think her characters are delightful and her stories lovely. That was true for this book as well. I frequently recommend her books to my enthusiastic readers and to parents reading aloud with their elementary-aged children. She's my favorite of all the authors I've discovered in the last few years.
But I couldn't help my stomach churning at the unnecessarily nasty descriptions of the unpleasant family, the Herrings... these descriptions depende More...
But I couldn't help my stomach churning at the unnecessarily nasty descriptions of the unpleasant family, the Herrings... these descriptions depende More...
3 comments
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(17 people liked it)
Jan 14, 2008
Rachel
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This is a good romance novel without being too mushy, or containing a lot of raunchy scenes. It's about how a young Russian Countess flees to England after the Russian Revolution and earns her keep as a servant for a wealthy family. She tries to keep her past from her employers and their very attractive son, the Earl of Westerholme who is engaged to be married. His future wife believes in the science of Eugenics and only in procreating "the perfect species." Needless to say, there is a
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(8 people liked it)
Nov 07, 2010
Chandra
rated it:
Anna Grazinsky is a young Russian countess forced to flee her home country during the Russian Revolution. Once in England the spirited young lady nobly takes a position as a servant to earn money for her newly impoverished family. It doesn’t take long for Anna to charm her fellow servants, as well as the noble family 'above stairs' – including the dashing young Earl of Westerholme. Too bad he’s already engaged to the gorgeous and wealthy heiress Muriel Hardwicke. Beyond the obvious love tria
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18 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Aug 06, 2008
Fiona
rated it:
With Eva Ibbotson, you can expect one thing: A fluffy feel-good read. I don't usually like fluffy reads, with Ibbotson I make an exception.
The good guys are always perfect, golden-hued flawless people who are gorgeous. The bad guys are usually horrible but never really truly evil. Everyone gets their happy ending.
That is what you get with Eva Ibbotson. She does it in the more forgiveable way. Each of her books are layered with cultural tit-bits, mostly musical. Many of he More...
The good guys are always perfect, golden-hued flawless people who are gorgeous. The bad guys are usually horrible but never really truly evil. Everyone gets their happy ending.
That is what you get with Eva Ibbotson. She does it in the more forgiveable way. Each of her books are layered with cultural tit-bits, mostly musical. Many of he More...
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(4 people liked it)
May 05, 2008
Cassie
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This book was one of those predictable, fluffy books that is still somehow a charm to read because of the language and characters. The heroine is too good, the rival is too evil and silly, but I found myself enjoying every page anyway. The portrayal of Russian royalty on the run from the Russian Revolution is absolutely believable, and Ibbotson’s descriptions make the world come alive. Russian history and culture are things I never really studied, but have always been interested in, so I found t
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(5 people liked it)
Mar 20, 2008
Angie
rated it:
What wordy, frothy fun Ibbotson's books are. Perfect going on a trip books. In fact, reading them makes me wish I was going somewhere, as her heroines always seem to be off somewhere new and exciting and exotic. But since I am not going anywhere (exotic or otherwise) in the near future, getting lost in them has proved a wonderful balm for my It's mid-March and Still Snowing blues.
Anna is a Russian countess whose family is forced to flee their wealth and their home after her father is More...
Anna is a Russian countess whose family is forced to flee their wealth and their home after her father is More...
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(4 people liked it)
Jul 14, 2007
Kitsuchi
rated it:
This was just lovely. I've never read Eva Ibbotson before, apart from the more junior Which Week?, and I really enjoyed it.
It was quite slow to get into, and written quite formally, but being as it was set at the beginning of the 20th century, it was appropriate. The story itself is quite old-fashioned, and also a genuinely heartwarming romance. I cried.
It was also well constructed: things would be mentioned that helped save the day later, without feeling unnatural. More...
It was quite slow to get into, and written quite formally, but being as it was set at the beginning of the 20th century, it was appropriate. The story itself is quite old-fashioned, and also a genuinely heartwarming romance. I cried.
It was also well constructed: things would be mentioned that helped save the day later, without feeling unnatural. More...
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(3 people liked it)
Feb 02, 2009
Haley
rated it:
Cute storyline. I liked the story being told in so many different points of view, and also that not much is told from Anna's and Rupert's point of view. In this way the author shows you how they fell in love. Again, love the vocabulary the author uses in her novels, and also that it is a completely clean romance, but also so much more than a romance story. I loved all the different characters!
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 09, 2010
Suna
rated it: 
I am emotionally winded by this book in the best possible way!
Whether it's the time of year and the bitter winter snow outside that made this book hit the spot the way it did I'm not certain.
But the poetic language, the sheer romanticism, the wit, the Shakespearean farce element, the astute social, historical, cultural, sexual, racial and class observations were all perfectly balanced to create one of the most richly feel-good romances I've read in years.
I've always More...
Whether it's the time of year and the bitter winter snow outside that made this book hit the spot the way it did I'm not certain.
But the poetic language, the sheer romanticism, the wit, the Shakespearean farce element, the astute social, historical, cultural, sexual, racial and class observations were all perfectly balanced to create one of the most richly feel-good romances I've read in years.
I've always More...
7 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 12, 2009
Adrienne
rated it: 
The only reason it's 2 stars is because it was a semi-interesting plot. However...
HOLY COMMAS, BATMAN!
The woman does not know how to write a normal sentence unless it's dialogue. She'd have these sentences with about 10 (no joke, I counted one) modifying phrases all contained within commas. It was so distracting that when I finally got around to the end of the original thought, I couldn't remember what she was talking about. So I'd have to read the beginning of the se More...
HOLY COMMAS, BATMAN!
The woman does not know how to write a normal sentence unless it's dialogue. She'd have these sentences with about 10 (no joke, I counted one) modifying phrases all contained within commas. It was so distracting that when I finally got around to the end of the original thought, I couldn't remember what she was talking about. So I'd have to read the beginning of the se More...
6 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Nov 04, 2011
Chelsea
rated it:
Oh, Eva, we are going to get along just fine.
I was a little disappointed by the last Ibbotson book I read (A Song For Summer), but this one was far better, and a return to A Company of Swans, which I adored.
It's a sweet, fun, fluffy book with a bit of a Cinderella feel to it. Probably not the most realistic take on England between the World Wars, and certainly not the most realistic when it comes to penniless Russian nobility living in exile, but you know what? It was c More...
I was a little disappointed by the last Ibbotson book I read (A Song For Summer), but this one was far better, and a return to A Company of Swans, which I adored.
It's a sweet, fun, fluffy book with a bit of a Cinderella feel to it. Probably not the most realistic take on England between the World Wars, and certainly not the most realistic when it comes to penniless Russian nobility living in exile, but you know what? It was c More...
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 06, 2008
Dewdrop
rated it: 
Okay. This book was kind of a dissapointment to me. I felt really disconeccted from the story and like it was to narrarative. Like the author was telling the story herself, not through her charecters.
I felt like I was getting a lot of uneccissery information about every body. And nothing was really developing in you mind as you read it, but it was all piled on you all at the same time. Like every time some one new came into the story, everything stopped while the author gave a More...
I felt like I was getting a lot of uneccissery information about every body. And nothing was really developing in you mind as you read it, but it was all piled on you all at the same time. Like every time some one new came into the story, everything stopped while the author gave a More...
3 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Apr 16, 2009
Clare
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 18, 2008
Tommi
rated it:
This book had a really cute story about a girl from Russia that goes to London after a nanny steals all their money and leaves her family poor. In London to make ends meet she decides to become a maid servant for a Rupert The Earl of Westerholm. The Earl has little money left and must face selling Mersham manor unless he marries a wealthy woman to keep it afloat. He becomes engaged to Muriel, a wealthy orphan who is quite obsessed with eugenics. Rupert's plans to marry Muriel are honorable and m
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Dec 04, 2008
Michelle
rated it:
A sweet love story about a displaced Russian Countess, Anna and an English Earl set on marrying a (horrid) heiress to save his family seat. I am a sucker for all things Russian so I loved Anna and her efforts to become an able housemaid.
As usual, Ibbotson has created a set of unusual and extremely interesting cast of secondary characters that I would love to hear more about. I mean a body-building footman?! Who wouldn't want to hear his story? I think I could read her books if only More...
As usual, Ibbotson has created a set of unusual and extremely interesting cast of secondary characters that I would love to hear more about. I mean a body-building footman?! Who wouldn't want to hear his story? I think I could read her books if only More...
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 03, 2009
Allison (The Allure of Books)
rated it:
Sometimes its good to read something purely for FUN, to remind yourself what reading is all about - enjoying yourself. That is exactly what you get with this one. The ending is, of course, predictable...but the journey to get there is so fun (and at times maddening)!
Muriel, the "other woman" is ridiculous and cold-hearted, a little girl that lives in a neighboring home, 'Honorable Olive' will have your heart twisted in to knots, and...ALL the characters are just so fresh a More...
Muriel, the "other woman" is ridiculous and cold-hearted, a little girl that lives in a neighboring home, 'Honorable Olive' will have your heart twisted in to knots, and...ALL the characters are just so fresh a More...
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(3 people liked it)
Oct 28, 2011
Kermit's BFF
rated it:
Book deprivation is a very bad thing. It causes people to do crazy things…like, reading till 4:44 am on a Thursday night because they haven’t had fiction in their hands for such a long time. Which may or may not have just happened to me.
Be warned! If you’re sending your kid off to college, or are going to college, keep them/yourself at least occasionally supplied with something mindless!!! The repercussions are scary and may involve falling asleep in class the next day.
Plot More...
Be warned! If you’re sending your kid off to college, or are going to college, keep them/yourself at least occasionally supplied with something mindless!!! The repercussions are scary and may involve falling asleep in class the next day.
Plot More...
Oct 03, 2011
Liz B
rated it:
4.5 stars
Oh, I really liked this book. I knew Eva Ibbotson only as an author of kids' fantasy, but I came across a blog post that referred to her romances, and I bought this one on impulse. I'm so glad I did. It's hard to point to why, exactly; maybe it's because it embodies the characterization of romance as fantasy. Not that this is speculative fiction, by any means--but it really does feel like a fairy tale, where the magic is found in the ordinary goodness of people.
It's More...
Oh, I really liked this book. I knew Eva Ibbotson only as an author of kids' fantasy, but I came across a blog post that referred to her romances, and I bought this one on impulse. I'm so glad I did. It's hard to point to why, exactly; maybe it's because it embodies the characterization of romance as fantasy. Not that this is speculative fiction, by any means--but it really does feel like a fairy tale, where the magic is found in the ordinary goodness of people.
It's More...
Jul 23, 2011
Parvathy
rated it:
It is the same repetitive formula which has been encountered in entertainment from time on. The English lord in this case an Earl, the kind and spirited housemaid and a disgruntled, cruel fiancee and an ever supporting and lovable background characters. Yes, the same old stuff but what makes this one worth a read is the way in which this same old story is presented. Eva Ibbotson's writing is very imaginative and captures one's attention from the very first page. Her description of simple unimpor
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(3 people liked it)
May 15, 2011
Rose
rated it:
This book was thoroughly enjoyable & charming. I didn't expect to like it much & was pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be cheesy & over the top with the romance aspect of it, but it wasn't at all. Anna, a Russian countess flees her homeland after the Russian Revolution & makes the decision to take a job as a servant in a wealthy household in England & hides her aristocratic background from everyone. This was such a fun story to read that after 400 pages I was sad to see it end. There were
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Apr 14, 2011
Sabrina
rated it:
This was not the first book I've read from Eva Ibbotson, but it was the first YA I read from her. In 4th grade, I read Which Witch? in my classroom's library. The only thing I didn't like about that was that the wizard had a mustache. I also read The Secret of Platform 13 but wasn't that interested in it. I didn't even know that A Countess Below Stairs was written by her until I saw the books she written. This book is also known as The Secret Countess.
I read this book because I didn' More...
I read this book because I didn' More...
Apr 07, 2011
Sherilee
rated it:
It's a cinderella story, disguised. What is it with all these books I've been reading lately where the main characters are secretly royal or destined for power, fame and fortune but have obstacles in the way to obtain it? Is that all we're after these days?
Anway, it was ok, except for all the irrelevant names and places that littered the pages. Who? Where? Who does this author think she's talking to? Obviously she's trying to impress those elites who have traveled the globe, More...
Anway, it was ok, except for all the irrelevant names and places that littered the pages. Who? Where? Who does this author think she's talking to? Obviously she's trying to impress those elites who have traveled the globe, More...
Apr 02, 2011
Julianne
rated it:
I read this book some years ago, but reread it this time for book club. Loved it! And I actually had to READ it, as it was not available as an audiobook from our library system.
Our heroine is Anna, a child of privilege in early 1900's Russia who is beautiful and charming and very dutiful. When the Russian revolution comes and all the Russian aristocracy are put out of their homes, they have to scatter across Europe. Anna's family goes to England with their British nanny. Anna de More...
Our heroine is Anna, a child of privilege in early 1900's Russia who is beautiful and charming and very dutiful. When the Russian revolution comes and all the Russian aristocracy are put out of their homes, they have to scatter across Europe. Anna's family goes to England with their British nanny. Anna de More...
Mar 27, 2011
Katie
rated it:
My passionate affair with Eva Ibbotson started with The Magic Flutes, and after about ten days of reading furiously, ended with A Company of Swans. Her full list of romance titles include:
The Secret Countess (originally published as ‘A Countess Below Stairs’)
The Morning Gift
A Company of Swans
A Song For Summer
Magic Flutes (in some editions published as ‘The Reluctant Heiress’)
Ibbotson loved several things, all things Austrian, high brow European culture, More...
The Secret Countess (originally published as ‘A Countess Below Stairs’)
The Morning Gift
A Company of Swans
A Song For Summer
Magic Flutes (in some editions published as ‘The Reluctant Heiress’)
Ibbotson loved several things, all things Austrian, high brow European culture, More...
Mar 20, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
I joined a book club to read books I wouldn't normally read, and this book reconfirmed my lack of interest in romance novels. Every character in this book is completely impossible, the story is weak and predictable, and the descriptions are uncomfortably overwrought. However, what kept me from enjoying the book the most was the writing/editing. There are commas thrown in at random all over the place (and left out even more frequently). Another reviewer said it best: The sentences had so many mod
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Jan 05, 2011
Jan
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 22, 2010
Connie
rated it:
I liked this book! I really didn’t know much about the Russian revolution nor have I read a book about Russians. I thought the background of the story was really interesting. Anna goes from having a huge house with all the luxuries of wealth to escaping from her home and working as a maid. She really has to swallow her pride and work for her family and support them. I really liked Anna. I thought she had so many great characteristics--she was kind, giving, respectful. She took things into her ow
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Oct 24, 2010
Elizabeth
rated it:
This was not my most favorite book in the world. In this story, it first starts to talk about how Anna is a princess of a place in Russia, and then immediately they seem to have found themselves in London running away from the Russian Civil War. From there, she has to get a job and now they are starting to talk about another place. Once you start to understand what is happening, you are now reading about a whole new place and people that I felt hardly even related to the story. I think that the
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Sep 15, 2010
Rebecca-
rated it:
So, there I am pondering along the rather uninspiring bookshelves of my local library hoping to God that I don't have to get the bus all the way into Twickenham, my feet aching from London the day before, and simply: I couldn't be asked. So, hopefully, you're picturing that.
Then, WHOOSH. I come across this book, just being replaced on the bookshelf. Pick it up before the greedy looking girl standing next to me does (*gives me a dirty look*) & read the blurb. Sounding interesting, I escape More...
Then, WHOOSH. I come across this book, just being replaced on the bookshelf. Pick it up before the greedy looking girl standing next to me does (*gives me a dirty look*) & read the blurb. Sounding interesting, I escape More...
